Sparks are flying!

Christmas is behind us now, and a little work still ahead. Perez Welding came today to weld the supports on for the disconnects. They previously were here to do the structural welds for the poles, but each time they came we were in Phoenix with Parker. Finally got some welding photos now.

Attaching a piece of Uni-Strut to hold the disconnect switch.



Check out the sparks from the welding! We'll have none of these when the electrical is connected--I hope!

Change in plans...

View from the driveway

Well, the past few days brought a few changes to the installation plans. First we found out that the original design for the fourth tracker to hold 9 panels had a flaw. The tracker manufacturer indicated we could mount the ninth panel at the top and center (everything has to be balanced for proper operation). When everything was being setup we found that they were incorrect, our make and model of panel would not allow this type of mount due to size and weight constraints. Oops.

So our supplier had to reorder an entirely different track rack to hold 9 panels. This also required that they disassemble the existing rack and replace it. That's a fair amount of work! It was completed yesterday and you can see the difference in the appearance. The panels mount at a 90 degree angle to the other racks. It's also a little bit larger...sorry neighbors.

Tracker number four showing the difference (#4 in foreground)


Close-up of number four


The other change was related to the inverters. We originally specified 2 4-kW inverters to accomodate the 7.5kW design. After further inspections were made to the house electrical panel it was determined that we could not use two inverters without major rewiring due to panel design. So one 8-kW inverter will be used instead. Downside is we lose some redundancy. If one failed we would still run on the other. Now it's a single point of failure. I'm assured that reliability is high and a replacement could be installed in a day or two if needed. Arizona Solar Power is giving me written guarantees of service levels and replacement plans to make it all acceptable. So we press on with one inverter.

Starting the electrical work

We are starting the next phase of the installation, the electrical work. Bruce Rogers added the disconnects to each array (mounted to the poles - see below) These disconnects are for safety in the event we need to work on the system. Each array runs at over 400 volts and there has to be a way to shut them down.





Next a backboard was installed on the garage wall in the space I had previously cleared. This will serve as a mounting area for the photovoltaic meter that records all the electricity we produce, the additional disconnects required and the inverter that converts the direct current (DC) from the solar arrays into alternating current (AC) as required to power the house.



Here's the outside garage wall showing the master AC disconnect and the conduits that bring wires from each array to a central point.



Next week we continue with electrical...

Newest website project

The latest local client, the F-Stop Restaurant & Gallery went online today. They are located in Old Town Cottonwood and offer a wonderful dinner on Friday and Saturday nights. Weekdays they are a great sandwich shop. If you're in the area you have to try them!

Check out the new site...fstopfood.com

Our little HGTV (or is it HDTV?) Project

Well it was inevitable, we finally upgraded to HDTV. The problem was that our entertainment center wasn't adequately sized to accomodate the new TV. Our old 30" CRT unit fit fine, but the 52" LCD was never going to make it. The entertainment unit was a "gimme" when we bought the house, we just repainted it to get rid of the dark red color.

Debbie had a vision of what we could do, and I had to make it happen. So we separated the three pieces and took the center main piece out to the garage for "surgery". I cut the top section off first. Then I took the top half and cut it down to make two side storage areas (one for the sub-woofer speaker and the other for the Mac that serves as a media center). Next was to add a new countertop. Deb painted the whole thing in black.

Next it was returned to it's center spot and reattached to the side units. Then a new "bridge" was placed at the top. Decorative mouldings were added top and bottom. LED lights went into the top display areas on each side and behind the screen.

The photos below show the before and after. Net cost was about $150 to convert instead of about $2000 to buy a new unit that wouldn't have had the custom features. All the A/V equipment is in the lower are behind the doors, remote control is via radio so the doors can stay shut. A cooling fan keeps it all comfortable and happy.

Below is a "before" view of the unit. The area with the two closed doors was cut off...


Here's the "after".


A more direct view.


Time for a movie...

Panels are attached!

Today marks another milestone in the solar project. All the Sunpower panels have been attached to the trackers. And the tracker work! I was out around 8am and watched as the sun started shining on the trackers, slowly I could see them start tilting towards the sun, and in about 20 minutes they were facing East. Throughout the day they continued to track the sun across the sky. Of course it's winter and the sun is low on the horizon and sets early, but even so, they are working. Can't wait til spring!

Front view of tracker with 8 Sunpower panels


Side view showing several of the trackers


Rear view (panels are not yet interconnected)

"Tracking" the progress

Today brings the start of the tracker installation. There are four units total. Three will have 8 solar panels and the fourth will have 9. Each panel is rated at 230 watts of power. These things are BIG. You can see below as three people work to assemble the first tracker. The principle behind how these operate is interesting. You can read about it on Zomeworks site.



Here's the first unit completed. They did two today and will do the other two tomorrow. Next week we should be adding panels.



Here's Hank, the installation supervisor (Chad's dog). He's a cutie and watches for any errors...

Landscaping the solar farm

Now that the poles are all in place it is time to redo the landscaping of the area. Plants are trimmed, soil is leveled, gravel spread. We added a new mound using the excess soil and placed large boulders around it.



Looking to the left, near the house, you can see what looks like a dark strip on the ground. That's the beginning of the Greyhound exercise area. We wanted a nice place where we could get them to run a bit without having to take them to the dog park. So as part of this project we did some more "construction". We cleared back all the rocks, gravel and cactus in that area and brought in 30 tons of sand. This was spread into an area 110 feet long and 25 feet wide. We will have matching fencing put in to enclose it (3-rail pasture with welded wire), with gates at either end.

With that in place we won't have to be up at daybreak to run them at the park before anyone else shows up. It will also minimize the driving to and from each day. And in times of "weather" we can use it when the weather is best for them.



Here's before and after the cleanup.

Before




After

Solar progress 12/1/08

Parts arrive!

Today the Zomeworks trackers arrived (boxed). They placed them nicely in front of the garage door...oops. We'll need to move them in the morning.



Also, the welder came back and removed the support braces now that the concrete is cured. The poles are now free standing.