The 10 photovoltaic solar panels were flat mounted on the the southward-facing
section of roof, which was designed with an 8-12 roof pitch. At 200W each,
the panels provide a total of 2kW of electrical power during full sun conditions,
enough to meet the electrical demand of 1.5-2kW which includes the hot water heater.
However, cloudy, rainy, and snowy days can significantly reduce the amount of energy
generated by the panels, not to mention that no electrical power is generated at night.
With the average percentage of possible sunshine in Grand Rapids, Michigan ranging
from a low of 23% in December to a high of 64% in July
(rssWeather.com),
and with no electrical storage capacity, the system must also be tied to the
local power grid. Since the system is grid-tied, any excess power generated
by the solar panels goes back to the grid. The amount of energy generated by
this system is monitored by Fronius USA and updated on their website on
a daily basis. See the link below for the daily solar performance of the
Green House on Watson.
Login to SolarWeb
Username: solardata
Password: solargreen
Note: To view data from previous months, select 'PV Systems' in the upper left
of the screen after logging into SolarWeb. Under 'Third-Party PV Systems',
select 'Green House' then 'Archive'.
|
