8
89330
Hi all.
Just joined up as I found the site while researching solar PV/immersion diverters.
My background is in electronics- mostly repairing brown goods (though I have knocked together numerous 'useful' circuits over the years). I have however, spent the past 11 years installing satellite TV systems in the sunny Algarve- beats freezing my bits off in my native Edinburgh!
I have just installed my own PV solar array- a modest 1.2KW system using inverters and 8 panels from the "well-known auction site". 4 of the panels are on a home-made, 2-axis tracking frame, the others are static- with the intention of comparing the relative yields of tracking Vs. static for an honest answer to the "Is it worth tracking" question. I will of course share the results on here when I have a big enough sample for reliable results.
Sadly the authorities here show little interest in encouraging small-scale production and make even the simplest task frustratingly difficult. Which is nothing short of criminal in a region with an average of over 300 days of uninterrupted sunshine per year! Due mainly to the fact there are too many energy company share-holders in the government. (The small number of FIT licences went to friends and families of the organisation who was managing them!).
Hence my interest in solar diverters. They (distribution network) should (but won't) change my electricity meter (software). As it is, any power I produce and do not use (i.e. injected back into the grid) gets charged as consumption! They laughingly call it an anti-fraud measure.
I am looking forward to getting involved in discussions, helping where I can and hopefully gaining some useful knowledge in the process.
Just joined up as I found the site while researching solar PV/immersion diverters.
My background is in electronics- mostly repairing brown goods (though I have knocked together numerous 'useful' circuits over the years). I have however, spent the past 11 years installing satellite TV systems in the sunny Algarve- beats freezing my bits off in my native Edinburgh!
I have just installed my own PV solar array- a modest 1.2KW system using inverters and 8 panels from the "well-known auction site". 4 of the panels are on a home-made, 2-axis tracking frame, the others are static- with the intention of comparing the relative yields of tracking Vs. static for an honest answer to the "Is it worth tracking" question. I will of course share the results on here when I have a big enough sample for reliable results.
Sadly the authorities here show little interest in encouraging small-scale production and make even the simplest task frustratingly difficult. Which is nothing short of criminal in a region with an average of over 300 days of uninterrupted sunshine per year! Due mainly to the fact there are too many energy company share-holders in the government. (The small number of FIT licences went to friends and families of the organisation who was managing them!).
Hence my interest in solar diverters. They (distribution network) should (but won't) change my electricity meter (software). As it is, any power I produce and do not use (i.e. injected back into the grid) gets charged as consumption! They laughingly call it an anti-fraud measure.
I am looking forward to getting involved in discussions, helping where I can and hopefully gaining some useful knowledge in the process.
