Profile

Professor Robert Foster

Contact Details

My Content

1 to 20 of 23 total

RE: Nissan Leaf Battery Question

Posted By Robert Foster 04-12-2024 03:50 PM
Found In Egroup: Ask a Renewable Energy Expert \ view thread
Hola Ella, Sounds like her battery is just aging and will need to be replaced. EV batteries typically last about a decade (depends on usage). The range on older LEAFS battery packs was only about 100 miles. Saludos Robert ------------------------------ Robert Foster Assistant Professor ...

RE: Media Query - Energy Grid Reliability / Senate Hearing

Posted By Robert Foster 06-15-2023 06:23 PM
Found In Egroup: Ask a Renewable Energy Expert \ view thread
Hola Ella, Marc Perez would be a good resource to answer this. There was a similar article in NYTimes he is responding too already. Saludos Robert ------------------------------ Robert Foster Assistant Professor New Mexico State University, College of Engineering Las Cruces NM -------- ...

Nigeria Solar Mini-Grids Webinar Mar 27 Monday

Posted By Robert Foster 03-23-2023 04:09 PM
Found In Egroup: Everything Solar Forum \ view thread
For those that may be interested in solar mini-grid opportunities in Nigeria, Sosai Renewable Energies Company Limited (Sosai) seeks to implement solar minigrids in Kaduna, Plateau, and Kogi States in Nigeria. Sosai partnered with Energy Markets Group, Sustainable Energy Services International, and Creeds ...

RE: Solar Cooking and Drying

Posted By Robert Foster 07-22-2022 09:19 PM
Found In Egroup: Everything Solar Forum \ view thread
Yes be careful with concentrating solar! We had some old motorola concentrator fresnel lens units (PV) stored on the ground in our yard at the NMSU Southwest Region Solar Experiment station. One fall morning conditions were just right that the reflected sunlight caught some dried out weeds that had grown ...

ASES Art/Crafts & Vacation Getaway Auction ends June 22

Posted By Robert Foster 06-11-2022 12:26 PM
Found In Egroup: Everything Solar Forum \ view thread
Dear ASES Friends, In conjunction with Solar2022, ASES and NMSEA have created an online fundraising Art & Getaway Auction SOLAR 2022 Art and Vacation Home Auction Paybee remove preview SOLAR 2022 Art and Vacation Home Auction Auction ends June 22, 2022 at 8:30 pm MT. All proceeds directly ...

RE: Water infiltration after solar installation

Posted By Robert Foster 06-11-2022 11:48 AM
Found In Egroup: Everything Solar Forum \ view thread
Hi Earl, Maybe using snow guards at the edge of your roof will stop the problem and keep the snow/ice from filling up your gutter. See example at https://www.bridgersteel.com/blog/what-are-snow-guards Best of luck ------------------------------ Robert Foster Assistant Professor New Mexico State University, ...

EcoCre8ive Community 42nd "Gathering" Invites ASES Community 2-22-22

Posted By Robert Foster 02-19-2022 01:04 AM
Found In Egroup: Everything Solar Forum \ view thread
The 42nd annual EcoCre8ive community "Gathering" will host a renewable energy online discussion Tuesday 2-22-22 from 4-8 pm MT The ASES community is invited to participate Please come share your RE thoughts and experience. See http://www.regenerative.coop4climate.org/ Wisdom from 2 Billion Years ...

EcoCre8ive Community 42nd "Gathering" Invites ASES Community 2-22-22

Posted By Robert Foster 02-19-2022 01:04 AM
Found In Library: Everything Solar Forum

RE: Solar Approval from an HOA Question

Posted By Robert Foster 02-14-2022 11:57 AM
Found In Egroup: Ask a Renewable Energy Expert \ view thread
Hola Ella Check out the SUN HOA solar access guide https://www.solarunitedneighbors.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/SUN_HOA-Guide_FINAL.pdf Let me know if I can help with anything else Saludos ------------------------------ Robert Foster Assistant Professor New Mexico State University, College of ...

RE: Greetings Fellow ASES members

Posted By Robert Foster 01-13-2022 01:09 PM
Found In Egroup: Everything Solar Forum \ view thread
¡Bienvenida to the ASES team! We look forward to working with you. Hope to meet you F2F in Albuquerque in June for Solar 2022. ------------------------------ Robert Foster Assistant Professor New Mexico State University, College of Engineering Las Cruces NM rfoster@ases.org ---------------------- ...

RE: Panel discoloration

Posted By Robert Foster 12-19-2021 04:37 PM
Found In Egroup: Ask a Renewable Energy Expert \ view thread
Hi Mike, This kind of discoloration was common in PV modules until the industry learned to UV stabilize encapsulants back in the early 1990s. Looks like this particular module may have missed out on the UV inhibitor application. It's the EVA encapsulant that is degrading (browning), not the actual ...

RE: Decommissioning Existing Solar Array

Posted By Robert Foster 12-19-2021 04:21 PM
Found In Egroup: Ask a Renewable Energy Expert \ view thread
Hola Riley, EVA is for Ethylene Vinyl Acetate, which is a traditional thermoplastic polymer encapsulant used between the PV cells and glass. It needs to have high transmissivity and durability, and thus be UV stabilized. See more at https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S235284782100068X ...

RE: Decommissioning Existing Solar Array

Posted By Robert Foster 12-15-2021 09:44 PM
Found In Egroup: Ask a Renewable Energy Expert \ view thread
Great Riley, glad to hear it all worked out. The scariest system I was involved with decommissioning back when I was a young pup was replacing the 100 kWp PV array and 600 kWh battery bank at Natural Bridges National Monument in 1991. The system was installed in 1980 and was the largest PV array in ...

RE: Decommissioning Existing Solar Array

Posted By Robert Foster 12-15-2021 12:49 PM
Found In Egroup: Ask a Renewable Energy Expert \ view thread
Hi Riley, The key thing to check before working on any system is if there are any faults. Check all strings. If you find no faults, you can safely work without covering the array. But never touch any frames, metallic structures, etc. before you have first checked for ground faults, etc. (this goes ...

RE: Challenging Issue

Posted By Robert Foster 11-30-2021 01:23 PM
Found In Egroup: Everything Solar Forum \ view thread
Hi John Sounds like your CTs are installed backwards. Double check them. ------------------------------ Robert Foster Assistant Professor New Mexico State University, College of Engineering Las Cruces NM rfoster@ases.org ------------------------------

RE: Is Joe Manchin killing a clean energy bill that probably should die?

Posted By Robert Foster 11-01-2021 08:47 PM
Found In Egroup: Everything Solar Forum \ view thread
We all know who butters Sen. Manchin's bread https://www.cnn.com/2021/10/27/politics/joe-manchin-coal-interests/index.html ------------------------------ Robert Foster Assistant Professor New Mexico State University, College of Engineering Las Cruces NM rfoster@ases.org --------------------------- ...

RE: Solar Cooking and Drying

Posted By Robert Foster 05-20-2021 11:01 PM
Found In Egroup: Everything Solar Forum \ view thread
Hi Luther, Sounds like a great project. No history of solar cooking would be complete without including Dick Wareham from Wisconsin. He started SunStove and was quite active with solar cooking, especially in South Africa. Sadly he passed away in 2004. Good luck on your journey and please stop by the ...

RE: Pump for solar system

Posted By Robert Foster 04-16-2021 12:42 PM
Found In Egroup: Everything Solar Forum \ view thread
Hi Lynn, There are lots of pumps available in different price ranges, some of the leading SWP providers in USA are SunPumps www.sunpumps.com Shurflo www.shurflowaterpump.com Dankoff Pumps (Solar Power & Pump Co.) www.dankoffsolarpumps.com ------------------------------ Robert Foster Assistant Professor ...

RE: Dust, dirt and solar panels

Posted By Robert Foster 03-04-2021 10:04 PM
Found In Egroup: Everything Solar Forum \ view thread
Hi Harlan, If you are going to use water, be sure to only do so when the modules are cool and not in the middle of a sunny day when they are hot, as you risk cracking the glass. Some of the big utility arrays use an air blower that goes down the rack, blowing off dust. A leaf blower works fine. Or do ...

RE: Dust, dirt and solar panels

Posted By Robert Foster 03-04-2021 10:19 AM
Found In Egroup: Everything Solar Forum \ view thread
Hi John, Module soiling generally accounts for about 1 to 5% drop in performance depending on rainfall frequency. Soiling averages about 2% per month without rainfall. In some places with lots of aerosols (e.g., Abu Dhabi) soiling can be compounded as the aerosols cling to dust particles and then glue ...