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Mike Curran

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RE: Challenging Issue

Posted By Mike Curran Nov 29, 2021 1:07 PM
Found In Egroup: Everything Solar Forum \ view thread
How do you know that your house load isn't really 11.3kW? ------------------------------ Mike Curran Retired from (dare I say it?) Fossil Plant Mgt. joacchim57@gmail.com ------------------------------

RE: Kim Stanley Robinson interview

Posted By Mike Curran Nov 26, 2021 9:02 AM
Found In Egroup: Everything Solar Forum \ view thread
The NYT just printed an article describing what KSR postulated in "40 Signs of Rain": Saving History With Sandbags: Climate Change Threatens the Smithsonian https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/25/climate/smithsonian-museum-flooding.html?unlocked_article_code=AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACEIPuonUktbfqohlSVUZBibeWdkip ...

RE: Question

Posted By Mike Curran Nov 23, 2021 1:26 PM
Found In Egroup: Everything Solar Forum \ view thread
Panels generate more when they are cold. It depends on the specific panel, but I think they can be up to about 1/2% more efficient per °C below 25°, and less so above 25°C. ------------------------------ Mike Curran Retired from (dare I say it?) Fossil Plant Mgt. joacchim57@gmail.com -------------- ...

RE: Community Solar

Posted By Mike Curran Oct 14, 2021 12:06 PM
Found In Egroup: Ask a Renewable Energy Expert \ view thread
Solar United Neighbors is a non profit based in DC that among other things, works to organize like-minded neighbors to get group discounts on solar equipment for their homes. Not exactly community solar but may be of interest to you. https://www.solarunitedneighbors.org/ ------------------------------ ...

RE: Sustainable college housing?

Posted By Mike Curran Oct 14, 2021 9:07 AM
Found In Egroup: Ask a Renewable Energy Expert \ view thread
If you have a place to do it, hang your just-washed clothes outside on a clothesline to dry. In winter, indoors may be problematic but it will add needed moisture to your residence if it's typically dry, as it is in our house. We don't have a dryer and use clotheslines year-round, basement in winter. ...

RE: SW 4024 Drops GridTie on Weekdays, but Not Weekends

Posted By Mike Curran Oct 12, 2021 1:12 PM
Found In Egroup: Everything Solar Forum \ view thread
If your grid AC quality is somehow degrading on weekdays (over or under voltage, or frequency) due to different load patterns on weekdays vs. weekends, that could be the cause. Your inverter grid interface module will disconnect if that's the case. Perhaps this was happening all along and your new monitoring ...

RE: ASES Solar Tour

Posted By Mike Curran Oct 7, 2021 4:04 PM
Found In Egroup: Everything Solar Forum \ view thread
@Robert Mellon: I have the same question. This past spring the county where I live had an electronic devices recycling event. I called in advance to see if they would take a panel that I had received with shattered glass, and they said yes. I expected there would be careful sorting of the items being ...

RE: ASES Solar Tour

Posted By Mike Curran Oct 6, 2021 12:12 PM
Found In Egroup: Everything Solar Forum \ view thread
My site was open just on Saturday from 10-3. I had 5 visitors, and we had sunny weather this year for a change. In two previous years (pre-Covid) I've had up to 25, but that was because a local tour organizer set up a bus tour to bring participants to various sites including mine. Prior to the bus tours ...

RE: Trojan batteries

Posted By Mike Curran Sep 23, 2021 4:28 PM
Found In Egroup: Everything Solar Forum \ view thread
Have you tried doing an equalization charge on the bank? ------------------------------ Mike Curran Retired from (dare I say it?) Fossil Plant Mgt. joacchim57@gmail.com ------------------------------

RE: sola deck question

Posted By Mike Curran Sep 3, 2021 1:55 PM
Found In Egroup: Everything Solar Forum \ view thread
I don't know of any rule. I used the Soladeck enclosure because I had it leftover from another project, and it placed the terminations closer to my disconnect switches and inverters. My earlier (upper array in previous photo) install did not use an external junction box. Attached photo shows it from ...

RE: sola deck question

Posted By Mike Curran Sep 2, 2021 3:22 PM
Found In Egroup: Everything Solar Forum \ view thread
Here's a photo of mine mounted to the side of the lower array. I wanted it to be accessible. Doesn't look bad, IMO. ------------------------------ Mike Curran Retired from (dare I say it?) Fossil Plant Mgt. joacchim57@gmail.com ------------------------------

RE: Kim Stanley Robinson interview

Posted By Mike Curran Aug 25, 2021 1:13 PM
Found In Egroup: Everything Solar Forum \ view thread
The trilogy is next on my list. Thanks! ------------------------------ Mike Curran Retired from (dare I say it?) Fossil Plant Mgt. joacchim57@gmail.com ------------------------------

RE: Kim Stanley Robinson interview

Posted By Mike Curran Aug 24, 2021 6:04 PM
Found In Egroup: Everything Solar Forum \ view thread
This post got me reading "The Ministry for the Future". Thanks - glad you posted it! ------------------------------ Mike Curran Retired from (dare I say it?) Fossil Plant Mgt. joacchim57@gmail.com ------------------------------

RE: Sol-Ark compared to SMA

Posted By Mike Curran Aug 18, 2021 4:26 PM
Found In Egroup: Everything Solar Forum \ view thread
Good battery choice. I have been using 3 of them (225Ah) in a grid-tied, battery backup application for 2 years now. No complaints. ------------------------------ Mike Curran Retired from (dare I say it?) Fossil Plant Mgt. joacchim57@gmail.com ------------------------------

RE: Sol-Ark compared to SMA

Posted By Mike Curran Aug 12, 2021 12:56 PM
Found In Egroup: Everything Solar Forum \ view thread
If you want backup power I think you should consider Outback Power's Skybox. It integrates an inverter and a charge controller and can be set up for non-export. Limited to 5kw throughput but can be "stacked" with a second (or more) Skybox to add capacity. https://www.outbackpower.com/downloads/docu ...

RE: Sale of a third party solar system

Posted By Mike Curran Jul 7, 2021 1:49 PM
Found In Egroup: Everything Solar Forum \ view thread
As someone who owns a roof-mounted system on their home, I don't understand how a sale of a "third party system" would work, or even what that sort of ownership means. Can you explain? TIA and apologies for what may be obvious to most... - Mike ------------------------------ Mike Curran Retired from ...

RE: Members, we want your opinion!

Posted By Mike Curran Jun 16, 2021 3:13 PM
Found In Egroup: Everything Solar Forum \ view thread
I have 3 different systems with 3 different sets of inverters - 2 (independent ones) from Outback Power and one from Enphase. I could do the data collection and reporting and at first it would be interesting to see how much production there is in my area but after awhile the novelty might wear off and ...

RE: Please Share Things You Wish You Knew When You Started My Career

Posted By Mike Curran May 5, 2021 2:27 PM
Found In Egroup: Everything Solar Forum \ view thread
Hi Felix - If you want to share a Google drive file, before copying it you must change permissions for the link. Here's how: click on the 3 dots next to the file name, then click on "manage people and links", then under "link settings" click on change and you'll see that the default setting is restricted. ...

RE: 21 Useful Tips and Advice to Save on Energy Bills during Coronavirus

Posted By Mike Curran May 4, 2021 4:16 PM
Found In Egroup: Everything Solar Forum \ view thread
I've been using an induction stove top burner to cook omelets, boil rice and make pasta, and anything else I would normally use a stove for. Very efficient and warms up fast. You need cast iron cookware but once you try using it you'll never go back to anything else. We even have a cast iron wok! ...

RE: Battery Storage System

Posted By Mike Curran Apr 23, 2021 9:04 AM
Found In Egroup: Everything Solar Forum \ view thread
This only works where your local utility offers time of use (TOU) rates. Unfortunately, those aren't offered in most places right now, including where I live in NE Ohio. Also, my battery is primarily for backup power. Using it in a TOU scenario would severely reduce its service life, and I don't believe ...