Inverter Down

As the January report indicated, our PV inverter died on Jan 19. The error code was "MSD-IDIF". After talking to SMA support about it, I was informed that this is a chipset error on the AC side. The April 2009 error of "Disturbance FAC-BRC" was also on the AC side. Also both of these failures happened soon after a brief blackout. This may not be relevant but it is suspicious.

They asked me several questions about my home:
1) What size is the service main?
2) Is the inverter on the bottom of the breaker box as recommended?
3) What gauge of wire connects the inverter? (8G, 6G...)
4) What size breaker is the inverter on? (40A 2 pull or something else)

I'll get these answers and let you know if any of them turn out to be relevant.

January 2010 EV and PV Report

January's big news is that our inverter has died. This is the second one that had gone belly up since we had our system installed in November 2007. When I called the installer, they asked what brand and model it was and they were surprised to hear that it was an SMA since they don't often have to replace the SMA inverters.

To complicate things, they were not able to fix it here onsite and they were not able cross-ship a replacement. We had our home painted last year and part of the inverter was accidentally painted. This means that our painted inverter must be shipped to SMA, be repaired, and then shipped back to us. The inverter died on the 19th and was taken away on the 25th and it is still not back.

With this month's limited up time, the system only generated 35kWh. This is significantly less than Jan 2009's 123kWh. When the inverter is returned, perhaps I'll try to remove the paint so we can cross-ship it, if this ever happens again. I am glad that it has a 5 year warranty and I hope this is the last problem that we have.

As for electric vehicle (EV) driving, I logged 326 miles using an estimated 228kWh. With the cold weather and the 11 year old batteries, they started to "complain" (battery life light) near the end of my 20 mile commute even though I had more than 50% charge left. So during the coldest week, I drove the Honda rather than the Chevy S10 Electric. This also gave me 4WD which I needed on one of the snowy days.

Next month I'll report the reinstall of our inverter.

Solar Powered Water in Portland

Portland Water Bureau Goes Solar

The Portland Water Bureau is putting in a 267kW solar installation near the Portland Airport (PDX). This is the second installation for the Water Bureau and comes with a $2.2M price tag.

The location is challenging because this  solar power plant is located in a field with high groundwater. “The water table is right at the surface,” said EC Company Renewable Solutions Manager, Robin Rabiroff, “We had to take into account the drainage and settling of the site.”

To enable the Water Bureau to track energy production of the site, the four commercial inverters, made by Bend Oregon company PV Powered, are outfitted with performance monitoring systems from DECK Monitoring of Eugene, Oregon. The monitoring website has been linked to the Bureau’s website for easy access by ratepayers.

“We’ve been using PV Powered commercial inverters for more than a year on various projects,” said EC’s Rabiroff “Their product quality is top notch, ... Plus, we like dealing with an Oregon-based company.”

“We also like teaming up with local companies to deliver leading-edge renewable energy solutions in Oregon,” said Erick Petersen, VP of Sales and Marketing at PV Powered. “For our part, PV Powered ensures that our customers get maximum energy harvest...”

Among the other commercial projects that EC Company has installed with PV Powered commercial inverters is the 107kW rooftop plant that was recently put in at the Portland Community College.

Related Link

Alt-fuel Workshop

On January 28, 2010, the Columbia-Willamette Clean Cities Coalition (CWCCC) will host a workshop on alternative-fuel vehicles. Doug Fine, NPR contributor and author of "Farewell, My Subaru", has ended his addiction to oil and will speak at the workshop. The event also includes local, regional and national Electric Vehicle updates, incentive information, manufacturer reports and local awards. You also get free admission to the Portland Auto Show and lunch. This is a great opportunity to see what is happening in the alternative vehicles world and mingle with public and private sector individuals who are working on advancing alternative-fuel choices.

Tickets are $20 with a $5 discount for CWCCC members. Visit www.cwcleancities.org for more information or call 503-580-3806.

Doug Fine has been featured by Jay Leno, CNN and others as he talks about how a "regular guy" can make sustainable choices. He is passionately sustainable, yet refuses to give up sub-woofers, Net-Flix and ice cream. After traveling the world as a freelance journalist and writing for the Washington Post, Salon, U.S. News and World Report, Sierra, Wired, Outside, National Public Radio, and other venues from little-visited jungle war zones, he recognized that he lived on "an actual planet" with finite resources. He became compelled to change his lifestyle; he now lives on a remote New Mexico farm with chickens and goats, drives a huge pickup that is fueled by vegetable oil, and his wireless is solar powered.

The CWCCC workshop should be a good balance of levity and current events and should be useful for both the general public and business people. Seating is limited to 150 and tickets are going fast.

Less Coal for Portland

Portland Mayor Sam Adams has made a video explaining why Portland Oregon needs to reduce dependency on coal and how it can be done.



Portland's Coal Problem from Mayor Sam Adams on Vimeo.

Plug Into The Sun

Ecotopia: Book Review

Ecotopia **** : Thought-provoking "politics fiction". In the author's words, the book tries to convey "that there are real alternatives to our present corporatist, militarist, ultracompetitive, oil-obsessed course." One reviewer wrote, "it looks obvious--like the wheel", a prescient remark given that the book was written 35 years ago yet confronts issues that we still face today. It does have many flaws, but the story stays with you and is worthwhile reading for everybody! 


from http://prestonhunt.com

Mobile Solar, Power Where You Need It

Solis Energy has launched a new solar-powered charger that can run small 12V electronics in remote locations or in places where grid electricity isn’t available. Dubbed "Power HotSpot", the device can power a range of electronic devices that run on 12V DC input.

The company claims that the multipurpose device can be used to recharge cellphones, notebooks or provide power to inverters for AC power. The $375 device is also useful for recreational purposes that include providing power to campsites and recharging lights and iPods.

Via: ecofriend

2009 PV & EV Report

2009 Solar Power and Electric Driving in Review

2010 is here. 2009 is now in the books. Each month we look at how our photovoltaic (PV) system performed and how much the electric vehicle (EV) used. Let's review 2009.

We have a small PV system on our home in Oregon. My primary commuter vehicle is an electric Chevy S10 truck. On an annual basis, the PV system makes more energy than the EV uses. Which means, I drive for free, cost free, & pollution free.

In 2009, the PV system generated 3799 kWh. Of these, 917 were fed back into the grid and 'banked' for our use later. 2009 set one record for our system. June 28th generated 25.54 kWh, this eked past the previous record of 25.52 held by June 15th 2008.

As for driving, in 2009 I logged 4909 miles in the EV. This used an estimated 3400 kWh.

So the PV system generated ~400 more kWh than the EV used. And the bulk of the energy were made during the summer and so helped to alleviate the stress caused when the air conditioners were on high. Whereas the EV was charged overnight when the grid was not stressed and the winds were blowing through the Columbia gorge, turning the many turbines there.

Here is looking forward to a great 2010. Solar lease programs are now available in many states, so you can get a PV system of your own for little or no start-up cost. And 2010 could be the year that affordable, mass market EVs hit the showroom. So you too can drive on free fuel.