TalkBaja.com » Baja Mexico Forums » Off-Grid / Solar, Wind or Generator?

Just curious if those of you living off-grid have your solar panels facing due south or have you made any adjustments?

Of course, this is assuming you aren't using a tracker...

Originally Posted by BajaGringo

Just curious if those of you living off-grid have your solar panels facing due south or have you made any adjustments?

Of course, this is assuming you aren't using a tracker...

Is the earth's axis changing? :O

Mine are facing a little bit west of due south. It would be nice to pick up some morning sun, but in the long run, I think that that angle gets the most exposure throughout the day.

I don't change the angle from winter to summer though. Where we live they should be at about 52 degrees in the winter and -10 degrees in the summer. I leave them at about 15 degrees, mostly because they are below my parapet and blocked from hurricane winds at that angle, and adjusting them is a PIA.

I also have mine set just a few degrees West of due South, due to the position of my house. The tilt is also set at about 18 degrees which is optimized for summer months when i need the most power. I'm going to be adding a few more panels to increase my output and I think I will try orienting them slightly differently to take better advantage of the morning sun, which I now miss due to parapets etc.

Originally Posted by David K

Is the earth's axis changing? :O

I understand why grid-tied solar systems seek south facing conditions. However grid-tied and off-grid systems are two very different mechanisms. Grid-tied systems try to maximize the kW produced per day; off-grid systems are meant to keep their battery banks at or near full charge. Off-grid system charge controllers will taper off the amperage from the panels as the battery banks go through a 3 step charging process. South facing panels will be in float when the sun is at optimum production but as demand pulls more amps in the afternoon the ability of the south facing panels to keep up with the draw and maintain the batteries is reduced - you have to direct your panels based on the demand on your batteries throughout the day. A tracking system would be ideal but I don't think it's practical here with our high winds.

I have ours facing nearly SW. Overcast/foggy/marine layers are common in the mornings and our demand is highest from noon to 8:00 in the evening. I have noticed a significant improvement in my battery bank performance since directing more of our panels in the SW direction. I have toyed with the idea of adding another kW of panels facing SE to help in the morning - just too many irons in the fire right now.

I've recently had more than a few passing through question my panel orientation and just wanted some feedback on what the rest of you are doing.

Sounds like, for where you live, SW orientation is better. I never really thought about experimenting. Just took for granted that "what the book said" is what I should do.

So far our panel orientation seems to work out well. This time of year I'm usually in absorb mode by about 11:30 and it lasts until 3:30, and float from 3:30 to 5:15, which when I turn negative.

I have three banks of panels hooked up to three charge controllers. By about 12:00 or 12:30, one of my controllers is usually at zero output as it's not needed anymore. Thats when we do high power use stuff like laundry, dishwasher etc. That way the power draw doesn't interrupt the bulk or absorb mode, or draw from the batteries. I don't base tool use on charge cycles though. If I have a project to do, I just do it.

Other than our fridge and freezer, we don't really have that much power draw in the evening. Just lights and a computer. We don't have a TV or stereo. Evening power use may change when that happens. Although after 3 years without TV, we may not ever miss it.

No TV????



We've got something like 6 flat panels around the house. I think now Cristina wants to install one in the master bathroom....

Yeah, it's really easy to live without TV, what with all the other night-life activities going on around town - NOT! I hate to admit it but we watch more TV than I ever thought we would. Damn that Canadian satellite! We also have an extensive DVD movie collection that I intend to get through some day.

We're not totally without entertainment. The little casita we're living in during construction doesn't have the room for a TV. We do watch DVD's on the computer though. We're not completely cold turkey.

I think we have every channel available on the planet both in English and Spanish in HD with two DVR's and slingboxes. Can't miss an episode of Dexter, doncha know???

Ron
You mentioned that you have HD tv. Is it Directv? And if so did you have to install a larger than normal dish to get the 3 satellites?
Larry

No, we are using Dish Network with a couple of the 922 VIP receivers. Each box has dual channel receivers with sling technology and a 1TB DVR. Sling allows me to view any live programming we subscribe to as well as any recorded programs from either DVR from my computer, anywhere on the road where I have access to WiFi.

They did have to put up an additional, regular size dish to point to one of the satellites to be able to grab the San Diego local channels in HD. It really is working great!
.

Down here in BCS, I'm told you need a 2 meter satellite dish to pick up Dish network

In Loreto no one uses Dish, I don't think it gets down this far South. The predominant system is Shaw Direct from Canada, don't know why Canadian TV can have coverage here but US does not. We can watch ice hockey any time of the day or night!!!!!!

High definition TV - are you kiddin me?

Originally Posted by el rosario

High definition TV - are you kiddin me?

Awesome!! I have copy/pasted so much info from this board..."how to move/live in Mexico' journal is getting long!!!

Originally Posted by BajaGringo

No, we are using Dish Network with a couple of the 922 VIP receivers. Each box has dual channel receivers with sling technology and a 1TB DVR. Sling allows me to view any live programming we subscribe to as well as any recorded programs from either DVR from my computer, anywhere on the road where I have access to WiFi.

They did have to put up an additional, regular size dish to point to one of the satellites to be able to grab the San Diego local channels in HD. It really is working great!
.

Originally Posted by MonarchSalt

Awesome!! I have copy/pasted so much info from this board..."how to move/live in Mexico' journal is getting long!!!

Trust me that doing your homework BEFORE making the final decision to move down will pay off big time. I can't over emphasize that...

That is my intention. I have time. Ill be spending the next 6 months physically scouting, learning, and 'finding'. Thanks for being so supportive!!

Originally Posted by BajaGringo

Trust me that doing your homework BEFORE making the final decision to move down will pay off big time. I can't over emphasize that...

Originally Posted by MonarchSalt

That is my intention. I have time. Ill be spending the next 6 months physically scouting, learning, and 'finding'. Thanks for being so supportive!!

Our pleasure.

We just go a bit crazy with newbies asking questions that (apparently) they already have decided what the correct answer is...