[RE-wrenches] RE-wrenches Digest, Vol 1, Issue 76

Fri Aug 22 08:49:15 PDT 2008

Randy,
We installed fronius inverters outdoors in Durango, CO.  I did not do the
designs for these systems, however they were installed in December, and
operated just fine throughout a very burly winter.  Hope this helps.  You
may want to contact Allan Ross at Bland Solar as he did the designs for that
system.  Hope all is well at Positive Energy this summer...say hello to the
crew for me........

Jeff Blick
PV installer
Sunlight Solar Inc.
4 NW Franklin
Bend, OR 97701
direct: 541-306-4196
fax: 541-322-1911
jeff.blick at sunlightsolar.com
www.sunlightsolar.com

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Subject: RE-wrenches Digest, Vol 1, Issue 76

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Today's Topics:

   1. Re: offgrid system question (Joel  Davidson)
   2. Re: cooling, heating, ventilation issues ( Jeff Yago)
   3. Inverter temp spec for cold regions (Allan Sindelar)

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Message: 1
Date: Thu, 21 Aug 2008 18:35:41 -0700
From: "Joel  Davidson" <joel.davidson at sbcglobal.net>
Subject: Re: [RE-wrenches] offgrid system question
To: "RE-wrenches" <re-wrenches at lists.re-wrenches.org>
Message-ID: <983349FD14884D6282C4805F79291980 at JOEL>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

Hi Ray,

In Arkansas we used whole-house fans or just a box fan in the open attic
access hole to exhaust hot air out of the attic vents, closed the curtains
on the south-facing windows and opened the lower sash on the north-facing
windows to let cool air in.

Migration to a better climate also works, but bring lots of wampum if you
trek to the southern California coastal region.

I'm reminded of an old Arco Solar slide of some people in Upper Volta (now
Burkina Faso) standing next to a solar array and a dc pump with water
gushing out of a dug well. Behind them is desert that looks like a Martian
landscape. Those folks did not need solar water pumping. They needed
suitcases and good walking shoes to migrate from desertification.

There will be a lot of migration as climate changes affect coastal regions
and rainfall patterns change and politics. For example, some of the Pacific
Island villages threatened by rising water, the Mesa Verde Cliffs Anastasi
Indians and drought, the Pilgrims to the Americas, etc. A lot can happen in
a couple million years. Adaptation, migration, extinction.

In the meantime, there's lots of fun to be had getting Americans to cut
their energy consumption five-fold and/or helping people with no electricity
improve their living standards without polluting like Westerners.

There's hope for us yet. Keep up the good work. 

Joel Davidson
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: R. Walters 
  To: RE-wrenches 
  Sent: Thursday, August 21, 2008 10:38 AM
  Subject: Re: [RE-wrenches] offgrid system question

  Hi Joel;

  I made a list of strategies we use a couple of emails back in this string.
I'll reiterate:
  Here in Northern New Mexico we use adobes (lots of thermal mass) and open
up to the cool night air. 
  When I lived through Texas summers, you either ponied up for AC, went to
your mountain home, or suffered.
  Dana stated the first 2 steps: 
  super insulate & increase thermal mass.
  Next ?? : 
  Reduce your cubic footage of air conditioned space. (Just cool a couple of
inner rooms.)
  Share walls  & cooling systems (like apartments, duplexs, etc)
  Reduce east & west glazing
  Grow overhanging deciduous trees on the East & West
  Use Fans
  Use some evaporative cooling if possible
  Use small High efficiency AC units (Sanjo?)
  Raise thermostat setting
  Use geothermal heat pumps

  Migrate?

  Ray

    . Could wrenches in hot-dry and hot-humid regions share how they
eliminate or reduce air conditioning in existing homes?

    Joel Davidson

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Message: 2
Date: Thu, 21 Aug 2008 20:02:17 -0700
From: " Jeff Yago" <jryago at netscape.com>
Subject: Re: [RE-wrenches] cooling, heating, ventilation issues
To: RE-wrenches <re-wrenches at lists.re-wrenches.org>
Message-ID: <20080821200217.9AC78475 at resin15.mta.everyone.net>
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Message: 3
Date: Thu, 21 Aug 2008 21:50:54 -0600
From: "Allan Sindelar" <allan at positiveenergysolar.com>
Subject: [RE-wrenches] Inverter temp spec for cold regions
To: "RE Wrenches" <RE-wrenches at lists.re-wrenches.org>
Message-ID: <A92AA90C34F84D9586591BB5808CCE9D at AllanLaptop>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

Wrenches,
Inverter manufacturers have an ambient temperature range with a lowest
temperature spec. For example, SMA has a spec of -13 to +113 degrees F.  In
our area of New Mexico, we have a record cold temperature well below the -13
degrees F. If we mounted the inverter on an outside wall or on a pole, this
would expose the inverter.  

I called SMA and asked about this.  They told me that the capacitor blows up
if it goes below the coldest temperature. 

My question is does anybody have experience with this issue in the cold
regions of the US like Colorado or Montana?  Do you always mount the
inverter inside in those cold regions?  

Thanks,
Randy Sadewic
Positive Energy

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End of RE-wrenches Digest, Vol 1, Issue 76
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