[Atlplasma]

Interesting article on how sound vibrations can greatly improve the performance of solar voltaic cells.

http://www.rdmag.com/news/2013/12/solar-panels-perform-better-when-listening-music

But sorry classical fans. Rock music apparently rules when it comes to performance.   

[thunderbrick]

Or we could turn OFF the damned music so that the solar panels don't have to work as hard.   

Don't forget to count the cost of your neighbors shooting out your roof-mounted speakers.   

[*Scotty*]

Piezoelectric transducers, properly located directly on the panel and emitting the correct spectrum of sound into the structure of the panel should result in a worthwhile net gain in current output over an unmodified panel. It is also unlikely that the sound would be audible from more than a few feet away, especially when the panels are installed on a rooftop in a noisy urban setting.
Scotty

[Phil A]

Interesting.  The new house I'm in process of moving into is solar and had panels integrated into the roof tiles

[ctviggen]

We're about to have an 11.5 kw solar system installed on our house.  It supposedly will generate around 89% of our electricity, but our electricity usage was just a guess (since we've only lived in the house since June).  I can't see the cells making more energy that's what's put into playing the music, but maybe I'm wrong. 

[Bob in St. Louis]

I wonder what the long term effect of constant harmonics would do to the material.

The second thing that comes to my mind is that little box Nikola Tesla made that created vibrations......   

[Atlplasma]

The music angle is a little bit tongue in cheek. Scotty is on the right track with his post about using piezoelectric transducers to boost performance (at least that is how I'm interpreting the RD Magazine article.)

If you're having panels installed, you might want to first read this article on orientation. Interestingly, it reports that west-facing panels actually produce more power than south-facing units. That result contradicts the prevailing advise to always maximize the southern exposure when placing panels.

http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/blogs/dept/green-building-news/west-facing-solar-panels-could-help-utilities

[MtnHam]

We're about to have an 11.5 kw solar system installed on our house.  It supposedly will generate around 89% of our electricity, but our electricity usage was just a guess (since we've only lived in the house since June).

That's a hell of a lot of consumption! Can you describe your usage? Mega usage of AC? Indoor grow? Powering huge tube or class A amps 24/7? My 6.5 kw array produces enough to take a former $350/month electric bill to close to $0.00, averaged out over 12 months.

[Phil A]

Yes that is lots of consumption.  From memory mine is 8.5kw (in FL), and on a similar system done by the same people in a slightly smaller model, the US Dept of Energy estimated something like negative $117/year for an average family.  A solar company worked with the builder and a portion of my lot backs to a wooded preserve.  There are some panels slightly Southeast and some slightly Southwest.  The house has one room on the second floor, and while one side faces sort of West (perhaps slightly South), it is not that big and probably with the layout would be difficult to get things to the interface in the garage.  So I'm hoping at the end of the day that my bill will be minimal.  There has been a couple of months when I largely was not there (thermostats are preset and I won't be there full time for just under a couple of months) and the bill was only a service charge of $7.87.  Over the 5 full months it has been in place my bills have been $7.87, $25.41, $14.91, $7.87 and $29.97.  It's hard to say at this point not being there full time but I'd guess I generate about 700KWH/month.

[ctviggen]

That's a hell of a lot of consumption! Can you describe your usage? Mega usage of AC? Indoor grow? Powering huge tube or class A amps 24/7? My 6.5 kw array produces enough to take a former $350/month electric bill to close to $0.00, averaged out over 12 months.

Well, I don't really know our usage, since we've only been living in the house since June 14th.  We have an in ground pool with a 0.75kw pump.  It ran 24/7/summer season until I put it on a timer.  We ran it 12 hours a day but may drop that too. 

We have a 4,100 square foot house.  We bought the house for an in-law apartment for my mother, who has 9 cats.  Yes, 9.  She has about 700-800 square feet, plus we gave her another room, so she's got around 800-900 square feet.  For a 68 year old woman, she does an incredible amount of laundry (she's still working). 

We have 4 bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms.  The bills I have were as follows:

Month   Kw-Hr Cost
7/25/13   2730   $442.10 (pool pump 24/7)
8/23/13   1795   $299.44 (pool pump 12/7)
9/24/13   1838   $305.24 (pool pump 12/7 for some of this)
10/23/13   942   $173.33
11/21/13  844   $150.09

We're likely to convert our AC units to heat pumps to maximize electrical energy usage.  I have one server and one HT computer running 24/7.  They estimate we'll get about $180/month in electricity from solar.  We have a south facing roof with some trees at the edges of the roof.  I've replaced basically every indoor bulb with LED and will replace outdoor bulbs with LED when I can.

We'll see what happens once they install the solar system.  I can tell you that we're paying about $27/day for heating oil!  Yikes.  We're looking into spray foaming and sealing the attics (yes, two of them), having insulation blown in the garage ceiling (in law floor), and having the rim joist sealed with spray foam.

[ctviggen]

The music angle is a little bit tongue in cheek. Scotty is on the right track with his post about using piezoelectric transducers to boost performance (at least that is how I'm interpreting the RD Magazine article.)

If you're having panels installed, you might want to first read this article on orientation. Interestingly, it reports that west-facing panels actually produce more power than south-facing units. That result contradicts the prevailing advise to always maximize the southern exposure when placing panels.

http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/blogs/dept/green-building-news/west-facing-solar-panels-could-help-utilities

We have one small west facing roof and it would be covered at certain times.  The largest portions are either south facing or north facing. 

[Phil A]

I have a pool pump in mine on during the day (even when not there) and the study done by the US Dept of Energy was for a slightly smaller model and without a pool I believe - http://www.ba-pirc.org/casestud/pdf/lifestyle-zeh.pdf

[Phil A]

My place is a shade under 3,000 square feet.  I also have not been there more than roughly half the month.  The hot water is also solar but the pool heater and stove (and eventual outdoor grill) are gas.  My pool pump is on a timer and so I'd guess it is half a day.

[Atlplasma]

Well, I don't really know our usage, since we've only been living in the house since June 14th.  We have an in ground pool with a 0.75kw pump.  It ran 24/7/summer season until I put it on a timer.  We ran it 12 hours a day but may drop that too. 

We have a 4,100 square foot house.  We bought the house for an in-law apartment for my mother, who has 9 cats.  Yes, 9.  She has about 700-800 square feet, plus we gave her another room, so she's got around 800-900 square feet.  For a 68 year old woman, she does an incredible amount of laundry (she's still working). 

We have 4 bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms.  The bills I have were as follows:

Month   Kw-Hr Cost
7/25/13   2730   $442.10 (pool pump 24/7)
8/23/13   1795   $299.44 (pool pump 12/7)
9/24/13   1838   $305.24 (pool pump 12/7 for some of this)
10/23/13   942   $173.33
11/21/13  844   $150.09

We're likely to convert our AC units to heat pumps to maximize electrical energy usage.  I have one server and one HT computer running 24/7.  They estimate we'll get about $180/month in electricity from solar.  We have a south facing roof with some trees at the edges of the roof.  I've replaced basically every indoor bulb with LED and will replace outdoor bulbs with LED when I can.

We'll see what happens once they install the solar system.  I can tell you that we're paying about $27/day for heating oil!  Yikes.  We're looking into spray foaming and sealing the attics (yes, two of them), having insulation blown in the garage ceiling (in law floor), and having the rim joist sealed with spray foam.

You might want to complete your insulation program and then revisit your need for solar voltaic. If you do a thorough job foaming and sealing your house, you might be able to buy a smaller voltaic array. Just be careful with the spray foam. It is critical that the installers follow the manufacturer's guidelines religiously. There are a number of lawsuits in the court system right now where homeowners are suing for damages resulting from improper installations. Bad installs can cause the foam to emit a rotten fish order that does not go away. The only remedy is too remove the spray foam using rather labor intensive and messy methods. (Or so I have read.)

[ctviggen]

I read that too. 

Our town was selected for a special install program.  It's now or wait until another program comes along (several years? never?).   The rates are quite good, $3.40/kw installed, can go to $3.20/kw installed if enough people sign up.  They'll cut me a check for the difference.  The return is about 8 years.