Our
first solar rack for the 100 sq foot solar arrays was completed Thursday of
last week.
We were anxious to get started installing the equipment, but we did need to do a little truck maintenance to Sara's Ranger first. So
Arick and I pulled the truck bed to replace the failing in-tank fuel
pump and got it done in two hours. We also gave the 12-year-old
vehicle its first ignition service and it seemed to really appreciate that.
Where
we needed to work in the Solitario takes about two hours of driving on rough,
dirt roads to reach, so thorough planning was critical. We decided that spending a night on-site would be best, so we could get an early start and avoid working in the heat of the day. So Arick, Sprocket and I
loaded the white Ranger to the gills with gear. Some of our more precious cargo was
two 4,000 watt Apollo inverters, two Apollo T80 HV charge controllers,
and all the necessary accessories for remote monitoring via the
Internet.
We
arrived on site at 5 pm Saturday evening and set up
camp in the the massive 40x60' building. This structure has a lot of
potential for manufacturing parts and creating bio-fuels with new, experimental technologies. But first things first, we need to provide electricity to
get everything off the ground.
Because
of the high temperatures and intense sun in the Solitario, we started our
work day at 4 am, and with the aid of DC lighting we were able to work in
the dark.
At dawn we mounted the PV rack to the pole and gave the frame
its final coat of paint. We ran four #6 gauge
wires from the solar arrays to the control center inside. The plan is to have two semi-independent power systems, three arrays tracking the sun and three fixed. The controllers work in tandem so that if one fails the other will pick up the slack. The Apollo system is one of the most fail-safe systems available, because with most other units if you lose the master controller, you lose everything.
We mounted ¾" plywood to the wall and gave it a coat of paint. Once the paint dried the fun could begin, opening up our new parts and mounting them to the wall.
We
closed out the day at 4pm (at 112 degrees F in the shade) satisfied with what we had accomplished. We are excited to get work done on this job, but we need to go back East and get married!
first solar rack for the 100 sq foot solar arrays was completed Thursday of
last week.
We were anxious to get started installing the equipment, but we did need to do a little truck maintenance to Sara's Ranger first. So
Arick and I pulled the truck bed to replace the failing in-tank fuel
pump and got it done in two hours. We also gave the 12-year-old
vehicle its first ignition service and it seemed to really appreciate that.
Where
we needed to work in the Solitario takes about two hours of driving on rough,
dirt roads to reach, so thorough planning was critical. We decided that spending a night on-site would be best, so we could get an early start and avoid working in the heat of the day. So Arick, Sprocket and I
loaded the white Ranger to the gills with gear. Some of our more precious cargo was
two 4,000 watt Apollo inverters, two Apollo T80 HV charge controllers,
and all the necessary accessories for remote monitoring via the
Internet.
arrived on site at 5 pm Saturday evening and set up
camp in the the massive 40x60' building. This structure has a lot of
potential for manufacturing parts and creating bio-fuels with new, experimental technologies. But first things first, we need to provide electricity to
get everything off the ground.
Because
of the high temperatures and intense sun in the Solitario, we started our
work day at 4 am, and with the aid of DC lighting we were able to work in
the dark.
its final coat of paint. We ran four #6 gauge
wires from the solar arrays to the control center inside. The plan is to have two semi-independent power systems, three arrays tracking the sun and three fixed. The controllers work in tandem so that if one fails the other will pick up the slack. The Apollo system is one of the most fail-safe systems available, because with most other units if you lose the master controller, you lose everything.
We mounted ¾" plywood to the wall and gave it a coat of paint. Once the paint dried the fun could begin, opening up our new parts and mounting them to the wall.
We
closed out the day at 4pm (at 112 degrees F in the shade) satisfied with what we had accomplished. We are excited to get work done on this job, but we need to go back East and get married!
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