FIT paperwork

Oops. Very nearly missed out on getting the Feed In Tariff from my energy supplier E.ON.

I had assumed that the solar panel installation company would have taken care of this but apparently they don't. This is due to issues of privacy etc. They don't have my supply detail to hand and E.ON shouldn't just hand them out to anyone who happens to ask.

All I had to do was go onto the E.ON website at the following URLhttp://www.eonenergy.com/At-Home/Products/Feed-in+Tariffs/How-to-apply-for-fit-payments.htm?WT.mc_id=How_to_Apply&WT.svl=8 and then download the form under 'download the application form (PDF)'.

Print that off, fill in the blanks and then send it off with a copy of the MCS certificate to the address supplied.

As there were a few questions I had about the form I simply rang the number 0845 301 4884. The person I spoke to was very helpful.

It should now be all sorted and again goes to prove you shouldn't assume stuff where money is concerned.

Full on !

I have just taken a reading from the inverter in the attic when the sun is in a clear sky and almost (but not quite) perpendicular to the solar panels.

This being Oct though, the sun is not very high in the sky.

The readings were

Time (GMT)	SolRad (W/m2)	E-total (kWh)	h-total (hours)	E-today (kWh)	PAC (watts)	VPV (VoltsDC)	Mode
1325z	439 W/m2	16.6 kWh	18 hours	6.62 kWh	1963 Watts	310 Volts	MPP

The system was commissioned in the afternoon of Tuesday 19th October 2010.

Rather than having to go up the ladder to the attic every time I want a reading I'll now have to investigate the possibilities for getting it posted to the WWW.

Scaffolding down today

The scaffolders came back this morning and dismantled the scaffolding. Didn't take too long at all. About 1 hour. Now have to reconfigure the garden deck to what it was before they came.

Day 1 for The Swamp Electricity Generation Board

Woke up early this morning (before dawn). Not exactly sure why. As I was up before the sun I decided to see what would happen on the inverter as the sky brightened up.

I was hoping to correlate the readings from the inverter with the solar radiation readings from the weather station. For some reason the station has stopped updating. Will need to check that.

The following is a series of times with readings from the inverter. It is quite dry but is mainly to act as a reminder. Will only update information if it changes from time to time.

Woke up early this morning (before dawn). Not exactly sure why. As I was up before the sun I decided to see what would happen on the inverter as the sky brightened up.

I was hoping to correlate the readings from the inverter with the solar radiation readings from the weather station. For some reason the station has stopped updating. Will need to check that.

The following is a series of times with readings from the inverter. It is quite dry but is mainly to act as a reminder. Will only update information if it changes from time to time.

0740h	All 3 LED's are lit on the inverter. No backlight or data on the LCD screen.
0741h	Back light for the LCD screen has come on. The LCD screen itself is blinking, looks like it is trying to show data.
0744h	LCD screen has settled down and is showing the following. Sunny Boy 2500 WR25 - 026
0745h	Green LED is now flashing, others have gone out. PAC 0W VPV 243V E-total 1.4kWh h-total 2h E-today 0.00 kWh mode = waiting, the system is waiting until the power from the panels is enough to start pushing power to the outside world. It needs to detect the levels and phase of the incoming power to match it.
0749h	VPV 270V
0756h	VPV 290V
0800h	VPV 297V
0801h	VPV 305V
0803h	Green LED started to flash v. quick VPV 310V mode = offset, this means the system has detected the incoming power cycles and found there is an offset between this and the on-board generator.
0804h	Green LED back to normal flash at about 2Hz. VPV 312V mode = waiting
0806h	VPV 320V
0810h	mode = grid mon, the system has enough power to start generating but needs to be sync'd to the incoming supply.
0810h	VPV 329V mode = waiting, panel output dropped below minimum
0813h	VPV 330V
0817h	VPV 331V
0824h	VPV 340V
0825h	VPV 243V PAC 35W mode = APP
0826h	VPV 238V PAC 43W

Towards the end we can see that as the voltage drops the power goes up.

After this is I left it to get on with it.

Initial reading 19th October 2010

At the end of today the meter down in the garage is reading 2.5. I think this reading is contaminated by a small amount from the factory. Also I'm not entirely sure of the units. I think it's kWh but can't confirm that until I get the manual and certificates on Thursday.

I'll assume this as the zero point for the future.

I was going to read the values from the inverter in the attic but as it's dark it has no power to work.

The Swamp Electricity Generating Board

Well that about does it. I am now generating electricity from my panels installed on the back of the house.

Just some clearing up to do and they're off. I also authorised another 25% payment today. I am holding onto the final 5% until the electricity people are happy with the installation and willing to pay me for juice.

I am very happy with the installation. Andy and his chaps from New Generation Energy http://www.newgenerationenergy.co.uk/ have done a good job so far.

Obviously I will need to monitor the situation from now on. I will attempt to get generation values on to my website and keep things updated in this blog as and when I remember.

Installation started

The long awaited solar panel installation has started.

The initial thing was to mount the metal brackets to the joists. They removed a number of tiles to get access to the joists underneath the felt. They simply screwed a metal plate to the joist from the outside. No need to go into the attic for this bit. Because the metal bracket sticks out a little bit they needed to grind down a small bit of the tile so that it sits flat when put back in place. Looks fine.

After the brackets they installed the long metal runners on which the panels would sit.

When the van turned up this morning they unloaded the panels into the garden. When they'd finished there were only 10, not the 12 I had agreed on. A quick phone call from Andy confirmed that he'd sent the wrong type out to the house. The ones delivered were 235W panels which had been on the initial quote for 10 x 235W panels, equalling 2.35kW. What we had finally agreed on though was for a system of 12 x 215W panels instead, equal to 2.85kW. We couldn't go ahead with the 235W panels as they are a different size and they wouldn't all fit on the roof.

Andy has asked for the correct delivery to be made direct to the house in the morning. Not sure when they are due to arrive. If they're from the same company as Lerigo then it could be about 1000hrs.

Towards lunch time, Andy turned up to help with the actual electrical installation. An armoured cable was lead out of the garage up the front of the house into the attic space through the soffit board. In the garage there is a new meter and a big isolator switch. In the attic space there is now a large inverter mounted on the gable wall.

During the day, I got online and authorised another deposit of 35% (running total now at 70%) into the company's bank account.

Before leaving, the guys made sure that everything was tidy, even picking up all the little wires which had been removed from the armoured cable.

Tomorrow we're expecting the 215W panels to be delivered. Once they arrive it shouldn't take too long to get them connected.

Here's hoping for clear skies.

Sailing with more people than ever before!

Saturday comes but once a week.

I wasn't planning on doing much today it has to be said. The weather hadn't promised much so in the morning I was moping around the house waiting until the regular social gathering at QAB for lunch.

I needed to buy some oils for the car so set off to the diy stores in plenty of time to get back for lunch. On my way out I looked at the weather and thought it was excellent for sailing. I made the decision to go out sailing after lunch and sent out a text asking if others wanted to come.

Only reply straight away was from Webster saying they wouldn't be able to make it but would see us at lunch.

As usual I arrived before everybody else. Not sure how I do it. Mind you by the time 1300hrs comes around I'm feeling pretty hungry.

The usual crowd turned up but the Ghengis clan said that the traffic was so bad in town they'd meet me at Mountbatten instead of coming to QAB first. I left about 1430hrs to get over to the boat. Mel said she might turn up with her son Billy.

Despite leaving QAB some 10-15mins after Al's phone call I arrived there first. I started to get the boat ready while I waited. Once Al did arrive he helped me launch the boat. Much appreciated as it's always easier to launch with more than one. I got the boat onto the MBC pontoon while Al, Ro and Sam had some lunch and we waited for Mel & Billy to turn up.

When Mel and Billy turned up it meant we'd be 4 adults and 2 kids in a Hawk 20. I had thought we might be a bit squashed up but in actual fact there was plenty of room for everybody. I did have to sail from the same side of the boat no matter what tack we were on but it wasn't too bad at all.

Due to the number of people in the boat I decided we should head for open water before getting the sails up. Once the engine was started and we had cleared most of the trots I gave the steering over to 4 year old Billy. He did a sterling job and managed to get the hang of the tiller steering quite quickly. I guess this might be because kids that young have no preconceptions about what should be correct. They try something, if it doesn't work they try the opposite.

Once on the South side of Mounbatten breakwater we got the sails up and set off. There was a general consensus that we should go around Drake's Island before heading home. As you can see from the track we left The Sound from the Western entrance past the lighthouse.

Before exiting it did look as though there might not be enough wind on the outside of the breakwater. Needn't have worried as there was plenty.

We had a great sail, across the breakwater, in the Eastern entrance and then back across The Sound to go around the back of Drake's Island.

We got back to the pontoon not long after that because young Sam was getting extremely grissly.

Total distance 15.3km, total time 3h 26m.

I couldn't be bothered to get the boat out tonight as I will sailing with the Lerigo clan in the morning.

Scaffolding up

The scaffolding has now been erected at the back of the house in preparation for the solar panel installation on Monday next.

Despite being delayed a little bit due to some weird GPS issues, the guys who did it were quick and professional. It took just over 3hours to complete.

The solar installation chap had requested a 2 lift scaffold but the scaffold guys erected a 3 lift instead as 2 would not have been enough.

Certainly getting closer.

Scaffolder not in contact

Having a bit of an issue with the scaffolder who is supposed to be erecting the framework for the solar installation which is due to start early next week.

I spent the day in today waiting for some sort of communication from the scaffolding bloke to arrange a time. Nothing.

Not a peep. Not impressed with that one bit. I have been in contact with the Solar installation fella and he assures me I'll have something by lunch time tomorrow.

I have other things to be getting on with.

Shock horror ? Kayaking

I actually witnessed a rare show of common sense from two powerboaters today.

I was out in my kayak to do a bit of exercise for a change. As I have a membership for MBC I thought I'd launch from there and use the showers on site after recovering. Unfortunately I forgot to bring my neoprene shoes and was unwilling to go without them. This meant that I had to go back home and get them.

Rather than go all the way back to MBC I settled for launching from my usual place at Oreston Quay.

The wind for today was from the East at about 5-12knots. The tide was dropping when I set off.

Initially I had planned only to do a quick run to Drake's Island and back. As I headed down river I felt good, which was probably due to the help afforded by the wind and tide. As I got clear of the Mountbatten breakwater towards Drake's Island, the sea got a little choppier. This required a bit more concentration to prevent a capsize. The chop looked like it was generated by the two river outfalls colliding.

After leaving Drake's Island I didn't really want to head straight back and thought of heading to Picklecombe Fort on the SW corner of Plymouth Sound. As I rounded the back of the island however I didn't think it was a good idea as I was feeling it in the shoulders. Straight to Fort Bovisand then.

As I got near the narrows the sea got extremely confused. The chop was coming in from at least three directions at once. Took not a little bit of concentration.

On my way across The Sound I had to shimmy round a tug, which had decided to go from an alongside tow to a short tow astern right in front of me. For a while I was concerned I was going to get a barge in the face. Luckily the wind was keeping the barge alongside the tug, rather than pushing it away, and I managed to get round it without incident.

As I neared my usual haul out beach near Bovisand, I was feeling pretty good so kept on going to Jennycliff beach instead.

Listening to the VHF I heard Longroom tell somebody that the marines were practising on the beach but that there were no restrictions. As I looked around I saw a large landing craft with what looked like a Swedish flag on the stern? This was acting as a mother craft to a couple of small inflatables and a larger jet driven boat going in and out from the beach. I had a small period of doubt as to whether I would hear "You in the yellow canoe" again, but decided to carry on until somebody told me to go away, as I was getting quite cold in the legs.

I kept in quite close to the rocks at the edge of the beach to avoid getting in anybody's way. No screaming. As I was sitting there I caught the odd bit of talking and it did indeed sound like a Scandinavian language. Swedes they are then.

On the way back to base I went via the Barbican and Mountbatten. As I hadn't been out for very long I headed up towards Laira bridge to get up under the rat racers. That is such a good feeling no matter how knackered you might be. The tide was nearly out all the way so I couldn't get any further. I don't like going into water which is too shallow as it makes it harder to get out of the kayak should anything go wrong.

When I got towards the slipway I noticed that a couple of lads had just launched their small powerboat. As I approached them, their engine died and they drifted towards the moored boats. Rather than grabbing hold to prevent them drifting further, they just fended off while they tried to get it started.

I paddled towards them and offered some assistance. I helped them back towards an empty trot to avoid damage to other boats.

Not unexpected they weren't wearing any form of buoyancy. They were perfectly amenable to accepting an offer of assistance. This was a bit of shock to start with as other people I've tried to help normally bite me head off. We had a look at the fuel system which they had admitted had been left a while. As it was a two stroke engine I didn't know too much about it. We managed to get it started for a while and they looked like they were ready to go out as per plan. Unfortunately the engine wouldn't keep going for anything longer than a few seconds. i left them to it.

Not long after getting to the slipway, I saw that they had decided not to go out after all. The reason they stated was that they didn't want to risk it. Good plan.

6th Oct 2010 - Sailing

Quite a weird day today.

I woke up at bout 20mins past 4 this morning. Couldn't get back to sleep so just read a book.

Later in the morning I decided that the weather was looking excellent for sailing. I didn't find out that the pond was out until I got down to the boat. It would've been a bit of tricky launch round the corner on the West slipway with the amount of weed. I was worried that the front of the landrover might slip sideways and end up on the wrong side of the pole.

Luckily Mr L. needed to use the tractor to recover a powerboat and he kindly agreed to launch mine, but only if I was quick. I was a little too quick.

The wind was a little stronger than I was used to and it took a little while to get onto a mooring buoy to set up ready for sailing. After initially setting up I set off.

Unfortunately the weather was windier than I had thought and I needed to get back onto another buoy to get some waterproofs on. Doing this single handed was quite a challenge today for some reason.

Round two was a lot better and I decided to head out in to The Sound. The weather was quite choppy but the sailing was excellent. The weather was from the SouthWest so I headed towards Cawsand. As I hadn't done it in anger yet, I got into some clear space
to practise putting a reef in single handed. It went swimmingly and I learnt something else.

The next part of the plan was to go out of the Western entrance and head back in the Eastern side. First I had to avoid getting run over by the large grey boat exiting as well. I couldn't make it out on the tack I was on so had to head back West. This seemed to upset the escort boats and I got a little visit from the RIB guys.

After avoiding the frigate I managed to get out.

The sail across the outside of the breakwater was fantastic.

I came a little unstuck in the gybe back into The Sound. The main sheet swiped across my face taking my hat and glasses. Bugger.

This wasn't something I had planned on. Sailing blind. I had to call Long Room on ch14 to ask them if anything was coming out. Yup. Another grey ship to avoid. Not easy with my atrocious eyesight. Generalities are all I could deal with. Keeping it to the East I headed towards Mountbatten breakwater. I brought the gear down in Jennycliffe bay to avoid any hassles in amongst the trots.

First instalment for solar due on Friday

I am now getting the deposit ready for my solar installation. I have agreed to pay a deposit of 35%.

We are now waiting for the scaffolding men to agree a date. Hopefully this will be either the 18th or 21st October 2010. This is going to be quite close to the next trip at work. As it should only take two days to complete it should be sorted.

Updated weather software

I'm writing so much in my BLOG lately that I'm losing track of what's occurring to my brain next.

I have just found an update for my weather software, Cumulus Weather Station Software. I am now able store the Solar radiation values in a file for later. I am currently sending the data to http://www.zippys.f2s.com/Cumulus/index.htm

As long as I can find a solution for monitoring the voltages from the inverters, this should enable me to correlate it to my solar panels.

Unfortunately the new patch has written over the hmtl files I had created for my particular website. Will have to remember that for future updates.

The disco is gone.

I have finally made a hole on the drive by getting rid of the rotting Landrover Discovery. L580WAC is no more. I was planning on moving it this trip no matter what. Either it was being sold or scrapped. I only got £150 for it but it's better than nothing.

I could probably have got more for it by taking it to bits but I just didn't have the inclination to do it. I would have to get it on the internet for each bit, organise shipping etc. and then I'd still be left with the remains. At least this way it was driven out on a trailer. It's gone in one go.

The space now created can be used for me to work on the Defender and Astra. The Defender particularly needs some work as the roof is leaking. More space now.

Solar system agreed

I have now agreed in principle to a solar system for the roof. I will be getting 12 x 215W panels fitted to the roof, making a capacity of 2.58kW. These will be in 3 rows of 4 in a landscape format, which is different from the normal portrait format. It is not using my first choice of 10 x 235W panels but it is slightly bigger in capacity than I had initially thought of at no extra cost.

I am trying to find a system whereby I can monitor the output remotely and store the data on a computer. I would like to be able to correlate this data with my weather station which is stored at approx every 10mins.

More updates when I get them.