Wednesday, May 27, 2009

rack 'em up...




Got a good start on the new solar panel rack today. Got more parts to screw together to firm it up and make it movable but at least they are off the ground now. Because of the wiring, the rack will only be able to swivel west to catch the afternoon sun.

Hit Study Butte at 4:30PM to get a couple of bags of ice to chill down the refrigerant for about 10 days as we have a good chance of an overnight shower. A couple more days of thunderstorm threats but I think the big June HOT season is coming up. In any event...I'm good to go (supplies wize and otherwize) for at least a week of swampy weather, just in case.

Did a late afternoon delivery to my longhorn buddies now grazing about 1 1/2 miles east of me. About 25 came a runnin' when they saw the mobile lunch wagon. Highlight was getting a chance to hand feed and scratch Guillermo amongst the crazy grazing mass of horns. Benita was at the house all day as usual.

8 comments:

Allen Hare said...

That rack looks good. Do you move it once or twice a day to follow the sun? Is the juice from the solar panels going into the same battery bank as the juice from the windmills?
The pictures today look pretty sharp. Have you put the G9 back into service?
I sure enjoy checking in on you every day, and reading about all your projects and adventures. Looking forward to seeing that greenhouse come together.
As usual, good luck with all your endevours.

John Wells said...

Thanks Allen....

The rack will only be moved once a day in the afternoon once the pivot point and wheels are in place. The wind turbines service a different battery bank that will be utilized for the greenhouse complex - which I am looking forward to completing as soon as I figure it all out. Todays photos where shot with the Nikon. Saving the G9 for video and timelapse stuff and the occasional photo as needed. Will utilize the Nikon for the "dusty" conditions. Cheers!

MsBelinda said...

That's what I like about you, you start a project and you don't stop until you finish it. The racks are looking good.

You would think Benita would of hung around after she got her flowers but now Beatrice is there instead, lol!!

Wanted to ask you, how much does a bag of ice go for these days in Study Butte? Do they still sell block ice at Study Butte Mall (love that name, it cracks me up)!!!

Heard it was hailing out your way tonight. Stay safe.

neil said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
neil said...

Some interesting USGS overlays for Google Earth...
http://tin.er.usgs.gov/geology/state/state.php?state=txThey are quite large and will take some time to load. Google Earth will appear frozen for a minute or two depending on the speed of your PC. Turn off "Terrain" for a clear view. Once loaded you can 'Shift' + MainClick' on the colored area to view the info.

Apparently John, you are sitting on a...
Pen FormationI thought this info may come in handy for when the fossil hunters visit.

John Wells said...

MsB
thanks...I like the occasional one or two day project. oops...I said Beatrice when I meant Benita - I corrected it....a bag of ice is 2 bucks. Dont know if anyone sells block ice down south.
neil - will check it out.

Mr_Brown said...

Bag of ice $2? In the scheme of things I suppose that's not a bad price. Considering a bag of ice is about $2 here in Michigan where it doesn't take as much to freeze water as it does in Texas. At least you're not being hammered with shipping on that item.

jim said...

John-
Just wonder if you ever thought about the charge back model for the wattage you are generating. Ironically that would require the power grid so you could charge back.
Seems to be some interesting business models being built on charge backs.
http://www.kk.org/cooltools/archives/003737.php