The weather is glorious at the moment and spring has sprung itself upon us. Whilst the lack of a significant rainfall over the winter gives cause for concern about water stocks and where we might cruise to. The sunshine is very welcome non the less. Some outside work on the boat paint has been carried out. the warm weather aids with the drying. The reduced number of kamikaze insects around who can't read the "wet paint" sign also helps.
We have a mallard nest next to the boat with at the last count 8 eggs. The nest is built into the centre of an old car wheel and tyre. These were anchored in place and the centre of the wheel filled with soil to aid plant growth. Intended at first to provide an easier climb out point for the occasional brood of ducklings. The ducks now use them each year as secure nesting points around the marina.
Yesterday we had a short trip up to the canal basin at Sheffield from our mooring at Tinsley. This marks the beginning of this years boat cruise. The trip was to get an essential black water pump-out done as one of the final preparations. Whilst passing under Brown Bayley bridge at 1:45 in the hot part of the afternoon, we were surprised to find a single Pipistrelle bat feeding on insects. The warm weather is seemingly waking them up from their hibernation and they must need to find a first meal of the season, no matter the time of day. Needless to say, on this occasion we did not need the bat detector. We even slowed down to a crawl to watch the unusual sight. When we returned about two hours later nothing was spotted. There are a large number of empty ex-industrial buildings in this area.
During the summer months, boat trips for volunteers are arranged from time to time to help with litter picking and habitat improvement. If anyone is interested, drop me an email and I will put you in touch with the organiser. We had a group from the Sheffield Round Table on Sunday and managed to get half a boat full or debris that had accumulated over the winter. A Television set and a mattress being the biggest items. Beer cans and plastic bottles and bags make up the majority collected. Bring along some Marigold gloves everything else is provided including a meal at the end.
Yesterday we had a short trip up to the canal basin at Sheffield from our mooring at Tinsley. This marks the beginning of this years boat cruise. The trip was to get an essential black water pump-out done as one of the final preparations. Whilst passing under Brown Bayley bridge at 1:45 in the hot part of the afternoon, we were surprised to find a single Pipistrelle bat feeding on insects. The warm weather is seemingly waking them up from their hibernation and they must need to find a first meal of the season, no matter the time of day. Needless to say, on this occasion we did not need the bat detector. We even slowed down to a crawl to watch the unusual sight. When we returned about two hours later nothing was spotted. There are a large number of empty ex-industrial buildings in this area.
During the summer months, boat trips for volunteers are arranged from time to time to help with litter picking and habitat improvement. If anyone is interested, drop me an email and I will put you in touch with the organiser. We had a group from the Sheffield Round Table on Sunday and managed to get half a boat full or debris that had accumulated over the winter. A Television set and a mattress being the biggest items. Beer cans and plastic bottles and bags make up the majority collected. Bring along some Marigold gloves everything else is provided including a meal at the end.
I have been taking some measurements from our solar panels. When laid flat on the roof in clear Sky's (with the sun in the right direction) we are getting between 7 and 10 amps flowing into the battery bank. This peaks at around 70 % of the maximum rated wattage output. It is keeping the batteries topped up nicely against our estimated power consumption budget.
Update for Tom and Jan :- The panels are rated at a nominal 240 watts and are of the 12 volt variety. I am using a MPPS charge controller. The highest current measured so far has been 15 amps with a battery terminal voltage of around 14.3 volts. That's around 210 watts. The panels were tilted and aligned directly at the sun for best effect. With the panels laid flat on the roof without tilting the panels towards the sun. The charge is at a variable rate depending on the suns direction. It seems to peak between 7 and 10 amps. That's 90 to 130 watts at the 12.91 volts mark which indicates at 97.3% of capacity as the state of charge on the BMV501 battery monitor. There is some cyclic variation in the output even on a clear day. I think this may be due to the MPPS controller or it could be due to boat movement. I have now mounted the panels 4" clear of the roof to aid cooling, I am hoping that this will improve the efficiency a little bit more.
Update for Tom and Jan :- The panels are rated at a nominal 240 watts and are of the 12 volt variety. I am using a MPPS charge controller. The highest current measured so far has been 15 amps with a battery terminal voltage of around 14.3 volts. That's around 210 watts. The panels were tilted and aligned directly at the sun for best effect. With the panels laid flat on the roof without tilting the panels towards the sun. The charge is at a variable rate depending on the suns direction. It seems to peak between 7 and 10 amps. That's 90 to 130 watts at the 12.91 volts mark which indicates at 97.3% of capacity as the state of charge on the BMV501 battery monitor. There is some cyclic variation in the output even on a clear day. I think this may be due to the MPPS controller or it could be due to boat movement. I have now mounted the panels 4" clear of the roof to aid cooling, I am hoping that this will improve the efficiency a little bit more.
Later....
You didn't mention the solar panel output capacity (watts). ie, 7 - 10 amps out of how many watts?
ReplyDeleteTom
Ton n Jan.
ReplyDeleteThe panels are rated at a nominal 240 watts and are of the 12 volt variety. I am using a MPPS charge controller. The highest current measured so far has been 15 amps with a battery terminal voltage of around 14.3 volts. That's around 210 watts. The panels were tilted and aligned directly at the sun for best effect. With the panels laid flat on the roof without tilting the panels towards the sun. The charge is at a variable rate depending on the suns direction. It seems to peak between 7 and 10 amps. That's 90 to 130 watts at the 12.91 volts mark which indicates at 97.3% of capacity as the state of charge on the BMV501 battery monitor. There is some cyclic variation in the output even on a clear day. I think this may be due to the MPPS controller or it could be due to boat movement. I have now mounted the panels 4" clear of the roof to aid cooling, I am hoping that this will improve the efficiency a little bit more.
Mick