On 06/09/2017 10:02 AM, Dave Taht wrote:
> My use case used to be covering hundreds of km in the Nicaraguan
> jungle. The prototype for that covers a mere 110 acres in the los
> gatos hills, trying to get stuff deep into ravines and so on.
Accounting for wost case is always what amplifies the requirements of an
off-grid system.
NASA Surface meteorology and Solar Energy claims that for Los Gatos
December is the lowest output. Given a split-the-middle tilt alignment
of 37 degrees it will receive average full-sun net of 3.5 hours.
Dave: With these being tree mounted, how likely is full-sun? I'm not familiar with the tree type/density. Are you're looking to avoid having separated solar panels?
Richard: I would presume these calculations are all for "open field" conditions?
If the panels are under a tree canopy, a lower attack angle may be better to better utilize morning/evening sun. A higher one may be necessary to get a useful charge during peak daylight. I've seen some pretty impressive calculators to work out best guesses for field testing.