Balcony solar PV

[chris_n]

The air often isn't as clean as you would imagine. I live in a high valley off the Inn valley. The motorway in the Inn valley links Bavaira and on to Northern Europe with Italy via the Brenner Pass. In Austria the speed limit on motorways is 130 kmh, in the Inn valley they have what they call 'Tempo 100'. This is to reduce emissions from all of the lorries carrying goods both ways. As we have restrictions (Germany too) on HGV traffic on Sundays and Bank Holidays they have what they call 'block handling' of HGVs where they will only let a certain number of trucks per hour onto the motorway or it would stop running. The trucks and non local traffic are not allowed off the motorway onto the local road network for exactly the same reason.
When I am with clients on the mountain in winter particularly when air pressure is high you can often see the pollution hanging in the air in the Inn valley against the white of the snow.

Weather inversion keeping pollution in the valley?

Exactly that but it can last for weeks and isn't helped with wood smoke particulates. Fortunately all of the cold air from our valley runs down to the Inn but that isn't always the case, some of the valleys have flat bottoms and the pollution sticks there.

[Mr Gus]

Yup, Canadians understand weather inversion, over here we are pretty cluesless as to what it does...
In canada we were always looking at the numbers for planning the likelihood of the next big dump & everything that went with it, the wife as the non boarder (bad snow crash, spinal problems opening up a can of previously unknown genetic wormholes) is the weather watcher, ..another reason I take pollution monitors out to cham with me, better insight day to day regardless of what you can"see"

[chris_n]

Not sure I would have installed them in this orientation.

[Mr Gus]

Not sure I would have installed them in this orientation.

Scheiße, das ist pissarm, da braucht jemand eine Tracht Prügel! Monteur? Tosser eher wie.

[AE-NMidlands]

I suspect it might be someone trying to prove that a) panels don't work and b) they are an eyesore!
Or maybe trying to be forced to remove it... so they can get the precedent applied to an enemy's panels.
(Devious or machiavellien, me? never!)
A

[chris_n]

I suspect it might be someone trying to prove that a) panels don't work and b) they are an eyesore!
Or maybe trying to be forced to remove it... so they can get the precedent applied to an enemy's panels.
(Devious or machiavellien, me? never!)
A

I don't think so, they just don't have a clue. It's not facing the road so no one is going to complain. What first struck me was the fact that we keep our skis in the cellar down stairs to the left hand side, if you still have them on your shoulder they get mighty close to the panels. I'll take a pic of a neighbour who has about 4kW on his balconies and about 10kW on his roof when I get a chance.

[chris_n]

Picture of my neighbours house, there are 17 375W panels on the balcony and above the carport. These have been fitted to pick up the low level winter sun when his roof arrays are covered in snow (though he does clear then as soon as it is feasible). The balcony shape is quite complex but isn't too bad as the panels are orientated correctly though I think I would have painted the railings black in this area before fitting the panels.

[Joeboy]

A dedicated solar family! Good for balcony privacy too. Personally, I'd have boarded the rear with vertical timbers to save looking at panel backs and brought them all together, edge to edge leaving one corner of balcony as an exposed timber feature.

No matter, he's done well to ensure some Winter solar.

[Mr Gus]

That "privacy" is a selling point that will be under utilised until it catches on.

On forays into UK cities in recent years a lot of high rise balconies exposed for years are now strung with privacy shading, done well this will offer them a bit of windproofing as well (for all the positives & negatives it may bring)

Chris, how soon before councils deem balcony solar "too much" detracting from traditional balconies & likened to black posterboards? ..or do the local councils (seeing seasons with open eyes & understanding seasonal incomes from it) drive it forward?

[chris_n]

A dedicated solar family! Good for balcony privacy too. Personally, I'd have boarded the rear with vertical timbers to save looking at panel backs and brought them all together, edge to edge leaving one corner of balcony as an exposed timber feature.

No matter, he's done well to ensure some Winter solar.

That's effectively what it is, the panels are edge to edge on the straight bits, the corner has a feature where it kicks out a bit following the shape of the ground floor.