from ClimateJets.org.
Private Jet Emissions in 2022
Month: October 2023
Solar Data in the Cloud
I continue to be impressed with Victrons products, especially their software. I always planned to do some data logging and thought I would have to do a little work to make it happen. Turns out Victron gives you all the pieces you need. I bought a Raspberry Pi zero 2W and flashed it with the free software from Victron to make it a data hub which also uploads to the Victron VRM cloud. Had to buy a USB cable to connect to the Victron controller, but that was really all. Played around on the desktop with a monitor and keyboard set up the WiFi, added the VRM info and moved everything down to the garage. Plugged in everything (monitor, keyboard) but it wasn’t really necessary. It synced with the controller and everything worked as expected. How often does that happen?
i made my site public so anyone can go have a look at my system status. It’s on their VRM share site at Guccione Home Solar. You can also find it on the Victron World site (I’m in Austin, TX).
I Don’t Know and I Don’t Care
Click bait from today’s news feed. I like the way the colors even match, though.
Solar Eclipse
Had a Ring of Fire annular eclipse here today. Found out I can easily make these sorts of graphs and even scroll back several days using the Victron software. Getting hard to make the case for more serious data logging (but I will probably do it anyway). Check out the big drop off around noon today.
New Roof Cost
The recent hailstorm destroyed our roof. The roofing guy said it was one of the worst he had ever seen. We were stuck at the airport but neighbors told us it was golf ball sized hail for about ten minutes. Everyone said it was the worst storm they had even been in. Glad we weren’t home.
i checked my new solar panels, which were horizontal and right out in the open. They took a direct hit but were fine. This didn’t surprise me but it did surprise my neighbor. He seemed to really not believe the storm that dented the heck out of his cars and wrecked roofs didn’t take out solar panels. Told him he could look but he wasn’t interested. I also had a look around the neighborhood. A few folks have rooftop solar. None appeared damaged.
i joked that we should just build roofs out of this stuff. Then I wondered, would that make sense? So just ballparking it my new roof is going to run maybe $10 per square foot. Seems reasonable. But what do solar panels cost? A quick Google says $4 – $10 a square foot. And they will survive the next hailstorm. And make lots of electricity. Why aren’t we doing this?
Victron Venus OS on Raspberry Pi
Want to add some logging capabilities to my solar set up. I originally thought I would have to roll my own, or at least do a bit of python coding, but Vectron offers products to do most of the work for you. I downloaded and ran their Venus OS on my Raspberry Pi 4. Right now I used the Pi as an Ubuntu desktop machine, booting from a USB SDD. I flashed a microSD card, powered down, unplugged the USB drive, inserted the microSD card and turned the power back on. Booted the first time. Changed the “headless” file, rebooted and got the graphical user interface. Played around with the menus a bit. Impressive stuff. It will connect to various pieces of equipment and log data to their VRM cloud. Probably going to replace my Raspberry Pi 4 with a new Raspberry Pi 5 and maybe I’ll use my old Pi 4 for the solar installation. Bought the ve.direct cable and will give it a test soon.
ERCOT program to boost reliability caused ‘artificial shortages’ costing utilities up to $10 billion
I’ve seen this called “jaw dropping” and “eye popping”. Just a good old fashioned consumer ripoff, but a huge one. And nobody in charge is making the slightest move to do anything about it. I’m dreading this winter already. From the San Antonio Express News.
ERCOT program to boost reliability caused ‘artificial shortages’ costing utilities up to $10 billion
Solar Testbed Update
Still using two small incandescent shop lights to play around with the Solar / Battery testbed. Two small data points. The first is the nice curve of power output across the day from the Victron software. The panels aren’t at a good angle and are shaded by the house in the late afternoon, hence the sharp drop off. The second is the high output of over 150W. This is with no load, just charging batteries and not even in bright sun. Also at an angle. I was starting to expect a max of 120W or so even though the panels are rated at a combined 200W. Perhaps in bright direct overhead sun it will get close to 200W.
Batteries Replace Power Lines
A story from the New York Times about a small power company in Vermont that is hoping to install batteries in customers houses. This is the equivalent of putting in a water tank instead of bigger pipes. Makes lots of sense, unless you are in the pipe business. It is hard to imagine an electricity future that doesn’t rely heavily on batteries.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s Substack
I am a regular reader of Kareem Abdul-Jabbars Substack. If I have any criticism it’s probably that I tend to agree with him a bit too often. I hesitated to read his piece on the recent Mideast conflict, though. But again he seems to be informed and reasonable. First his plea is for peace. Check. Then he mentions the thing nobody mentions. The recent realignment in the region, IMO driven by the coming end of the fossil fuel era. The Saudis, always seemingly ahead of everyone else, have begun talks with the far right government of Israel. This seems to be the match to the tinder. What happens next is really anyone’s guess.
“In this case, Hamas in Palestine and Hezbollah in Lebanon (with Iran’s help) chose the timing to derail talks between Saudi Arabia and Israel that would have undermined Iran’s economic and political influence in the region.”
Always fearless, Kareem also gives us his take on Taylor Swift and the NFL.
Steven A. Guccione 