PV installed

Our solar PV system took three full days to install, a bit longer than originally planned, because of some foul weather: wind, hail, rain, but finally some sun.

the “Sunny Boy” DC to AC inverters installed in the attic

The inverters have a Bluetooth interface, and we have downloaded the software that lets us monitor our total generation.  It produces charts, and data at 5 minute intervals in csv format.

Downstairs we have more devices to play with.  There’s the offical meter (to let the electricity company know how much we have generated), the Big Red Button to turn off the system, a small black box monitoring total electrical usage, and a box to send any excess generation into the immersion heater.

gizmos

The other end of the total usage monitor displays how much electricity we are using from the grid:

we’re using over a kW, and we’re not doing anything! (4W of that is the box itself.)

And it displays how much electricity we are generating:

0W being generated: well, it is night time!

We did generate some electricity today, though.  The data downloaded from the inverter shows when this generation occurred, from system switch on around 14:50, until sunset:

no generation after sunset!

Tomorrow will be our first full day of generation.  Hopefully we will get more than a little blip on the chart.  But the weather forecast?  Cloudy, of course!

tomorrow: cloudy, with a hint of sun just before sunset

PV installation action shots

Here are a couple of photos taken during the installation.  These shots were taken for us by the installers: you wouldn’t get me up on that scaffolding!

6 panels installed so far on the battens.

Only 8 more to go!

Buying books. Like a boss.

I think they’re gonna need a bigger bookcase.

That’s a big box!

unbelievable!

Another day, another cold call from some scammer.  But with a new arrogance:

Phone rings, is answered.
Them: “mumble mumble mumble.”
Me: “Have you heard of the Telephone Preference Service?”
Them: “mumble mumble mumble.”
Me: “Have you heard of the Telephone Preference Service?”
Them: “Yes, but no-one can stop us.”
Me: click

I think I refuted their claim.  But, really!

PV delivered

Our solar PV system has been delivered.  It will be installed over the next few days, provided the weather stays calm enough!

DC to AC inverters, plus other bits and bobs, being stored in our garage for now

27 solar PV panels, that won't fit in the garage, so are being stored outside

I'll post this tomorrow

Some very useful tips: Structured Procrastination

(via Terrence Tao)

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The Night Watch

James Mickens has another great article.

When it’s 3 A.M., and you’ve been debugging for 12 hours,
and you encounter a virtual static friend protected volatile
templated function pointer, you want to go into hibernation and
awake as a werewolf and then find the people who wrote the
C++ standard and bring ruin to the things that they love.

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For all my social networking posts, see my Google+ page