Solar Panel for cottage

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jpp
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Joined: Mon Nov 07, 2005 11:39 am

Solar Panel for cottage

Post by jpp » Fri Jun 24, 2011 12:47 pm

Hello everyone. I have a small lakeside cottage near Tampere and I am looking to install solar panels to give us some energy for the basics like lighting, TV, computer. Anyone know if there are any shops around that area that sell a complete package (solar panel, controller, inverter, battery & wires) and would install it for us? Would it be at all possible to get some heating in the spring / autumn months as well or is there not enough sun during that period to make it feasible?

I am also looking to buy a small shack for sleeping. It ideally should have 2 bedrooms and have enough insulation for the spring and autumn. Anyone have any ideas where i can get ready made sleeping cabins?

Thanks in advance for your advice



Solar Panel for cottage

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Upphew
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Re: Solar Panel for cottage

Post by Upphew » Fri Jun 24, 2011 2:26 pm

jpp wrote:Would it be at all possible to get some heating in the spring / autumn months as well or is there not enough sun during that period to make it feasible?
Electric heating with photovoltaic system... not gonna happen.
jpp wrote:I am also looking to buy a small shack for sleeping. It ideally should have 2 bedrooms and have enough insulation for the spring and autumn. Anyone have any ideas where i can get ready made sleeping cabins?
I wouldn't bother insulating the walls, if you won't use it during winter. From my experience one can assemble these relatively easily.
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jpp
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Re: Solar Panel for cottage

Post by jpp » Fri Jun 24, 2011 2:56 pm

Hi "Upphew",

Thanks for the reply. I have looked at the Kontio website, and I think one of their small cabins will suit us fine. Have you bought anything from them? Did you have to assemble it yourself or did they do it for you? Does it come completely finished or do you have to put in the roof and floors yourself?

Thanks and regards,

James

Upphew
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Re: Solar Panel for cottage

Post by Upphew » Fri Jun 24, 2011 3:07 pm

jpp wrote:Thanks for the reply. I have looked at the Kontio website, and I think one of their small cabins will suit us fine. Have you bought anything from them? Did you have to assemble it yourself or did they do it for you? Does it come completely finished or do you have to put in the roof and floors yourself?
Didn't buy anything, but have been drinking beer and looking while others have been building a small sauna. Assembly prices were on the high side iirc, but you can get it assembled too. Can't remember specifics as it was community effort. Instructions were great though, but I doubt if they come in English.
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tuulen
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Re: Solar Panel for cottage

Post by tuulen » Fri Jun 24, 2011 9:13 pm

jpp wrote:...I have a small lakeside cottage near Tampere and I am looking to install solar panels...
There could be a limit as to the number and size of the solar panels to be installed. For instance, each solar panel has physical weight and has an upper limit as to how much electricity it could produce, so it is first necessary to accurately estimate the amount of electricity required at the cottage, to then determine the number and size of the solar panels required, to then determine the physical weight of the solar panels required BECAUSE there is a physical limit as to how much WEIGHT a small cottage can support, especially without causing the roof to distort, etc. A few small solar panels could present no problem, but a vast array of huge solar panels might even crush the cottage!

A particularly heavy array of solar panels could be elevated from the ground by ground-mounted supports, separate of the cottage.

Upphew
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Re: Solar Panel for cottage

Post by Upphew » Fri Jun 24, 2011 10:46 pm

tuulen wrote:There could be a limit as to the number and size of the solar panels to be installed. For instance, each solar panel has physical weight and has an upper limit as to how much electricity it could produce, so it is first necessary to accurately estimate the amount of electricity required at the cottage, to then determine the number and size of the solar panels required, to then determine the physical weight of the solar panels required BECAUSE there is a physical limit as to how much WEIGHT a small cottage can support, especially without causing the roof to distort, etc. A few small solar panels could present no problem, but a vast array of huge solar panels might even crush the cottage!
We're looking something like 20kg/m^2? ( http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index ... 635AAebFzf )
All new structures are calculated with snow load of 180kg/m^2 ( http://www.rakentaja.fi/index.asp?s=/ar ... Bkatto.htm )
Smaller cottages are probably able to stand even higher loads as there is no reason to use thinner materials for them, for example you couldn't nail anything to the roof supports if they were thinner than what is used in much larger houses.
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tuulen
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Re: Solar Panel for cottage

Post by tuulen » Sat Jun 25, 2011 12:17 am

jpp wrote:... I have a small lakeside cottage...
Upphew wrote:...All new structures...
Perhaps a small lakeside cottage could be an older building which may not meet current building standards?
Upphew wrote:...We're looking something like 20kg/m^2? ( http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index ... 635AAebFzf )
All new structures are calculated with snow load of 180kg/m^2 ( http://www.rakentaja.fi/index.asp?s=/ar ... Bkatto.htm )...
20kg/m^2 + 180kg/m^2 = 200kg/m^2 = 20kg/m^2 OVER THE SNOW LOAD DESIGN LIMIT

Or, does that mean there will always be 20kg/m^2 less of snow when solar panels are installed?
Last edited by tuulen on Sat Jun 25, 2011 12:38 am, edited 4 times in total.

DMC
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Re: Solar Panel for cottage

Post by DMC » Sat Jun 25, 2011 12:24 am

jpp wrote:Would it be at all possible to get some heating in the spring / autumn months as well or is there not enough sun during that period to make it feasible?
Using PV, no, it is not possible.
Instead you could consider Solar thermal, either water-based or passive air. I have some evacuated tubes that make a useful contribution to heating & hot water. They produce nothing in winter but in spring they are very effective. A passive air heater would probably be best for space heating but you may need to make it yourself.

Upphew
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Re: Solar Panel for cottage

Post by Upphew » Sat Jun 25, 2011 12:50 pm

tuulen wrote:20kg/m^2 + 180kg/m^2 = 200kg/m^2 = 20kg/m^2 OVER THE SNOW LOAD DESIGN LIMIT

Or, does that mean there will always be 20kg/m^2 less of snow when solar panels are installed?
No, but it means probably just one extra snow shoveling trip to the cottage.
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tuulen
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Re: Solar Panel for cottage

Post by tuulen » Sun Jun 26, 2011 12:44 am

Upphew wrote:...No, but it means probably just one extra snow shoveling trip to the cottage.
And, how easily could a summer cottage be completely ignored during winter?

Rip
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Re: Solar Panel for cottage

Post by Rip » Sun Jun 26, 2011 8:03 am

tuulen wrote: And, how easily could a summer cottage be completely ignored during winter?
If you had that extreme amounts of snow, then better not leave it alone anyway.
You're talking here anyway of only about 10% margin. 180 kg/m2 is about 1.8 meters of dry snow and 90 cm of moist snow. Usually in southern parts of the country you don't get anywhere near those figures.

tuulen
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Re: Solar Panel for cottage

Post by tuulen » Sun Jun 26, 2011 6:23 pm

Rip wrote:
tuulen wrote: And, how easily could a summer cottage be completely ignored during winter?
If you had that extreme amounts of snow, then better not leave it alone anyway.
You're talking here anyway of only about 10% margin. 180 kg/m2 is about 1.8 meters of dry snow and 90 cm of moist snow. Usually in southern parts of the country you don't get anywhere near those figures.
:lol:

True, but an engineer must consider what COULD happen. Extremely heavy snow might happen once in a hundred years, but COULD happen.

The point is that solar panels do have weight, and the weight should be taken into consideration.

yves386
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Re: Solar Panel for cottage

Post by yves386 » Fri Apr 01, 2022 3:11 pm

Hello
I have different situation, i need to connect 2pannels on north and 2 panels south. Can be a problem when one side won’t have sun? Parallel connection.


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