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> We have very high winds in my area Here's a point that worries me slightly. With climate change comes more turbulent weather, and increased winds everywhere.

> We have very high winds in my area Here's a point that worries me slightly. With climate change comes more turbulent weather, and increased winds everywhere. Surely the first casualties of a gale or hurricane are panels. The bigger the area, the more vulnerable the installation.

ncmncm 4y ago
Oddly enough, existing standards take weather extremes into account. Nice concern troll.
- nonrandomstring 4y ago
  > concern troll That's a little rude and uncalled for isn't it?
  - lovemenot 4y ago
    It was a little rude, certainly. Whether uncalled-for or not depends on your intent. Only you are in a position to know for sure. My own feeling was that the comment was mostly deserved. Objections and problems raised against proposed solutions to critical issues, just left for someone else to solve feels disingenuous. Whether not it actually is. Maybe, next time try to solve your own objections and we won't get the drama.
  - MichaelZuo 4y ago
    It does seem strangely rude.
  - JKCalhoun 4y ago
    It struck me as rude. But I also understand that too much time on HN (in particular) and I can get a little put off by some of the cynicism I see in the comments. Is the cynicism concern trolling? I'm not sure. Certainly there are people "with agendas" that would toss cynical remarks into a discussion thread like they were thought-grenades. But the more erudite leanings of HN also attracts a kind of skepticism from people who want to post as naysayers because it suggests they have already perceived the issue, saw its failings, and have moved on ... intellectually. I hate to even post the above because I'm pointing too many fingers and don't wish to put anyone on the defensive. (There are other reasons I am sure someone would post a contrarian comment.) I wanted to explain though why I don't immediately jump to "concern troll" when I see a negative comment put forth on a story about a very progressive idea.
  - ncmncm 4y ago
    It is rude to troll. Solar panels have been going up on roofs for probably longer than you have been alive. Do you post "concerns" about weather for every single other thing mentioned that is outside? Wind turbines? Cars?
PaulDavisThe1st 4y ago
> Surely the first casualties of a gale or hurricane are panels. Actually, windmills. Seriously, I asked my electrical inspector why there are so few domestic-y scale windmills in my part of New Mexico, where for several months a year we have raging wind every day. "Nobody builds one that can last more than a year or so out here". The panels, on the other hand, are just fine.
- ttyprintk 4y ago
  Nearby, in windy and desolate Colorado, SunEdison has three big arrays, each with a different mounting technology: 1) fixed-tilt, seasonally-adjustable, flat-panel PV 2) single-axis-tracking, flat-panel PV 3) dual-axis-tracking, concentrator photovoltaics
  - dotancohen 4y ago
    > fixed-tilt, seasonally-adjustable, flat-panel PV What is adjusted for the season? The angle of the panels? I would imagine that one would have to be very close to the equator for this to be worthwhile.
    - ttyprintk 4y ago
      You can retilt those two, three, or four times per year. Tilting for summer achieves maybe 70% of the power of an automated tracker. In the winter it’s much closer. I suspect in snowy places that the extra weight could overload the automated mechanism. In winter, tracking and fixed achieve nearly the same. If you were retilting for summer at 25 degrees latitude, you’d tilt slightly away from the equator.

ncmncm 4y ago

Oddly enough, existing standards take weather extremes into account. Nice concern troll.

nonrandomstring 4y ago
> concern troll That's a little rude and uncalled for isn't it?
- lovemenot 4y ago
  It was a little rude, certainly. Whether uncalled-for or not depends on your intent. Only you are in a position to know for sure. My own feeling was that the comment was mostly deserved. Objections and problems raised against proposed solutions to critical issues, just left for someone else to solve feels disingenuous. Whether not it actually is. Maybe, next time try to solve your own objections and we won't get the drama.
- MichaelZuo 4y ago
  It does seem strangely rude.
- JKCalhoun 4y ago
  It struck me as rude. But I also understand that too much time on HN (in particular) and I can get a little put off by some of the cynicism I see in the comments. Is the cynicism concern trolling? I'm not sure. Certainly there are people "with agendas" that would toss cynical remarks into a discussion thread like they were thought-grenades. But the more erudite leanings of HN also attracts a kind of skepticism from people who want to post as naysayers because it suggests they have already perceived the issue, saw its failings, and have moved on ... intellectually. I hate to even post the above because I'm pointing too many fingers and don't wish to put anyone on the defensive. (There are other reasons I am sure someone would post a contrarian comment.) I wanted to explain though why I don't immediately jump to "concern troll" when I see a negative comment put forth on a story about a very progressive idea.
- ncmncm 4y ago
  It is rude to troll. Solar panels have been going up on roofs for probably longer than you have been alive. Do you post "concerns" about weather for every single other thing mentioned that is outside? Wind turbines? Cars?

PaulDavisThe1st 4y ago

> Surely the first casualties of a gale or hurricane are panels. Actually, windmills. Seriously, I asked my electrical inspector why there are so few domestic-y scale windmills in my part of New Mexico, where for several months a year we have raging wind every day. "Nobody builds one that can last more than a year or so out here". The panels, on the other hand, are just fine.

ttyprintk 4y ago
Nearby, in windy and desolate Colorado, SunEdison has three big arrays, each with a different mounting technology: 1) fixed-tilt, seasonally-adjustable, flat-panel PV 2) single-axis-tracking, flat-panel PV 3) dual-axis-tracking, concentrator photovoltaics
- dotancohen 4y ago
  > fixed-tilt, seasonally-adjustable, flat-panel PV What is adjusted for the season? The angle of the panels? I would imagine that one would have to be very close to the equator for this to be worthwhile.
  - ttyprintk 4y ago
    You can retilt those two, three, or four times per year. Tilting for summer achieves maybe 70% of the power of an automated tracker. In the winter it’s much closer. I suspect in snowy places that the extra weight could overload the automated mechanism. In winter, tracking and fixed achieve nearly the same. If you were retilting for summer at 25 degrees latitude, you’d tilt slightly away from the equator.