Author Topic: solar panels survive cyclone  (Read 37948 times)

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richhagen

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solar panels survive cyclone
« on: April 06, 2010, 09:31:52 PM »
I tried several times to post this from home, but it would not post apparently.  If the missing posts appear, then our highly paid staff of professional editors can go ahead and delete them.  I will try one last time from a different connection to see if I can get this to post.


A Cyclone with reported winds of up to 275 kph battered Fiji's eastern group of islands which are called the Lau Group.  The largest island of the northern Lau group is called Vanua Balavu.  In 2007 and 2008 I made trips there with BThumble where we worked on a solar powered computer lab for the school.  We stayed at some guest lodging run by Tevita and Carolyn Fotofili, with whom I maintain occasional contact.  We installed two racks of solar panels:





One rack was installed on each trip.  The racks were made from available steel.  The first rack was made from an old steel motorcycle pallet, the write up from that trip is here:

http://www.fieldlines.com/story/2007/6/5/85322/76409


The second one was made from one of two old rusty bed frames:





The frames were old scrap and we negotiated a fair trade for them if I recall correctly.  





Here BThumble is welding on one of the racks made from the bed frames.  We put one rack up on the school, and used the other to mount the panels from the Fotofili's on the top of their kitchen structure.


At the time we had advised the schools staff that if they had forewarning of a cyclone, the solar panel racks should be disconnected and removed for safer storage during the storm.  They got a heck of a storm this spring and communications were down on the island for quite some time.  Apparently a tower that relayed signals from here on another island got bent over by the category 5 storm.  


I did not know if the panels had been taken down, and figured, from the reports of widespread damage in the news that if they had not been taken down, they would not have survived.


http://www.radiofiji.com.fj/fullstory.php?id=26713

(Adi Maopa secondary school is one of the schools listed as damaged)


On Easter I received an e-mail from Carolyn Fotofili with the following excerpt:


"Good news about the school. All the solar panels are still there! Quite

unbelievable really. They didnt take them down they just somehow survived.

You must have done a really good job of putting them up there. You can pat

yourself on the back for constructing a solar panel frame that withstood 250

km per hour wind!! Congratulations. The ones on the kitchen are there too

but Ohu thinks the wires may have corroded as its not working very well. He

is not a great climber so he'll have to get someone to go up there one day

and check them."


I have subsequently spoken to Tevita by telephone now that some communications are somewhat restored and have learned that one of the panels cracked up, but still not bad at all considering.  He lost most of the structures on his property, with the kitchen and two of the bures, which are small dwellings surviving, those being the one made of stone and one of block, and those sustained roof damage.  


I am amazed that the panels survived, I know they should not have, as we put them up there, and they were only held into the roof timbers by a few lag bolts.  I currently plan to return there in 2011 to repair and possibly improve the installation as needed.  


The only thing I can figure, and I don't know, is that the winds might have came predominantly from the north and then the 20 degree angle may have worked to advantage in that the winds may have pushed the racks down and held them in place.  I had visions of them turning into dangerous projectiles in those types of winds.  At any rate, I'll take what miracles I can get.  Rich

« Last Edit: April 06, 2010, 09:31:52 PM by (unknown) »
A Joule saved is a Joule made!

Volvo farmer

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Re: solar panels survive cyclone
« Reply #1 on: April 07, 2010, 05:11:58 AM »
Nice story! That BT Humble fellow must have some thick hide to weld in that outfit. At least there's no danger of getting a piece of molten slag down his boot!
« Last Edit: April 07, 2010, 05:11:58 AM by Volvo farmer »
Less bark, more wag.

Bruce S

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Re: solar panels survive cyclone
« Reply #2 on: April 07, 2010, 10:10:23 AM »
Rich;

  Return trip in 2011?

This just goes to show, don't throw those bed rails away.


Glad to see they survived.

In the same theme, Discovery just posted a NEW Monitor lizard species right about where we're headed this November and strangely enough very similar to the pictures of the "special" meat you showed me pictures of.


Cheers;

Bruce S

« Last Edit: April 07, 2010, 10:10:23 AM by Bruce S »
A kind word often goes unsaid BUT never goes unheard

BT Humble

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Re: solar panels survive cyclone
« Reply #3 on: April 07, 2010, 02:54:53 PM »


Nice story! That BT Humble fellow must have some thick hide to weld in that outfit. At least there's no danger of getting a piece of molten slag down his boot!



I don't actually remember, but I'm sure I would have danced a little hot-foot jig a couple of times at least. :-)


(You'll notice that I did roll my sleeves down!)


BTH

« Last Edit: April 07, 2010, 02:54:53 PM by BT Humble »

Ungrounded Lightning Rod

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Re: solar panels survive cyclone
« Reply #4 on: April 07, 2010, 04:57:40 PM »
Did you get a "sunburn" on your hands and legs from the UV?
« Last Edit: April 07, 2010, 04:57:40 PM by Ungrounded Lightning Rod »

richhagen

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Re: solar panels survive cyclone
« Reply #5 on: April 09, 2010, 12:25:10 AM »
Well, the photos that weren't visible to me when I first checked the forum after the migration have reappeared, but the links to the first trip in the post don't seem to work since the migration, maybe because that was a diary, but the three html files still seem to exist here:

http://www.otherpower.com/images/scimages/742/trip_to_vanua_balavu_1.htm
http://www.otherpower.com/images/scimages/742/trip_to_vanua_balavu_2.htm
http://www.otherpower.com/images/scimages/742/trip_to_vanua_balavu_3.htm

I am still trying to learn the new software. 


A Joule saved is a Joule made!

BT Humble

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Re: solar panels survive cyclone
« Reply #6 on: April 14, 2010, 05:57:17 AM »
Did you get a "sunburn" on your hands and legs from the UV?

Nah, I let the darker-skinned gentlemen do most of the work, I was just welding those mounting tabs on.

I *did* hacksaw up an awful lot of 18" lengths of 1/2" rebar to make the security bars for the computer classroom windows though - mostly in the dark! :-)


BTH