A power capacitor

[Static Charge]

Is there some thing out there that would limit my maximum power production...
Scenario:  I would like to have a system that would be at maximum power production say @ 8 am producing 10kw sustaining till 5 pm.
Ideally not overloading anything and burning up anything. 

[mtdoc]

I would like to have a system that would be at maximum power production say @ 8 am producing 10kw sustaining till 5 pm.

Wouldn't we all!

Seriously though- short of having a large hydro system - it's an unlikely scenario.  Are you expecting to do this with solar?  Solar insolation levels - even on a perfectly clear day do not reach anywhere close to their maximum level in the early morning or late afternoon.  I suppose you could have a utility scale solar array - say 50kw nominal and use a bank of Classic CCs which could be set to limit output amps to a set amount - but it's  not really realistic to do this on such a massive scale....at least I don't think so 


Add---  if you're strictly off grid then any charge controller will limit it's output once the batteries are "full".  Output is limited during both absorb and float stages so that battery voltages do not exceed the voltage set points - so no worry about "burning up" anything.  In a hybrid system that is also selling to the grid output amps you don't want to overload the inverter trying to sell back to the grid so using an output amp limit will also prevent things from "burning up"

[sirnak]

We all desire this system so badly, probably someday mankind will achieve that goal. I have always dreamt of having a large farm area, where I would set-up solar panels, extract thermal energy and use turbines to generate enough energy to power my place and be completely independent of monthly soaring hydro bills. I really do agree with mtdoc and haven’t heard of any other way to have the max power production to last that long. Were you able get anything closer? If you don't mind sharing your findings, would be really great.

[Westbranch]

The closest I have read about is an East & West facing split array , no South facing array, that maximizes early morning and afternoon input with a slightly  lowered peak mid day, but there is still a mid day peak

[bcroe]

Is there some thing out there that would limit my maximum power production...
Scenario:  I would like to have a system that would be at maximum power production say @ 8 am
producing 10kw sustaining till 5 pm.  Ideally not overloading anything and burning up anything.

I built that system in late 2013.  On 13 June 2014 my 15 KW of grid connected inverters
cranked out 148 KWH.  That amounts to 9.8 SUN HOURS.  That is only possible with a long
(summer) day, excellent sunny weather, and no serious shading issues.  This design may
not work as well for others, but it has other benefits for me.  Payback,YRMV. 

It works by having enough panels facing the rising sun, to bring the inverters to nearly full
power as soon as they are unshaded.  Then enough south facing panels are added to keep
the inverters at peak till noon; the main power gradually shifts from one group to the other. 
Then a group of panels facing the setting sun does the same thing in reverse. 

There is no time when one group of panels does all the work.  My clamp on DC ammeter shows,
the panels facing AWAY from the sun may contribute another 10% to what the ones facing
the sun make.  And certainly the south facing panels contribute at some level the entire day. 

The other side of the story here is THE CLOUDS.  NW ILL has LOTS of cloudy weather. 
Conventional system owners say "just write off overcast days".  If you can't make out your
shadow, an array might be producing at a dozen percent of the peak.  Well the peak is only
a few hours, but the dozen percent may continue ALL DAY.  So it might really contribute
closer to 25% of peak. 

But guess what, if you can't see your shadow, my panels under overcast ALL  produce at
some level, no matter what direction they face.  With all panels working together, the
output may reach 50% on a completely clouded sky.  It will drop more if it is getting darker,
but there is useful power made every day. 

And if clouds happen to block the noon time sun, the whole day isn't lost. 

Here is a curve of AC output power I plotted in excellent sun.  Bruce Roe

[zoneblue]

Let me get this straight, you have a 15kWp array, that produced 15kW AC, and with strings facing different directions. Something doesnt add up there.  Judging by the number of panels id say that there are more than 15kWp.  Looks like about 110 x 200W panels, which would be more like 22kWp.

Nice system BTW!

Ok, i see you said 15kW of inverters, not PV, that explains the flat top. Interesting.

[bcroe]

Let me get this straight, you have a 15kWp array, that produced 15kW AC, and with strings facing different directions. Something doesnt add up there.  Judging by the number of panels id say that there are more than 15kWp.  Looks like about 110 x 200W panels, which would be more like 22kWp.    Nice system BTW!
Ok, i see you said 15kW of inverters, not PV, that explains the flat top. Interesting. 

Right, the inverters are 15 KW.  To get that out I need a lot more panels (250 or 275W).  At $.75 a watt,
15KW panels are only 1/4 of the system cost, so doubling up panels would only add 25%.  It might add 35%
more power.  Its a huge boost for cloudy conditions, something a tracker CAN'T DO.  Bruce Roe

[laszlo]

This is a great idea Bruce how you made the east-west  array, with the panels on both sides.

[bcroe]

This is a great idea Bruce how you made the east-west  array, with
the panels on both sides.   

Yes cheap and dirty.  Only had to dig 10 holes, because its a perfectly straight one piece. 
Despite an elevation change of several feet, the waist pieces were lined up using a LASER. 
The far array looks like the Hollywood sign; 12 platforms and 48 holes. 

Forgot to mention, the flat top of the power curve is wider in June than March, and would
be a bit more yet if I didn't have tree shading at the day extremes.  Bruce Roe