Solar panels in Mexico

Friday December 15, 2006

Zena Lazarus

Dearly though I would love to circumvent the despotic local electricity commission, I do not have photo cells for electricity  generation. It seems that they are only cost effective after some 20 years and I'm not at all sure that, given my four score years and ten, I'd be able to reap that benefit.
 
I have, however, had solar panels for water heating for almost 10 years, and in the usually sunny climate here they have (almost) always worked well. The "almost" is because the temperature from mid November to mid February can fluctuate from freezing to 28 degrees within a 24 hour period. Twice the tubes in my solar panels froze and burst, so I had no alternative ? I thought ? but to empty them during the winter months. This was particularly frustrating when the daytime temperature
inevitably rose and the sun shone brightly on my empty panels.

Now at last I think I have found the solution . . . by covering them at night and removing the covers in the morning. The perfect material and correct size turns out to be single fitted sheets. I pass on this hint to anyone who has faced a similar predicament.

 

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