All Posts

Farming The Sun: Solar As An Alternative Crop

A livestock farmer’s income is dependent on many factors which include: geographical proximity to markets; fertility of the land; health of the stock; growth rates; floods; and drought. It can be a hard life with all the variables mentioned impacting heavily on the ability of the farmer to break even let alone make a viable profit. In addition, local market prices for both live weight and carcasses fluctuate due to market forces.

Sep

Real, Apparent & Reactive Power

This week we will be looking at power; real, apparent and reactive and how power factor fits into the context of a commercial solar system

Sep

Commercial Ground Mount Solar Systems: The Basics

The basics of ground mount solar are still the same as any roof mount system but there are additional considerations to take into account. Overall project times from inception through to completion are usually greater than with roof mount commercial solar systems and this is where inexperienced solar companies can come unstuck. Like with everything, planning and documentation is of paramount importance.

Sep

Agrivoltaics: Renewable energy and food combined

Agrivoltaics really addresses the whole sustainability factor when it comes to improved, intelligent land use. Pastures can now be viewed as total energy providers with the ability to generate electricity, grow and nurture forage crops as well as provide grazing pastures and areas of shade and safety for livestock. A win win situation!

Sep

High-tech Horticulture: The impact of renewable energy on the cannabis industry

For years, dwelling in the realms of criminality, the cannabis growers supplied a potent product that was more recognised for its ability to create euphoria than its medicinal effect. This plant is cultivated outdoors, in glasshouses and indoors with artificial lighting replacing the gentle rays of the sun.

Sep

AC Conductor and Cable for Commercial Solar Systems

There are two main types of conductor materials commonly used, copper and aluminium. Copper is typically the most common and the heavier of the two materials. Aluminium becomes more common in larger sized cables and is desirable for its ability to bend more easily than copper - which can be a decided advantage when physically dealing with these materials.

Aug

Project Management for Solar Installers

All things require managing in some way and the more complex or lengthy a project or process, the more important it is to follow correct project management guidelines.

Aug

Cable Tray Management for Commercial Solar

With commercial solar projects we’re seeing a shift away from installing both DC and AC cables in their respective conduits and a shift towards using custom solutions for the job at hand. This is due to the number and length of the cables commonly involved. For a 100 kW roof mount system, incorporating, say, 4 x 25 kW, 3 phase inverters, this may result in 15 x DC cable runs down to the inverter so you can imagine how many cables need to be managed for a 500 kW system!

Aug

Panel row spacing, the space race

We run through everything you need to know about panel spacing: what to do, what to know, and how to do it.

Aug

A guide to DC Drop

Volt drop is a decrease of electrical potential when current flows in an electrical circuit and is affected by the properties of the cable that has been selected. In this case, we are talking about the solar DC cable that travels all the way from a collection of photovoltaic panels connected in series all the way back to the inverter.

Aug

Welcome to Greenwood Training

Access selected topics of Greenwood’s accredited solar training courses for free

Jul

We're hiring! Greenwood is looking for a new casual installer

Greenwood is a renewable energy company that specialises in designing, installing and commissioning commercial solar energy systems.