Ptarmigan Tracks

The Newsletter of Camp Denali

Online Version 2020

Solar Energy Conversion

Camp Denali is pleased to announce that as of this upcoming spring, we will develop virtually all of our electricity from the sun!
Our existing power building was doubled in size, extensively remodeled,
and all its equipment swapped for new, all while continuously powering Camp Denali - a bit like overhauling an airplane engine as the plane is flying!
18,000 lbs of Nickle-Iron batteries provide storage capacity in the new system. A proven technology, they promise decades of service, and should withstand the depths of winter, unattended.
Inverters and charge controllers harness the 90KW output of the solar array, orchestrating the flow of electrons between the panels, the batteries, and the baker making fresh croissants in the Potlatch bakery.
The Alaska Range proved to be a great aid in orienting solar panels: Mt. Koven, at 12,142 feet and situated due south, is about as conspicuous and permanent of a landmark as we could ask for!
18 arrays, comprised of 16 panels each, works out to 288 total panels - and a staggering number of hardware fasteners to install and tighten.

 

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