28 additional solar panels for the Turtle Shelter in Harkema.

On Monday 8 August, EGJ Elektro also from Harkema installed 28 additional solar panels in the east-west direction. The entire installation was made possible by a loan from the sustainability fund of Stichting Dierenlot.

We have chosen an east-west installation as we cannot balance. We must therefore consume the generated electricity immediately. In combination with our older solar panels, as many as 100 pieces, we now have a total of 128 solar panels with a total power of 36 kilowatts (36,000 watts) 

If all the panels were only facing south, we would only have enough power for our own continuous use at a shorter time of the day. In addition, we then deliver a huge amount of electricity back, which the grid operator does not like, but which actually does not yield anything as we cannot balance with our large-scale consumption connection. 

By using 40 panels on the south, 44 on the east and 44 on the west, we ensure that gradually all day long power from the roof flows directly to our heating lamps, pumps, etc. This way we can save a lot on our electricity costs, especially at this time when the electricity and gas prices are soaring.

For the new solar panel installation there was still enough space on our large inverter. For now, we are working on a next project to store the generated excess electricity in batteries. In this way, we can avoid the expensive night power by using the self-generated power then. In addition, we will use water buffer tanks with electrical and heating elements for solar collectors. During the day, we make a supply of warm to hot water, which can be heated at night in the shelter. We will of course come back to this when the time is right.

We would like to thank the donors of Dierenlot once again, through your donation, small or large, many animal organizations are really helped!