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Bob McGovern · 02-15-09, 01:19 AM

I have two of the Zomeworks passive trackers -- no motors, just sloshes refrigerant back and forth in outriggers. They work pretty well. Rain confuses them -- but when it's raining, the solar ain't so good. They can be slow to wake up on a cool morning. And our winds have wallowed the axle hole a bit. But so far no major failures; they have survived 119 mph gales.

I like your power tracker idea; the dish mount should be pretty strong. You ought to see 30% gains in the summer, tho far less in winter when the sun takes a shorter path. If you can track for cheap, by all means do. Buying Wattsun or Zomeworks trackers new is marginal; it may be cheaper and far easier to add two extra panels and skip the trackers. Better yet is an MPPT controller like the Blue Sky or Outback MX-60, which gives 25-30% output gains in winter, when you want it most. They're about $400 more than a 'dumb' controller like the Morningstar or Trace.

I still got trackers, just cuz they are cool.

02-15-09, 01:19 AM	#2
Bob McGovern Lurking Renovator Join Date: Feb 2009 Posts: 24 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	I have two of the Zomeworks passive trackers -- no motors, just sloshes refrigerant back and forth in outriggers. They work pretty well. Rain confuses them -- but when it's raining, the solar ain't so good. They can be slow to wake up on a cool morning. And our winds have wallowed the axle hole a bit. But so far no major failures; they have survived 119 mph gales. I like your power tracker idea; the dish mount should be pretty strong. You ought to see 30% gains in the summer, tho far less in winter when the sun takes a shorter path. If you can track for cheap, by all means do. Buying Wattsun or Zomeworks trackers new is marginal; it may be cheaper and far easier to add two extra panels and skip the trackers. Better yet is an MPPT controller like the Blue Sky or Outback MX-60, which gives 25-30% output gains in winter, when you want it most. They're about $400 more than a 'dumb' controller like the Morningstar or Trace. I still got trackers, just cuz they are cool.