thebaldgeek

I. Am. So. Sick. Of. Fixing. Our. Irrigation. System!

The bit you cant see is that the jet of water went clear across the patio and just about doused the Opto and network switch I have installed to run the seismograph and other cool stuff out the back yard….
Anyway, just wanted to share this photo with you lot.
It really is a pain in the butt and takes a lot of work and seemingly constant maintenance to keep it running.
Remember, the only reason, the one and only reason I have to do it is because if the lawn browns off, I get a fine from the HOA.

Bleh.

While we are talking about solar… I think Gary should cover most of his property with solar, it sounds like there is no downside from doing this…

http://www.anthropocenemagazine.org/2018/11/solar-arrays-can-create-prolific-microclimates-on-dry-farmland/

Solar panels could increase productivity on pastures that are not irrigated and even water-stressed, a new study finds. The new study published in PLOS One by researchers at Oregon State College finds that grasses and plants flourish in the shade underneath solar panels because of a significant change in moisture. The results bolster the argument for agrovoltaics, the concept of using the same area of land for solar arrays and farming. The idea is to grow food and produce clean energy at the same time.

It’s well worth a read (and it’s a quick read). In a nutshell, the shade produced really helps keep moisture in the soil and so things grow better.
It’s making me think of my setup at home, perhaps I should build a structure over my wildflower garden and put the panels on top. They would get more sun than on the roof like they currently are (less shadows)… hmmmm

Pretty interesting read for me.
Most of my readers are from down that way and so probably know most of this already.

https://reneweconomy.com.au/seven-australian-solar-facts-to-make-your-jaw-drop-30669/

1. Australia now has over 10.1 GW of solar installed

2. Total new solar registered for the month of September exceeded 725MW

3. The record was set with the registration of 667MW of large-scale solar

4. The two largest solar farms in Australia were registered in September: 180MW Daydream Solar Farm and 188MW Coleambally Solar Farm

5. Each GW of solar requires the installation and connection of over 3 million solar panels and creates more than 1,000 full time jobs a year

6. Commercial and residential rooftop solar are also powering along with another 100MW expected to be registered in the in those markets. Australia is on track to exceed 1GW in installed rooftop solar for 2018.

7. With 1.95 million installations in Australia, and growing at over 15,000 per month, we expect to have over 2 million installs by the end of the year. Taking delayed registration into account, Australia will have over 10.2GW of solar installed by that time.

We are due to get 1.5 inches of rain tonight and mostly tomorrow…..
The interesting thing is that we have had a total of .879 inches so far this year, so the rain we are due to get tomorrow will really be an event.