In quest of ice... and why solar farms don't work in Canada

[NAW]

Thanks Wayne!!!!

[4x4bassin]

Thanks Irish , love the pictures from above

[Old Ironmaker]

Beauty pics Wayne, sure looks cold. Flew for a bit trying to get certified in the 70's, needed a good carb de-icer in the old Piper Cherokee 140 way back when.

 

I'm in Haldimand windfarms and huge solar farms all around. It's the future like it or not. Nana told us of the fear they had in the early 20th century when they started putting up the Hydro and telephone lines in the country, they thought they were going tomfall on them. This was in the late 60's when the huge Hydro line towers were being built along the Red Hill creek area to the lake in east Hamilton. We all played ball along this tract of land since it was severed off. We were all going to get sick, cows in the country were going to give radio active milk, the rumors of them falling and crushing innocent families watching Ed Sullivan in the states were rampant.

 

They're here and here to stay.

 

My only question is it 10MW capacity or estimate output based on historic data?

 

The people certainly profiting are the designers, manufacturers, suppliers, constructors and real estate investors. I say real estate investors not farmers because out here 4 individuals that had the foresight to see this opportunity to rent out the land for solar and wind own a huge amount of acreage here. I say good for them. They could have been stuck with thousands of acres of clay.

[Ron]

Always an interesting view from the sky. It is amazing how land marks look so different. I couldn't recognize any of it.

[fishindevil]

Awesome pics from the air Wayne !!! Bet it felt good to get away for a bit with all that's been going on !!! Thanks Steve for all the info on the solar panels interesting !!! Cheers & merry xmas

[cram]

Very, very cool pics.

[Moosebunk]

Enjoying a cup of coffee on my cozy morning flight across land and sea. Cool stuff flight commander Irishfield.

 

It is some cooooooooooold out there this December.

 

 

Interesting stuff about the solar farms. Have 3/4 acre behind a thin treeline and in open field behind the house here, because it's pretty well out of sight I often wondered if it would be worth it to have 2 or 3 of things?

[Tomcat]

Thanks Wayne for sharing pictures of your flight. Very enjoyable especially from that altitude! Just wondering how comfortable it is in your aircraft when flying in such cold temperatures.

 

Thanks too to Steve for sharing some info on solar power. A couple of the outfitters I know on Lake Kipawa have switched to solar power as their main source of electricity and use their generators as backup now.

[irishfield]

Just dress like you're going ice fishing and all is well Tomcat! lol.. Seriously, I swapped out the exhaust this spring and it appears I have a pretty good heater now and was actually flying bare handed and had my jacket unzipped. The last 18 winters I froze my arse off ...

 

Best not to have too good of a heater.. my old Cessna 182A's heater was so good that I'd take my jacket off and throw it in the back. Not a good place for it when the ground comes up to smite thee.

[aplumma]

Your plane is about as warm as a convertible VW. lol When Joe and I rebuilt ours we removed and replaced the heater channels that had rusted out and collapsed it was the difference between driveable in the fall and freezing to death.

 

 

 

Art

[davey buoy]

Great pictures Wayne,grew up and boated a lot of those areas in the Geogian Bay .To see it froze up this early is something on it's own.

Edited December 17, 2013 by davey buoy

[iFish4real]

man, you have a plane (or planes) ...do you have a (adult) single daughter ? :P

[irishfield]

Two... one's taken...

 

I have less in my airplane than most here have in their boats! Don't get to excited.. I built it myself. The others in the yard... I buy and sell.. makes my expenses legit !

[iFish4real]

nice I guess should be interesting building your own plane, did you get it as a kit ?

[vance]

As a none flying aviation enthusiast I would like to know what kind of engine temperature you need to have to take off and as it started fairly easily in cold temps is it carbed or injected.

 

 

vance

[irishfield]

Updraft carb Vance... = the night of having a blanket over the engine cowl and a 900W heater running below the engine. Generally needs about 2 hours minimum to heat soak the engine... but if I know I'm going out the next day I plug it in the night before and it makes me go no matter how cold. Once heated.. unplugging and not flying = condensation inside the motor which isn't good.

 

Once you're off flying.. I can drop in on the lake somewhere and fish for 5 or 6 hours with a blanket over the engine cowl and it will fire back up with no issues.

 

 

 

[mike rousseau]

Very cool pics...

 

My dad is the foreman on the crew installing a solar field here in Cornwall... Big money being spent all over Ontario on these... Already a few in our area...

 

And...Solar panel still work with snow and ice... They're are transparent after all... Lol... That was by far the coolest looking pic...

[Steve]

Does he work for Canadian Solar Mike? (or ABB / WB White?)

[mike rousseau]

Does he work for Canadian Solar Mike? (or ABB / WB White?)

He's with the electricians union...

 

Not sure who's paying the bill...

[GBW]

A very good read here. thanks to all

[limeyangler]

cool post Wayne……very cool.