I had called this summer’s blog my 2015 Mountaintop Adventure, and I finally got to the mountaintop on Tuesday the 11th. I rode up with Jeremiah, the Operations Manager here; it turns out that I can’t drive any of the research center’s vehicles because my driver’s license isn’t issued in California… friggin’ bureaucracy… I’m reluctant to take my own Jeep, given the roughness of the “road”, but I may try it my my motorcycle. I also want to ride (and push, certainly) to the summit on my mountain bike, just for the accomplishment. A local USFS range told me that this is the highest elevation in the US that a person can legally ride a bicycle. That sounds like a decent challenge, that will likely bust my butt.
We went up there for several reasons: We carried up the 750 pounds of sealed batteries that will be used to store the solar electricity. For Jeremiah, the day involved mounting aluminum angle on the roof for the PV array. For me, this was a chance to see the building, take photos, plan the details of the installation, and make up a materials list. From the top, a trip to the electrical supply house is about a seven hour round trip, so it’s a classic 6P: Proper Prior Planning Prevents Poor Performance. (There are more colorful versions of this, but I’ll keep it gentle.)
Heading up the mountain toward the summit. The Hut is barely visible at the top of the blond peak.
A passing shot of the “road” to the summit. We passed two mountain bikers and five hikers along this route, as it’s open to foot and bike travel, but not private cars. Again, the Hut is just visible at the top.
The Summit Hut has been used for decades for periodic high-elevation research. There are various names and dates on the walls. It’s spartan – a couple of cots, small propane tanks, tables and chairs are about it. No heat, no plumbing, lights if a generator is brought up. A small PV system is used to power a weather station, ozone measurement, and wireless internet links between the valley 10,000′ below and the Crooked Creek and Barcroft stations lower down on the mountain.
The Summit Hut is a two-room unheated stone structure, built in the 1970s, I’m told.
The views are incredible, to say the least. This is the highest I have ever been on land, as it’s only 240′ lower than Mount Whitney, the highest point in the continental US. As long as I move at a normal work pace I don’t feel the elevation. But if I exert myself I’m quickly breathing hard. At the end of the day I wasn’t any more tired than usual, though.
Here’s a view of the Sierra from White Mountain summit. The smoke from the Cabin and Rough fires is visible above the Sierra crest. These fires are west of Kings Canyon National Park.
The Summit Hut will get a PV system roughly equivalent to one that could run a well-planned off grid home. For solar nerds: six 300W Trinas (part of a 20kW panel donation by Trina to the research center); Outback FX3048 and FM60 on a Midnite E-Panel with 8 Concorde sealed 6V 300 AH batteries. That’s about what we raised three kids on outside of Madrid, New Mexico. I designed with Outback equipment in order to be consistent with another older PV system at the Barcroft facility, for ease of future service.
We have no load analysis to build to, as we have no idea what future researchers will do up there. The intent is to provide a solid and robust system to run lights, computers, electronic equipment and some sophisticated new wireless internet hardware. Other than the latter, the hut is only used during the summer months when it’s accessible. Given this, and the tremendous winds that occasionally hit the peak – I understand that 190 mph winds have been recorded there – the PV modules will be mounted nearly flat on the roof. The system will be set up to be monitored and controlled over the web, so that trips by Sno-Cat to reset equipment can be avoided.
My “boss”, I guess… WMRC Operations Manager Jeremiah Eames installing brackets for the PV array on the roof.
I believe that this will be the highest PV system in the continental US. I have dreams of publishing a story about the installation in Home Power, as I have published a bunch of articles there over recent years. We’ll see what develops…
I have planned a second nearly identical system for a radiotelescope observatory at about 12,700′, just above Barcroft station. This will power the motors and electronics for the telescope as well. This facility has been pretty much dormant since grid power to the facility was lost some years back.
This radiotelescope observatory, at 12,700′ is the location for the other system that I’ll be installing.
Other than this trip to the summit, for now I have been kind of spinning my wheels while waiting for the hardware to be ordered and delivered. I just got my motorcycle running again – dear readers may recall that a rear wheel bearing had failed on my return from Oregon a month ago, and it had become a remarkably agonizing process to get the necessary parts and complete the repair, which I finished yesterday, hooray! So I’m going to take a few days to explore the region by motorcycle. My next post should include a few stories of what I encounter.