The panels are up and connected. We’re waiting for the final city inspection and then we’ll throw the (very large) switches.
At $68/month it’s a screaming deal. I’ll post more as the system comes online.
…some more pictures.
Almost Solar
The panels are up and connected. We’re waiting for the final city inspection and then we’ll throw the (very large) switches.
At $68/month it’s a screaming deal. I’ll post more as the system comes online.
…some more pictures.
AL – Who manufactures the panels, BTW?
Edward Mazria (“THE Passive Solar Energy Book”:http://www.amazon.com/Passive-Solar-Energy-Expanded-Professional/dp/B000VNM20C/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1226685838&sr=8-1 is at the “SANTA FE GREEN BUILDING SUMMIT & EXPO”:http://www.sfahba.com/ in a week.
For those interested in energy efficiency. I don’t buy all of their mandates especially around AGW but there are good ideas for buildings.
$68 per month for what? did you finance the solar panels? how long do you have to pay that?
David – it’s a 15-year lease. And at today’s rates, they ought to generate $50 – 60 worth of electricity for me each month.
And I think rates will definitely be going up…
A.L.
So, you’re currently (sorry!) going to be operating at a small loss, but you expect that to change as electrical rates go up. That makes sense.
It actually looks pretty cool. Post a pick of the whole panarama when its done! Half the problem with green technology is they intentionally make the stuff look like Ed Begley Junior designed it for guys who wear fedoras and ride vespas. See- every electric car ever built.
Now get me a cool robot house that looks like it might become sentient and kill everyone inside… now you’re on to something.
I like my future decked out in chrome.
What do the repair/maintenance costs look to be like? Is there some kind of warranty or service plan?
I do not know what you put up in terms of the entire system. Like most capitalists I am sure you want to take advantage of Uncle Sugar’s generosity in 2009. You will have a 30% tax credit on every part of solar systems installed.
Wow—my youngest son installs solar panels on roofs here in Texas mostly for hot water heating—for showers, and backyard pools.
[Joyce — Thanks for your post. Unfortunately, Bl*gsp*t addresses are filtered here due to their frequent use by spammers. You posted a modification of your blog’s address that led to a link-farm site. I’ve substituted what I hope is a working URL for you, using a URL-proxy site. –NM]
My big concern about the roof top mount is placing those panels over the shingles.
How do the panel brackets fasten to the roof? Through nails through the shingles? By other means? Does this create the potential for roof leaks?
What is the expected lifetime of the shingles in relation to the panels? If the shingles need to be replaced, how costly is it to remove and reinstall the panels?
On the subject of roofing shingles, there is a lower-tech alternative (or perhaps something to do in addition to solar panels) — the white roof. They now have Energy Star shingles with broad-spectrum white-reflective coatings that keep your attic much cooler, and warm climate houses in California and Florida commonly have AC ducts in the attic. Cooling the attic this way is promoted as saving on the amount of electricity required for AC.
Hey, if you’re going to claim you have big switches to throw, how about some pictures to show us just what you’re talking about here? ^_-