Posts Tagged ‘panels’
http://www.solardave.com/index.php/how-to-get-your-solar-panel-design-approved-by-your-hoa-video/
John Forbes: The year before last (2007) Xcel (Energy) had been sending out these mailers with your bill and they were talking about their solar credit program, and I have been really interested in all things solar. I tell people that I had in the 8th grade in 1958 I was standing up in front of the class giving them my science presentation and telling them I wanted to be a solarologist.
My science fair project I had a big solar cooker made out of card board and tin foil. The next year I did one with corala algae and composting that in to methane and generating electricity from that, so I was really interested into it a long long time ago.
The prices were prohibitive and the products really were not available anyway. So I say this an I was really intrigued and the Cary Hayes and REC Solar showed up at Costco. My wife had seen him and and she said he still might be there and I got home from work and Costco was open a little later. And she took me down there and she met him. OK, I gotta do it.
And from then it was September of 2007 and I thought I would just put in my application to the Architectural Committee (Rock Creek HOA) because I had to do that for the yard and the deck and you are supposed get a 45 day turn around. Well when I didn’t get it by October – I went to inquire, I was told you can show up at the next meeting by that time – I check and gave them a little more time back in December or November I think they were skipping December and going in to January so I had to wait even longer. So I got involved, so then I found out that they were not doing anything on my application at all.
They said they couldn’t make a decision because they didn’t have any guidance. They didn’t have any rules drafted and that really made me angry. I wanted them to either up or down yes or no – because if they said not I was going to go off and sue them because under state law (Colorado Solar Access Law) there is no question I would get what I wanted – but I couldn’t sue them (the HOA) or I could not get an injunction until they actually made a decision. Which was driving me crazy!
So finally I talked to my friend Rich and told him we have to do something to make them make a decision. They insisted on drafting this one paragraph about it can’t be more than 4 inches off the roof and then they made the claim that these panels should match your roof color. So I was told they come in gray and brown and red – which is not true! I told them that is a restriction that can not be meet and you will just have to take that out, and I demanded to know what their source of information was – so they gave me a local solar contractor Rich did and he said there is not such thing as red panels!
So I want back and politely inferred that they misunderstood. So they took it out and finally they had the guidance. They were still dragging their feet. Each iteration was another month and another month and finally Rich came in a brought case law in and pressed. And hinted that they will get sued if they don’t make a decision. A week and a half later I got my decision that approved it.
I called up REC Solar and all through this process Cary Hayes was giving me support and technical information he got me and stuff. They came out (REC Solar) got the survey had their plans ready and we thought oh this is going to go through really quickly and went down to the city (Town of Superior) – well the city now…they said the electrical plan we just can’t accept that you have got to have a wet stamp, another electrical has to stamp it like a notary. That would be like getting a wet stamp to wire up your stereo – it was a delaying tacit. Further behind and cost more money because you had to pay the guy.
Eventually it was put in – the whole thing took more than a year. It could have been done in like two months. And what startled me was the people on the Architectural Committee knew nothing about solar and you would think here in Boulder County the stuff has been out there since – well I learned about it in 1958!
So asking questions like what color are the panels – what planet are you on?
So I found that whole thing kind of depressing – I was hoping that other people it would make it easier.
Duration : 0:7:6
Solar panel update video with the cheapest solar panel system ever. See how you can use solar power at your house NOW. see part 1
Duration : 0:3:15
Follow Steve Thomas as he checks out a net zero house that generates all its own energy using solar panels. Watch more at http://planetgreen.discovery.com/tv/renovation-nation/
Duration : 0:6:35
Solar Power Carport, LifePort – Solar Power from Envision Solar. Power your Electric Vehicle, Sell Solar Power Back to the Grid. Thin Solar Panels produce 4.8kW minimum solar power output. Eco Friendly, Green Energy Savings.
Duration : 0:6:15
http://www.solardave.com/index.php/cost-of-a-partital-diy-solar-panel-system-video/
SolarDave: Please tell me about your solar panel system and how you saved some money?
Adam Stevenson: The total of the system and materials was $22K. I ended up spending about another $1,800 in permit fees and a structural engineer and $400 for an electrician, several hundred dollars for a guy to come help me out for the two afternoons he spent with me.
Xcel (Energy) gave me $16,538 rebate. Fix cost based on the number of kilowatts you are installing and has nothing to do with how much you pay the permit office or the electrician.
My final cost after rebate was $7,237. (SolarDave note: that is cheap!)
I started my research in solar probably about a year before I actually installed it went and got a couple of bids from some of the local solar people both from contractors that my friends have used as well as just searching the internet and while talking to one of the guys I find of developed a good feeling from him, and I asked the question “Would it be possible to do some of the work myself” and kind of learn along the way he said “Sure I absolutely support the do-it-yourself-er (DIY) so I said why don’t you throw me bids, what it would cost just come home and have solar one day and what it would cost to have it done where I do some or all the work myself. And throw them both to me and I said let’s try the second one.
The guys name is Steve Cross from Sun Spot Solar.
I gave him my electric bills and said this is how much I think I need to generate and he said I agree and lets do these types of panels 180 watts each, you will need some where around 19 to 22 we figured out 21 fit pretty well.
So I went and got all the permit information from Golden (Colorado), filled it out. He came by 1/2 hour one day he type all the Xcel application on the internet and I kind of ran the process and when I had a question I would just send him an email and he helped me out.
I think in parallel we order the equipment – he dropped off in my driveway. Then one of his installers came out and helped me for two afternoons and I pretty much myself put in the whole rack system on the roof and the installer came out and helped me kind of a two man job carrying the panels up, putting the panels down and bracketing them down.
I think we sketch out on the side of one of the solar panel boxes how they are all going to wire together so that we get three rows of series – 7 series strings so the amperage works out.
I let his installer run the conduit because that is pretty much a one person job and then I paid an electrician to plug it all in for me.
Duration : 0:3:2
Solar Training is an interesting idea as True Green Business may be the wave of the future.
Check your local
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Please rate this video. Thank you very much. http://www.greenpowerscience.com/
$250 solar panel sysytem in action.
This easy system is affordable and there is no need to take out a 2nd mortgage:-)
Duration : 0:5:17
See this solar panel system with lights. Inexpensive, easy to install, reduce your power bill. Cheap Solar Power. Cheap Home System. See my part 2 video.
Duration : 0:2:18
http://www.greenpowerscience.com/
This is the basics of tabbing cells together. Tabbing solar cells with tab wire and a flux pen.
Evergreen Solar Cells
Sun Electronics
residential solar panels
SOLAR TRAINING SOLAR TEACHING
Duration : 0:14:21
http://www.earth4energy.org