SFR Man with a plan for a better future!

Sorta fishing-related
Status
Not open for further replies.
wanderingrichard said:
Sadly, our congress critters are too busy fighting amongst themselves for selfish reasons to be effective and coherent enough to make the changes needed.
Click to expand...

Didn't we just spend hundreds of billions of dollars in the "Inflation Reduction Act" on top of a trillion in the infrastructure bill all in an effort to fight climate change?

Let me guess, that's only the start.
 
I installed a solar system in 2017, 8100 watt size, ground mount. It covers half of our utility costs which include a heat pump, electric furnace back up, electric clothes dryer and water heater. Total cost was $29,000, so just a little over $1000 per panel. I received a 30% tax credit as well as $12,000 in incentives which expired in 2021. In Olympia our electricity costs about $.011 per kwh. We pay $7.49 per month for about 6 months a year because of our summer production and still have some banked to offset some of winter heating costs. I decided on buying the solar system rather than buying a new car, both the solar panels and my 2010 Subaru are running just fine, I feel like I am ahead of the game. The smartest thing I did was going with a ground mount, much easier to clean and service. And at age 72 I have no business being on a roof.
 
How significant are the structural supports under the panels? Have building codes been revised to accomodate support system point load considerations relative to geographical lication for snow load on panels?

And is windshear an issue? My SW facing roof has been subjected to 55+ mph winds several times over the years and 35+ mph on a regular basis. Very sunny location but perched right against a canyon updraft.

Any homeowner's insurance considerations?
 
Last edited:
krusty said:
How significant are the structural supports under the panels? Have building codes been revised to accomodate support system point load considerations relative to geographical lication for snow load on panels?

And is windshear an issue? My SW facing roof has been subjected to 55+ mph winds several times over the years and 35+ mph on a regular basis. Very sunny location but perched right against a canyon updraft.
Click to expand...
That’s why local AHJ should review and approve plans. Pretty sure those conditions can be accommodated.
 
krusty said:
How significant are the structural supports under the panels? Have building codes been revised to accomodate support system point load considerations relative to geographical lication for snow load on panels?

And is windshear an issue? My SW facing roof has been subjected to 55+ mph winds several times over the years and 35+ mph on a regular basis. Very sunny location but perched right against a canyon updraft.

Any homeowner's insurance considerations?
Click to expand...
Checked into wind power, sounds like an ideal situation?
 
krusty said:
How significant are the structural supports under the panels? Have building codes been revised to accomodate support system point load considerations relative to geographical lication for snow load on panels?

And is windshear an issue? My SW facing roof has been subjected to 55+ mph winds several times over the years and 35+ mph on a regular basis. Very sunny location but perched right against a canyon updraft.

Any homeowner's insurance considerations?
Click to expand...
I don't believe that it is a permit required installation. I was told by my contractor that I did not need to reinforce anything. I am just re-roofing because the roof is a 30 year roof. I put it on 20 years ago and the solar is warrantied for 25 years.
 
From what I'm reading home windpowered installation cost about double that of solar, far more maintenance issues, and zoning for tower is nightmarish for suburbia.
 
Propane produces 5.6 pounds of carbon dioxide per hour, and it comes from non-renewable fossil fuels. I would agree that we need propane to supplement some home, solar, projects but hope we can duplicate the Australian projects in the very, near, future.
 
Anything that requires sacrifice by a consumer takes it off the table entirely.
Any form of altruistic behavior is looked upon as weakness, and to be avoided.
:)
 
krusty said:
For the vast majority of the population their concern for environmental preservation abruptly ends with their wallet.
Click to expand...
@krusty Your point is well taken. Needless to say it will cost a hell of lot more if they don't take measures to preserve the environment! The feedback from this survey speaks well to folks saving money and I suspect there are tons more out there investing in Solar and Wind.

Here is just one study on the cost of not doing anything:
yaleclimateconnections.org

Can the economy afford NOT to fight climate change? » Yale Climate Connections

Some say the economic costs of fighting climate change are too high, but a new study shows the economic cost of doing nothing could be 15 times higher than current estimates.
yaleclimateconnections.org yaleclimateconnections.org
 
Last edited:
Flymph said:
@krusty Your point is well taken. Needless to say it will cost a hell of lot more if they don't take measures to preserve the environment! The feedback from this survey speaks well to folks saving money and I suspect there are ton more out their investing in Solar and Wind.

Here is just one study on the cost of not doing anything:
yaleclimateconnections.org

Can the economy afford NOT to fight climate change? » Yale Climate Connections

Some say the economic costs of fighting climate change are too high, but a new study shows the economic cost of doing nothing could be 15 times higher than current estimates.
yaleclimateconnections.org yaleclimateconnections.org
Click to expand...
I agree! But that cost (which will be extreme) is externalized and deferred. Humans mostly live in 'the here and now'. Challenging issues to deal with, to be sure.
 
Long_Rod_Silvers said:
Propane appears to be adapting....
View attachment 29712
Click to expand...
Well that would be pretty cool, as vast swaths of the rural parts of the country use propane regularly.
Don't know the numbers, but if it is scalable and price competitive it is a good thing to reuse waste products in general.
:)
Hope they are successful with this.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top