Do you have a contingency plan?

posts from hell said:
There are other mandates for new houses here in town. You must have solar panels installed. There are a great deal of incentives for you to go green....
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Interesting. How's it been working out? Do the panels get enough sun to be independent of conventional energy sources?
 
Reba said:
Interesting. How's it been working out? Do the panels get enough sun to be independent of conventional energy sources?
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Yeah, its been working out well. The reason Boulder is doing this is that we have a coal plant out east. :/

It's more of supplemental energy thing, to help out in the long run. Boulder and generally most of Colorado is sunny most of the times.

http://www.bouldercolorado.gov/files/PDS/codes/solrshad.pdf

You can see in the first paragraph that Boulder is pretty firm on giving the solar panels access to sun.
 
posts from hell said:
Yeah, its been working out well. The reason Boulder is doing this is that we have a coal plant out east. :/

It's more of supplemental energy thing, to help out in the long run. Boulder and generally most of Colorado is sunny most of the times.

http://www.bouldercolorado.gov/files/PDS/codes/solrshad.pdf

You can see in the first paragraph that Boulder is pretty firm on giving the solar panels access to sun.
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PFH, do they store any overage in batteries?
 
Steinhauer said:
I am curious if the gravitational pull that pulls the ball into the valley would have the exact opposite reaction (law of physics) to push the ball back to the peak, then the cycle would repeat indefinitely.
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you forget there is resistance from molecules in the air which eventually dissolves the inertia
 
Just saw that Solar Panel theft is rampant in Colorado......They are popular with pot growers it seems
 
I started my veggie garden tonight. I put seeds in miracle grow enriched soil inside plastic greenhouse containers. In about 6 weeks I will transplant them.

I have 3 different kinds of squash (yummy), beets, carrots, lettuce, tomato, cantaloupe, cucumber, and green beans. Will have to find more seeds different variety this weekend. I am still looking for cabbage and collard greens and spinach.
 
We planted four different kinds of grapes today to grow on a twelve foot section of chain link fencing that is attached to eight foot tall timbers.
 
Bottesini said:
We planted four different kinds of grapes today to grow on a twelve foot section of chain link fencing that is attached to eight foot tall timbers.
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I didn't know you could grow grapes in Iowa.
 
posts from hell said:
Yeah, its been working out well. The reason Boulder is doing this is that we have a coal plant out east. :/

It's more of supplemental energy thing, to help out in the long run. Boulder and generally most of Colorado is sunny most of the times.

http://www.bouldercolorado.gov/files/PDS/codes/solrshad.pdf

You can see in the first paragraph that Boulder is pretty firm on giving the solar panels access to sun.
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Ah, the "permitting access to the sun" rule probably wouldn't work here. In the South, people want cooling shade, grand old oaks, and all that. But there are areas that could still use the panels. The beach areas, and new subdivisions that are created from old farm fields don't have the shade problem.

We have a two-story house, so if we put panels up they should be able to gather enough hours of sun. Also, most of our trees are deciduous, so we could still get sun during the shorter winter days. Still, there is a lot of shade from our 40+ feet tall trees.

Our area has made some progress. Until our HOA recently updated and revised our covenants, solar panels weren't even allowed on roofs (esthetics, you know).

We have missionary friends who live in Micronesia. Their electricity rates are horrendous. We asked them if they could use solar panels. They said that because of all the overhanging coconut trees it wasn't feasible. :(

I hope someone can invent indestructible panels someday. Even I worry about the constant bombardment of acorns, pine cones and tree limbs on our roof. :hmm:

:ty: for the link. I might be able to use some of that information.
 
this is how I would roll. I love this idea. Instead of mounting ugly solar panels on a roof why not make the entire roof consist of solar panels.

new-solar-roof-construction.jpg


solar_shingles_thumb.jpg


dow-solar-panels.jpg
 
rockdrummer said:
this is how I would roll. I love this idea. Instead of mounting ugly solar panels on a roof why not make the entire roof consist of solar panels....
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Very interesting. Our house is due for new shingles this year. Are these products on the market? Have they gotten good reviews? What about cost?
 
Tousi said:
I didn't know you could grow grapes in Iowa.
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Niagara region in Ontario is famous for its grapes. I live in St. Catharines which is a part of the region.

Just thought you'll like to know.
 
Banjo said:
Niagara region in Ontario is famous for its grapes. I live in St. Catharines which is a part of the region.

Just thought you'll like to know.
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Oic, yeah, I can believe that because I'd forgotten about the vineyards of New York. I think hardy varieties must be used in cold climates in order for the vines themselves to grow and for the buds to flower, not to mention plenty of sustained sunlight for the grapes to ripen before the first fall frosts in cold regions. Thanks, P.
 
Reba said:
Very interesting. Our house is due for new shingles this year. Are these products on the market? Have they gotten good reviews? What about cost?
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Hi, Reba! Historically speaking, a solar setup for houses, say, 2,000 sq feet, has been cost prohibitive if that is a concern. I looked into it years ago and the ROI for me wouldn't have happened in my lifetime. But with increased attention to that technology, the manufacturing costs have gone down and government credits are offered so chances are pretty good for folks just starting out. Maybe we should look into it again, nevertheless.
 
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