I have solar power. Do you?

[GreenKnight121]

If inside a structure, NEC does require a smoke or heat detector above the battery (it can be a few feet to one side, as long as it is near enough to capture any emissions from the battery). Code also requires drywall to be between the battery and any wall made of flammable material, with a drywall "cap" above to block flames from any structural members above the battery (the smoke/heat detector is normally mounted on the underside of this "cap".

Mounting it against a concrete wall does not need drywall between the battery & wall, of course.

 

[GrauGeist]

And that photo doesn't fill me with confidence in whoever installed it - National Electrical Code requires at least 3' lateral separation between gas meters and electrical equipment (which includes batteries)!

Yeah, that layout doesn't look good.

Aside from the distance to the gas main, the EMT courses are sketchy with few supports and no real separation from the units (almost laying against the enclosures).

 

[syscom3]

I've been on the grid for my solar generating system for a billing calendar year. I think I paid something like $40. LOL

 

[ARTESH]

Since I live in an Apartment, I, alone, can't decide what to do!!!

But, back in My Grandmother's home... My relatives have installed one or two, a few years ago. They're working fine, AFAIK.

BTW, I don't think this would be practical on many cities / areas of Northern Europe / America, specially near the Pole.

 

[Greg Boeser]

Every form of renewable energy has its drawbacks. I thought that if we could just hook dynamos up to the treadmills and stationary bikes in fitness centers we could have a limitless source of power. Research shows though that you would get a huge spike in the first few weeks of the year, but it would trail off to almost nothing by the middle of February.

 

[syscom3]

Since I live in an Apartment, I, alone, can't decide what to do!!!

But, back in My Grandmother's home... My relatives have installed one or two, a few years ago. They're working fine, AFAIK.

BTW, I don't think this would be practical on many cities / areas of Northern Europe / America, specially near the Pole.

For 9 months of the year, it would generate power. During the summer, It would produce a lot of power.

 

[Dahoxldj]

I've a thin film solar panels and two batteries with great setup for harnessing renewable energy and ensuring power reliability. With solar panels, can generate electricity from sunlight, reducing reliance on traditional grid power and potentially saving on energy costs. Additionally, having two batteries allows for increased energy storage capacity, ensuring have power available even during cloudy days or at night when solar production is limited. It's fantastic to see more people embracing sustainable energy.

 

[MIflyer]

I am going to buy some solar arrays and put them under the new LED streetlights we have now. Total independence from the grid!

 

[GrauGeist]

But sustainable energy at what cost?

This is one of many reports that have surfaced recently:

Giant desert solar farms might have unintended climate consequences | GreenBiz

Turning deserts into solar energy farms could raise temperatures across the globe and cause devastating droughts in the Amazon.

www.greenbiz.com

I find it interesting that reports of "heat islands" and local climate effects have been published by scientific institutions, but they are being discounted by non-scientific sources.

Hmmm...

 

[MIflyer]

I thought that if we could just hook dynamos up to the treadmills and stationary bikes in fitness centers we could have a limitless source of power.

I was thinking of building a fitness center next to a laundromat. The customers could exercise while their clothes were being washed and dried and it could be powered by the exercise equipment. They would have an extra incentive to work out hard or else their laundry would not get done. Charge them to wash, charge them to exercise, and there is bound to be some kinds of subsidies and tax credits for this kind of a scheme.

And during off-hours rent the place out to teach mechanics how to maintain such equipment.

 

[Crimea_River]

I bit the bullet and signed a contract to have a 7.1kW array installed on my roof. Microgeneration application for the grid is being processed now. Installation not til July though as the industry is smoking busy here.

 

[MIflyer]

I bit the bullet and signed a contract to have a 7.1kW array installed on my roof.

I hear that in addition to the rapidly increasing home insurance rates here in Florida that if you install more than a certain number of KW of solar power your place becomes uninsurable. At some power level a solar array is considered to be an unacceptable safety hazard. Some people have had to disconnect half their installed solar power array to be able to have insurance.

 

[Crimea_River]

I hear that in addition to the rapidly increasing home insurance rates here in Florida that if you install more than a certain number of KW of solar power you place becomes uninsurable. At some power level a solar array is considered to be an unacceptable safety hazard. Some people have had to disconnect half their installed solar power array to be cable to have insurance.

Not an issue in my case. Our regs state that you can't generate more than your average annual usage. Payback is achieved by being reimbursed for power back to the grid at peak rates during the summer months.

 

[MIflyer]

I do not know whether the insurance issue is the extra cost of replacing the solar arrays, since stuff on the roof almost certainly will be the first thing to get damaged or due to the hazard associated with that much power production capability.

The leading cause of accidental death and injury in the USA is falls, and getting people up on the roof is not going to help that problem.

 

[syscom3]

I hear that in addition to the rapidly increasing home insurance rates here in Florida that if you install more than a certain number of KW of solar power your place becomes uninsurable. At some power level a solar array is considered to be an unacceptable safety hazard. Some people have had to disconnect half their installed solar power array to be able to have insurance.

I have never heard that and I say it is not true. If you get the permits and they are installed to code, you are fine.

 

[MIflyer]

If you get the permits and they are installed to code, you are fine.

Fine with the local authorities is not automatically fine with the insurance company.

Installing rooftop solar panels can get your home insurance canceled

 

[syscom3]

Fine with the local authorities is not automatically fine with the insurance company.

Installing rooftop solar panels can get your home insurance canceled

It's behind a paywall. And it's in Florida where the insurance companies are canceling policies for any reason they can.

 

[special ed]

In southeast Louisiana, State Farm does not insure below the I-10 line. Although we are just above I-10, State Farm does not insure here. Our last company wanted $16000 deductible so we changed companies. They like the payments, but will not pay out for damages, although covered. One neighbor is just now doing roof repair at his own cost because the lawsuit against his insurer began to cost more than the award.

 

[Crimea_River]

I suspect Hurricane winds would be a factor against roof-installed panels. Here where I live, a friend's insurance premiums went up by 4 bucks/month after he installed panels last year.

 

[syscom3]

I suspect Hurricane winds would be a factor against roof-installed panels. Here where I live, a friend's insurance premiums went up by 4 bucks/month after he installed panels last year.

$50 a year. Meh.