Well here is the solar project #7

Some pretty random photos of the Andalay Solar panels.

Our calculations are that in winter we will get 97% of the power at a 10 degree angle that we would at 34 degrees and don't have the "where are my solar panels?" problem after the occasional 200 mph winds we get in Muscle Shoals Alabama.
The above photos show the ballast trays and the windshields along the back. I don't guess it would stand a 200 MPH wind but 60 should be a piece of cake. Especially if it comes from the North or South.

Notice the electrical connections are being made up as we go along, panel to panel. Remember this system is not anchored to the rooftop by anything except the steel weights we stole, I mean borrowed, from the machine shop.. (don't tell anyone)


Each 230 Watt panel has its own inverter which collects data and transmits power back onto the grid. The power not only flows backward up the line, it transmits coded digital data on the line as well.

I know we should have the panels covered in full sun until they are connected. But too late is too late.

I am convinced that when I get ready to do my rooftop this is exactly the system I will use. A slanted roof could be used without the mounts and wind shields but using it makes installation a breeze and corrects for the off angle condition that occurs in a 5-12 roof system which has a roof pitch of 22.5 degrees.

Solar Project #6

Sorry, the weather and my bad attitude have stopped work on the solar system for a while. (Can a woman give you PTSD?) I have long had a dream of designing a home that can live on a half acre lot and be completely selfsustaining. Only in Alabama is that possible because you need just the right combination of wind, sun, and water to make it happen.

New developments in Grid Tie Inverters and the price of energy make it more feasible every day.

I could however give you a little background into they what and why of including Photovoltaic Systems to our electricity lineup.

1. There is much interest in zero energy homes. Less than there should be but still, if not much, at least some. I recall the last Habitat home that I was involved in they said "sure we would like it to be zero energy, but it would add $20,000 to the cost." So we are at a place where it is cheaper in the short run and easier to install than making the choice that in the long run is better for everybody. In short it is cost effective to be stupid.

Habitat did build the next home as zero energy.

2. Every part of PV installation can be done by the homeowner except the electrical tie in to the grid. That should be, in fact if one is to obey codes, must be done by a licensed electrician.

3. There is a lot of information out there that is just wrong. Since my job is to stomp out ignorance then it falls to me to make sure we don't graduate ignorant students. At least no more of them than absolutely necessary.

Solar is part of Zero Energy. It is unfortunately the most costly component. Wind is cheaper but it sometimes blows hard enough here to blow down the best of windmills. Conservation helps and must be part of a comprehensive system but a house so tight that cold can't get into is a house so tight that radon can't get out of.


Wind, sun and water fall and fall abundantly on all Alabama homes. We don't have to operate wisely to take advantage of it. We merely need to stop being stupid.

Solar Project #5

Today is the third day of construction on the solar system, And by the way why is it when a woman brings kids into a relationship it is part of the package and when a man has them it is "baggage"?


It is a hard sell to make people believe that something that is going to cost $20,0000 and pay back $86 a month is worthwhile. The greenies believe they are saving the world, and the Dec 21 2012ers think that in the Apocalypse we will need to be self sufficient. But for the rest of us we have to figure how to make a $20,000 investment pay on $86 a month. Even with government incentives we have to figure how to make a $14,000 investment pay on $232 a month. And you know, when a woman says she is leaving on Tuesday, why is she still here on Wednesday?


With 21 cent buybacks for green energy and a fifty year life expectancy $232 dollars times 12 months time 50 years That comes to a hundred and thirty eight thousand dollars for a $20,000 investment. Of course that doesn't include the fact that in fifty years that solar array on the house will be worth $138,000 and power will be at least three times what it is now.
But, silicon solar PV arrays are made of sand. The most durable and long lasting stuff on earth {except possibly the scars of a broken heart}

Of course finding the $20,000 lying around is a problem for all but the top 2% of us. I personally fall somewhere between the greenies and the 2012ers but I believe that investing in energy, both personal and electrical is always a good bet. {Isn't there something in the bible about the roof and a quarrelsome woman?}

As things progress I shall post more.