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Since 2008 – Progress Through Politics

Dreams of solar power – UPDATED x2

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I’ve dreamed of solar power since I first heard about it, some 45 years ago.  I never really thought I could do it myself but behold –

UPDATE:  The system went live about 2:45 pm 4/24/2014 – and produced 784 watts by just after sunrise this morning even though yesterday was overcast and rainy!

UPDATE 2:  On Friday 9/18/2014 mid-afternoon we logged one megawatt hour of electricity generated!  

Over the years I’ve put my personal energy into supporting renewable energy via votes, letters to newspapers and elected officials, and donations to environmental organizations.  Under the poverty level for much of my life, still $10K under even the decreased median income (and that’s including my “part-time job” as an elected county official), I never even thought I’d own a home to put solar panels on.  But in December 2010 I made the last payment on my mortgage.  And now,

I wish I could say I’m making electricity as I type but the dream is not truly fulfilled yet.  The inspector is on vacation – not that I begrudge the man his vacation – and I can’t go live until he gets back and approves it.  But it’s close enough to see.  The light at the end of the tunnel is not an on-coming train, but the bounteous and brilliant sunlight that soon will be powering my home as well as brightening my life.


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21 comments

  4. JanF

    Oklahoma Will Charge Customers Who Install Their Own Solar Panels

    Oklahoma residents who produce their own energy through solar panels or small wind turbines on their property will now be charged an additional fee, the result of a new bill passed by the state legislature and expected to be signed into law by Gov. Mary Fallin (R).

    On Monday, S.B. 1456 passed the state House 83-5 after no debate. The measure creates a new class of customers: those who install distributed power generation systems like solar panels or small wind turbines on their property and sell the excess energy back to the grid. While those with systems already installed won’t be affected, the new class of customers will now be charged a monthly fee – a shift that happened quickly and caught many in the state off guard.

    “We knew nothing about it and all of a sudden it’s attached to some other bill,” Ctaci Gary, owner of Sun City Oklahoma, told ThinkProgress. “It just appeared out of nowhere.”

    Whenever a business notices that they might have competition, even from the tiniest source, they have to go get legislative protection from any loss of profits.  

  5. HappyinVT

    I was at an expo recently and got some materials on going solar.

    At some point soon I’ll get serious about exploring my options.  I just have some concerns because my house is from 1907 and I’d really like to maintain the older aesthetic as much as I can.

  6. bfitzinAR

    about 2:34 CDT.  Still waiting for the net-metering meter (probably next Tuesday) but I have already started reducing my “carbon footprint” by using carbon-free electricity.

    The array got about 1/2 hour of full sun before the clouds came back and the rain started – just estimating here but with a total of 748 watts generated by 7:30 pm I’d say it produced 500 watts in that 1/2 hour of full sun and then about 50 watts per hour once the rain started until full dark.  It was standing at 784 watts produced when I checked this morning at 7:30 am, so produced another 30-ish watts from pre-dawn light to sun above the horizon (but not actually directly on the array).  Today will be the first full day of full sun.  I’ll check again tonight and see how many KILOwatts it’s generated today 🙂

  7. JanF

    A megawatt is a BHD. 🙂

    I saw recently that Europe may no longer be needing any new  power plants: Soon, Europe Might Not Need Any New Power Plants

    Within a few decades, large-scale, centralized electricity generation from fossil fuels could be a thing of the past in Europe.

    That’s the word from investment bank UBS, which just released a new report anticipating a three pronged assault from solar power, battery technology, and electric vehicles that will render obsolete traditional power generation by large utilities that rely on coal or natural gas. According to Renew Economy, which picked up the report, the tipping point will arrive around 2020. At that point, investing in a home solar system with a 20-year life span, plus some small-scale home battery technology and an electric car, will pay for itself in six to eight years for the average consumer in Germany, Italy, Spain, and much of the rest of Europe. Crucially, this math holds even without any government subsidies for solar power.

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