News:

Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for justice: for they shall be filled. Mine eye also shall see my desire on mine enemies, and mine ears shall hear my desire of the wicked that rise up against me. The glory of the Lord shall endure for ever: the Lord shall rejoice in his works. He looketh on the earth, and it trembleth: he toucheth the hills, and they smoke. I will sing unto the Lord as long as I live: I will sing praise to my God while I have my being. My meditation of him shall be sweet: I will be glad in the Lord. Let sinners be consumed out of the earth, and let the wicked be no more. Bless thou the Lord, O my soul. Praise ye the Lord.

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AGelbert

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Photovoltaics
« on: March 27, 2022, 03:36:29 pm »
Welcome to the Sober Thinking Forum.

This is the continuation of the Renewable Revolution Forum, with the same categories and boards arrangement. In order to provide topic thread continuity, this post will be duplicated in frequently viewed topic threads along with selected posts from 🌞 that topic at the Renewable Revolution Forum. I will gradually, as time permits, copy pertinent articles posted there, update them, and post them here for your convenience.

I have no intention of closing the Renewable Revolution Forum, so any links you have to posts, articles and graphics there are valid for the time being. Nevertheless, I advise you to 🦉 copy and save any posts, articles and graphics that you wish to preserve for posting somewhere else on the internet. I am 75 years old. As long as my spirit hasn't permanently left my body, the Sober Thinking Forum will be kept open.   

Although guests are encouraged to post and become members, this forum is mostly a library reference of important historical information and timeless articles that you are encouraged to pass on, with or without attribution.

In addition, relevant recent news will be posted almost daily, so be sure to 🧐 stop by often.

I have changed the title and the front page background graphic for two reasons:

1. My purpose, nearly a decade ago, of convincing most reality based people everywhere that human civilization, in order to stop and reverse (i.e getting back to 350 PPM of atmospheric Carbon Dioxide is sine qua non) the multiple extinctions causing biosphere degradation (i.e. the Sixth Mass Extinction Event now upon us), must VERY rapidly transition away from Hydrocarbon Energy Sources to Renewable Energy Sources, has been largely achieved. I have been one small voice among many that have made it clear  that clean energy must be made available to everyone, not just the wealthy, if we are to survive Catastrophic Climate Change.

2. Celebrated social theorist and geographer David Harvey asked, "Is there a way to capture what (to the detriment of human civilization) is going on now"?

My answer: YES.

It's the SOCIAL DARWINISM, stupid!
 
"In human society, the amount of inequity is directly proportional to the amount of iniquity." -- A. G. Gelbert

No matter how much progress we make in cleaning up the biosphere, as long as the egocentric, morally bankrupt, empathy deficit disordered, Social Darwinist Ideology continues to be embraced by TPTB, we do not have a snowball's chance in Hell of surviving our Existential Crisis.

Social Darwinists believe that ethics based principles are 'limitations pretending to be virtues'. To them, ethics are 'feel good illusions' that humans invented to pretend our species has empathy. To Social Darwinists, empathy is irrefutable evidence of inexcusable weakness. To them, all who are guided by ethics are deluded fools that should be eliminated from the human 'apex predator' gene pool for the "good" of our species.

The ideology of the Social Darwinist is indistinguishable from the despicable ideology of NAZI Germany, clearly exemplified in their brutally enforced morally bankrupt concentration camp law: “Eat your own bread, and if you can, that of your neighbor.”

Social Darwinism is actually based, not on "survival of the fittest", but on fear of tomorrow, a morally bankrupt excuse for rejecting altruism and empathy and embracing a selfish greed dominated hoarding modus vivendi.
Quote
Every prudent man acts with knowledge, But a fool lays open his folly. --  Proverbs 13:16

Quote
"One who fears tomorrow does not offer his bread to others. But one who is willing to divide his food with a stranger has already shown himself capable of fellowship and faith, the two things from which hope is born." -- Primo Levi, author of Survival in Auschwitz

Social Darwinism is the world view that spawned the profit over people and planet neoliberal ideology. Neoliberal intellectuals like Friedrich von Hayek, Ludwig von Mises and Milton Friedman were all Social Darwinists long before they renamed laissez-faire liberalism (that had been thoroughly discredited by the Great Depression) with the catchy title of "Neoliberalism".
 
The celebrated social theorist and geographer David Harvey explains that neoliberal ideology serves the following principle:

"There shall be no serious challenge to the absolute power of money to rule absolutely. And that power is to be exercised with one objective: Those possessed of money shall not only be privileged to accumulate wealth endlessly at will, but they shall have the right to inherit the earth, taking either direct or indirect dominion, not only of the land and all the resources and productive capacities that reside therein, but also assume absolute command, directly or indirectly, over the labor and creative capacities of all those others it needs. The rest of humanity shall be deemed disposable."

"In human society, the amount of inequity is directly proportional to the amount of iniquity." -- A. G. Gelbert

Sober Thinking requires that we all recognize the fact that a society that is founded on altruism, not the "invisible hand" of greed, is not optional if we wish to avoid exctinction. Capitalism's "invisible hand" modus operandi is rooted in the ideology of Social Darwinism.

Quote
“Capitalism is the astounding belief, that the most wickedest of men, will do the most wickedest of things for the greatest good of everyone.” — John Maynard Keynes

 

The main purpose of the Sober Thinking Forum is to convince you, regardless of your religious beliefs or lack of them, to soberly think about these two quotes, embrace altruism, reject greed, and convince as many people as you can that altruism is not optional for human society:

Quote
"Look at our world, our country, our interactions with each other……… this is not the mark of a healthy society, and if these are the self-appointed leaders of this flaming meteor…..it’s time to move on to new ideas and new people. Let’s relegate these fools to history. They perpetuate a narrative that it is right to behave in a strictly selfish, exploitative manner towards all. We simply can’t survive it any longer. Things will change because they have to." -- Kathleen Wallace

"Technical knowledge of Carrying Capacity will not save us; Only a Massive Increase in Caring Capacity will." -- A. G. Gelbert
« Last Edit: March 29, 2022, 04:17:58 pm by AGelbert »
So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets. Matthew 7:12

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AGelbert

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The worst was OVER for the Solar Industry 8 YEARS ago. 🌞
« Reply #1 on: March 27, 2022, 03:52:41 pm »
October 31, 2013

The Worst Is Over? Solar Industry Rebounds

Ehren Goossens, Bloomberg 

NEW YORK CITY -- Solar industry manufacturers are rebounding from a two-year slump faster than technology companies recovered from the dot-com bubble of the late 1990s.


The benchmark BI Global Large Solar Energy Index of 15 manufacturers, which slumped 87 percent from a February 2011 peak through November 2012, has regained 55 percent of its value in the past year. The technology-dominated Nasdaq Composite index reached its post-bubble low in October 2002 and regained 37 percent of its March 2000 peak value in the next year, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

Suppliers including California’s SunPower Corp., which has gained more than fivefold this year, and China’s Yingli Green Energy Holding Co. are driving the rally as panel prices stabilize. Installations at power plants and on roofs will swell 40 percent this year from a 6.1 percent pace last year.

“The worst is probably behind us,” Jenny Chase, lead solar analyst at Bloomberg New Energy Finance, said in an interview. “We’ve just gone through a big trough in solar supply.”

Investors poured $205 billion into clean-energy projects in the past year, soaking up some of the global oversupply of panels. The recovery will continue in 2014 with prices remaining stable, Chase said. Manufacturers are “a lot less depressed.”

Optimistic Analysts

Analysts have become more optimistic about solar shares in recent months. The average rating for SunPower, the biggest U.S. supplier of polysilicon-based solar panels, is 3.5, up from 2.4 in December and the highest in more than two years, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. A 5 rating indicates investors should purchase the shares, and 1 means they should sell.

JinkoSolar Holding Co., the only Chinese solar manufacturer to report a profit in the second quarter, has an average rating of 3.7, up from 2.3 in May, data compiled by Bloomberg show. Its shares have more than tripled this year.

Investors have rushed back into shares of the biggest panel makers even before they’ve returned to profit. Yingli, which has more than doubled, is forecast to report narrowed losses compared with 2012. Canadian Solar Inc., which has risen almost sevenfold, is forecast to return to profit of $27 million from a $195 million loss in 2012.

‘Improved Significantly’


“It’s pretty clear over the last nine months that things have improved significantly,” Robert Petrina, Yingli’s managing director for the Americas, said in an interview.

Yingli, based in Baoding, China, was the biggest panel maker last year based on 2.3 gigawatts of shipments, and the company expects that figure to increase as much as 43 percent this year. The global photovoltaic industry may install as much as 42.7 gigawatts of panels this year, 40 percent more than in 2012, according to New Energy Finance.

The strongest companies are now selling panels above cost, according to Chase. A year ago, more than half the Chinese panel-makers in the Large Solar Energy index reported negative gross margins. That’s a strong sign that the industry is starting to turn the corner from the last two years, when factories were overbuilt.

The top 10 manufacturers boosted their total panel- production capacity 19 percent to 20.6 gigawatts in 2012 from two years earlier, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Those factories came online as demand waned. Panel installations more than doubled from 2009 to 2010. The pace slowed to 58 percent in 2011, and then slumped to 6.1 percent last year.

Some of the “illogical elements of the market” have disappeared, Chase said.

Demand is climbing in Japan, where the country is promoting wider use of renewable energy instead of nuclear power, 
 and China, where the government expects its installed capacity to double  :o this year. The two countries will be the top solar markets this year, according to New Energy Finance.

Solar Bankruptcies

The solar slump had casualties, driving more than two dozen manufacturers into bankruptcy, and some companies are still struggling, said Chase.

“I don’t think we’re out of the woods. There may still be some bankruptcies,” she said.

Those failures may benefit the industry as weaker companies are forced out and larger ones absorb their customers and assets, said Mark Mendenhall, president for the Americas at Trina Solar Ltd. The Changzhou, China-based company expects to ship as much as 2.4 gigawatts of panels this year, up 50 percent from 2012, and its shares have more than tripled this year.

Other Threats

“You’re going to see a greater separation between the well-run companies from those that are trying to operate purely on a low-price basis,” he said. “This is an industry that’s gotten out of its childhood, emerged from adolescence and is poised to enter adulthood. That which doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger.”

Other potential threats to the solar rebound are increased costs for raw materials, including aluminum and polysilicon, he said.

Most of the companies in the Large Solar Index are still unprofitable. Only Jinko, SunPower and First Solar Inc. reported net income in the second quarter.

The oversupply drove down panel prices 52 percent in 2011 and 20 percent last year. That was bad for suppliers and better for customers, helping boost sales, according to Tom Werner, chief executive officer of SunPower. So far this year, prices have rebounded 9 percent.

The company, based in San Jose, California, expects to recognize sales of as much as 1.03 gigawatts of panels this year. The company said yesterday it will boost capacity by 25 percent.

Cost of solar is more competitive with conventional energy,” Werner said in an interview. “Things are substantially different from a year ago. For us, sunnier skies started earlier this year.

Copyright 2013 Bloomberg
http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2013/10/the-worst-is-over-solar-industry-rebounds

Added to the above, now that the 5th largest economic block in the world by GDP has decided make polluters PAY the REAL price of carbon, ALL Renewable energy competitive financial power has been given ROCKET FUEL!
                                     
So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets. Matthew 7:12

AGelbert

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Solar 3.0: This New Technology Could Change Everything
« Reply #2 on: April 07, 2022, 05:20:17 pm »
Mar 17, 2022

🌞 Solar 3.0: This New Technology Could Change Everything



⚡ Electric Future 234K subscribers

Perovskite solar cells might revolutionize how humans generate energy from sunlight.

First 200 people get 20% off annual premium subscription.

In this video we’ll explore the world’s fastest improving new solar technology, and provide an exclusive peek inside the lab of a team working on this breakthrough material.

Imagine an inexpensive solution of perovskite crystals that can make a photovoltaic cell so thin, that just half a cup of liquid would be enough to power a house. A solar panel so lightweight, that it can be balanced atop a soap bubble. That is known as the holy grail of solar energy. So when will we see perovskite solar panels used for a solar power system for your home? Maybe sooner than you expect.

Currently, only 2% of global electricity comes from solar power. And 90% of that, comes from crystalline silicon-based solar panels, the dominant material technology.

While abundant, silicon has downsides related to efficiency, manufacturing complexity, and pollution that prevent it from being an absolute no brainer. Emerging thin films like perovskites present a bright future. Imagine solar cars like a solar tesla, solar yachts, or a solar plane.

Solar cell technologies can be classified into two categories, wafer-based or thin-film cells. Perovskites are the leading contender in emerging thin films. Topics covered in this video include applications, perovskite crystal structure, working principle of perovskite solar cells, efficiency limits, multi-junction solar cells, shockley-queisser limit, how solar works, solar simulator, band gap, manufacturing, vapor deposition, how solar panels are made, and the future of solar power.

Thanks:
http://www.swiftsolar.com
https://www.youtube.com/animagraffs
So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets. Matthew 7:12

AGelbert

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Apr 10, 2022 115,105 views

The Solar PV panel that provides electricity AND heat for your home!


Just Have a Think 393K subscribers

Solar photovoltaic panels provide electricity for homes, businesses and utility scale grid providers. Ironically though, the hotter they get in direct sunshine, the less effective they are at producing power. So, what if we could harvest the heat, remove it from the panel, and do something useful with it? 'Killing two birds with one stone', if you like. Well...it looks like we've just worked out how to do exactly that.

Link to Rosie's video

Link to Sunovate Website
https://www.sunovate.com.au/

Help support this channels independence at
http://www.patreon.com/justhaveathink

So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets. Matthew 7:12

AGelbert

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CleanTechnica

June 2, 2022 By Steve Hanley

At Long Last, Hawai’i Embraces Rooftop Solar Power

SNIPPET:

The lessons learned in Hawai’i are fully applicable to every other island community in the world. Come to think of it, all of us live on islands. It’s just some are larger than others and are called continents. Burning fossil fuels to make electricity was a great idea in the 19th century. So was burning trees to make steam. But the world can’t afford to continue doing that anymore as it hurtles toward a climate crisis of epic proportions.

Full article:
https://cleantechnica.com/2022/06/02/at-long-last-hawaii-embraces-rooftop-solar-power/
So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets. Matthew 7:12

AGelbert

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Tesla owners love their cars. 🎩🦍 Elon Musk? Not as much. 👍
« Reply #5 on: June 06, 2022, 03:42:39 pm »
Make Nexus Hot News part of your morning: click here to subscribe.

June 6, 2022

Biden Puts Solar Tariff Threat On Hold For 2 Years 🌞, Boosts Domestic Production

The White House is announcing today that President Biden will pause new tariffs on solar panel imports for two years and ramp up support for U.S.-made panels.

The decision to exempt solar panels from Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam from tariffs will allow the U.S. solar installation and energy industry to move ahead with the energy transition without holding billions in reserve to pay potential retroactive tariffs of 250%, pending the conclusion of an ongoing Commerce Department investigation.

Biden will also invoke the Defense Production Act to boost manufacturing of solar panels in the U.S. While tariffs could be imposed on panels from those countries after the 24-month period, the pause gives importers a "safe harbor timeout on the ... collection of duties," a source told Reuters. PV Magazine

YIKES: Tesla hired 🐍 PR firm to monitor employees on social media amid union push (CNBC) , Tesla owners love their cars. Elon Musk? Not as much.


Read more:
https://newsletter.climatenexus.org/20220606-solar-tariff-pause-record-co2-levels-tropical-storm-alex
« Last Edit: June 06, 2022, 04:09:46 pm by AGelbert »
So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets. Matthew 7:12

AGelbert

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June 8, 2022

Startup boosts rooftop solar in the states with the dirtiest electric grids

A new startup is offering grants to low-income homeowners in states with the most-polluting grids to install rooftop solar. Modeled on carbon offset markets, the installations are financed by subscribers who want to fight climate change or offset their own pollution.

The company estimates that installing a rooftop system in Missouri, which still gets most of its electricity from coal, reduces climate pollution as much as planting and growing 2,000 🌳 trees for 10 years. (Fast Company)
So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets. Matthew 7:12

AGelbert

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June 23, 2022

Just like fuel, the price of Aluminum has continued to rise year over year. So far, in 2022, Aluminum is up more than 50% over 2021. Rails are not a necessary solar system component, so if you haven't tried rail-less PV mounting, start with the RT-APEX and its integrated top-down flexible flashing. Reducing waste for roofing contractors, solar installation companies, homeowners, and the environment has been our top priority to maintain our sustainable promise.

🌞 RT-APEX Landscape Layout Install Guide


Roof Tech Inc

Watch this 3D rendition of the RT-APEX installed on the rafter and deck with solar panel installation.Watch this 3D rendition of the RT-APEX installed on the rafter and deck with solar panel installation.

The RT-APEX is the most advanced and innovative rail-less residential roof mount. The RT-APEX is a Self-flashing Rail-Less PV Mounting System featuring Roof Tech’s AlphaSeal™ Technology.

The RT-APEX is engineered to withstand wind speeds up to 180 mph and ground snow up to 90 PSF. The RT-APEX is fully waterproof and certified by the International Code Council (ICC-ESR 3575). Stamped PE letters are available for 40 states in the U.S. and five provinces in Canada. The RT-APEX is also Florida product approved for all HVHZ projects!

🔴Universal Clamping (30-40mm)  🔴Slide-In Mounting  🔴One-Step Leveling  🔴Integrated Flexible Flashing
https://roof-tech.us/pages/rt-apex
« Last Edit: June 23, 2022, 11:06:59 pm by AGelbert »
So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets. Matthew 7:12

AGelbert

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CleanTechnica

June 28, 2022 By Jennifer Sensiba

NC Supreme Court: 🦍 HOAs Cannot Prohibit Solar Installs

SNIPPET:

HOAs (Home Owners Associations) Have Earned Their Bad Reputation, Even If You Don’t Think So

The Karens among our readership will probably want to tell me I’m wrong about HOAs. After all, you don’t want to live next door to some guy with a car on blocks for years at a time, do you? And the impact a neighbor’s bad landscaping might have on my property values, the thought is horrifying!

Fact is, some guy with a car on blocks will probably have a 10mm wrench (or other cool 10mm things) you can borrow when you have your own car problems, and lawns aren’t great in any way, especially if you live someplace where water is becoming increasingly scarce like the American west. Plus, I’m not sitting in my front yard staring at my neighbor’s houses, and don’t care too much what they do with their own little patches of land.

Why do I not care? Mostly because I’m not a busybody, but also because I didn’t buy a house in the city or under the thumb of HOAs. My neighbors are all nice people, even if one of their old shitbox Hondas doesn’t run and the guy on the other side likes to start up his Harley-Davidson too early from time to time. They’re patient with me, and I’m patient with them, and we all get along without anybody making us follow strict rules.

Full article:  
https://cleantechnica.com/2022/06/28/nc-supreme-court-hoas-cannot-prohibit-solar-installs/

AGelbert COMMENT: 👍 Excellent article. HOA's have a very bad habit (SEE: 😈 malice aforethought) of doing the full overreach thing when they set up their "Rules and Regulations" thing for homeowners. Having lots of rules hanging over your head to threaten HOA residents with MIGHT be reasonable IF said rules and regulations were equitably enforced. BUT, they NEVER ARE. SELECTIVE ENFORCEMENT of rules and regulations, a tool for targeting minorities or otherwise "undesirable" neighbors that bigot cliques want to get rid of is par for the course in the US of white privilege handbook. 

Proving you are being targeted is mission impossible most of the time, simply because the "authorities" out there will inevitably side with the Rules and Regulation 😈 people that pose as 😇 innocent lambs "just trying to make the world a better place". The "defense" they use is that said rules and regulations were voted in by the majority of the homeowners (it's "Democracy!" 🙄), be it HOA aparment residents or HOA residents in a Resident Owned community (ROC). Many manufactured home parks are ROCs. The majority of the residents vote this busybody rules and regulations baloney in simply because they KNOW THEY won't be targeted when they violate the rules unless they do so blatantly and repeatedly.

Common sense rule making and enforcing is not hard; it's just the bigot busybodies out there that screw the process up so they can target those they don't want around. 😠

As to solar panels, manufactured homes, as a rule, can't have them on the roof because the roof rafters don't have the strength to handle the added weight. I live in a manufcatured home I own on a third acre of land in a Resident Owned Community (ROC). My ROC has lots of Rules and Regulations about what you can do in your yard (AND even in your house! 🤦‍♂️). Beyond the usual "must do this/can't do that/need permission for this" grass and leaves and gardening and so on (groan) dictates, I would need a permit from the ROC Board to put solar panels in the yard. That should be none of their business. In fact they should encourage solar panels next to our homes, but all they do is constantly harp about "rule violations will be enforced and you will pay all legal costs incurred by the ROC Board to evict you for a rule violation".

Here is an example (I do not own any pets at this time - my cat died in 2014. I think dogs and cats are great companion pets.) of a RIDICULOUS rule:
Quote
Dogs are not permitted, except in cases where a resident applies for and is granted a reasonable accommodation to have an emotional support or service animal per section VII of these Rules.
a) A qualified medical professional must sign the resident's reasonable accommodation request. The Board can provide residents interested in making a request with the appropriate forms upon request
.


« Last Edit: June 29, 2022, 04:25:58 pm by AGelbert »
So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets. Matthew 7:12

AGelbert

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Manufactured Homes are MOSTLY NOT roof capable for Solar Panels
« Reply #9 on: June 30, 2022, 04:02:01 pm »
CleanTechnica

June 28, 2022 By Jennifer Sensiba


AGelbert COMMENT: 👍 Excellent article. HOA's have a very bad habit (SEE: 😈 malice aforethought) of doing the full overreach thing when they set up their "Rules and Regulations" thing for homeowners. Having lots of rules hanging over your head to threaten HOA residents with MIGHT be reasonable IF said rules and regulations were equitably enforced. BUT, they NEVER ARE. SELECTIVE ENFORCEMENT of rules and regulations, a tool for targeting minorities or otherwise "undesirable" neighbors that bigot cliques want to get rid of is par for the course in the US of white privilege handbook. 

Proving you are being targeted is mission impossible most of the time, simply because the "authorities" out there will inevitably side with the Rules and Regulation 😈 people that pose as 😇 innocent lambs "just trying to make the world a better place". The "defense" they use is that said rules and regulations were voted in by the majority of the homeowners (it's "Democracy!" 🙄), be it HOA aparment residents or HOA residents in a Resident Owned community (ROC). Many manufactured home parks are ROCs. The majority of the residents vote this busybody rules and regulations baloney in simply because they KNOW THEY won't be targeted when they violate the rules unless they do so blatantly and repeatedly.

Common sense rule making and enforcing is not hard; it's just the bigot busybodies out there that screw the process up so they can target those they don't want around. 😠

As to solar panels, manufactured homes, as a rule, can't have them on the roof because the roof rafters don't have the strength to handle the added weight. I live in a manufcatured home I own on a third acre of land in a Resident Owned Community (ROC). My ROC has lots of Rules and Regulations about what you can do in your yard (AND even in your house! 🤦‍♂️). Beyond the usual "must do this/can't do that/need permission for this" grass and leaves and gardening and so on (groan) dictates, I would need a permit from the ROC Board to put solar panels in the yard. That should be none of their business. In fact they should encourage solar panels next to our homes, but all they do is constantly harp about "rule violations will be enforced and you will pay all legal costs incurred by the ROC Board to evict you for a rule violation".

Here is an example (I do not own any pets at this time - my cat died in 2014. I think dogs and cats are great companion pets.) of a RIDICULOUS rule:
Quote
Dogs are not permitted, except in cases where a resident applies for and is granted a reasonable accommodation to have an emotional support or service animal per section VII of these Rules.
a) A qualified medical professional must sign the resident's reasonable accommodation request. The Board can provide residents interested in making a request with the appropriate forms upon request
.

AGelbert NOTE: The arrogant poster with the handle "Engnrng" had jumped on the article author with some baseless insults and generally pejorative snipes. Apparantly said poster did not like the fact that I praised the article, so he decided to do a 👿 mock/disdain/disparage number on me. He forgot to bring a sandwich ;D. Rather than engage in the silly flame war that Engnrng was attempting to provoke, I took the opportunity to educate readers about the "how it works" of Solar Panels and Manufactured homes, while methodically, without spite or mocking, countering Engnrng's erroroneous assumptions. Enjoy: 🧐

Engnrng > AGelbert
Out of date information by about 40 years. Since 1976, when Mobile Homes were changed to Manufactured Housing, the structural integrity increased substantially and no additional reinforcement is needed to put solar panels on the roof. I understand the misinformation U spread, though. What was true in 1976 hasn't been true for a few decades, but it takes awhile for some people to learn new things.

AGelbert > Engnrng
  Sir, my Vermont Manufactured Home by Pine Grove (home was built in the year 2000) has heavy snow capable roof structure (i.e. 40 PSf load capable).


Even with my roof stucture, which is far above average roof strength in other parts of the USA where it doesn't snow and there are LOTS of manufactured homes (i.e. Southern USA), my roof rafters cannot handle average solar panel weights. Check your references before you jump to scold or baselessly mock people. Now if some lightweight new solar panel type of PV is used, or a PV shingle arrangement (VERY expensive so out of the question for manufactured home owners) then yeah, it could be done, as you say, but that is not the type of solar panel discussed in the article or available for the average homeowner at this time.

I will provide proof of my assertion right now if you wish. By the way, do you live in a manufatured home?

There is one manufactured home that was marketed about a decade ago that boasted solar panels on the roof:
2015 Delaware Pilot Project

It is rather expensive and that is the exception to the rule.

Engnrng > AGelbert
Yes, my daughter lives in a manufactured home in California. Last year, solar panels were installed, no problem, no reinforcement needed according to the permitting agency HCD - because the home was installed since 1976. The solar panels that were installed were 4 lbs per square ft - about the same weight as a layer of asphalt roof shingles. Welcome to the 21st century. Perhaps U might want to try again - the lightweight panels have been available for the last 5 years or so, but perhaps not available outside of California? That is just my speculation, given your experience. She saves over $100 per month in electricity, has Net Energy Metering that we expect will average her electric bill over the year at about $5 per month for connection and grid fees. Works out to about an 8% return on her investment - pretty dang cheap when you look at rate of return. Vermont is further north, so might need larger array to cover your bills. Good luck to you!

AGelbert > Engnrng
Thank you for your respectful reply. I just ask you to keep in mind that the Solar Panel attachment points to the roof have a very small total area. The PSI (lbs per sq. inch) at those points is the number you must use to calculate maximum allowable roof loading.

Forgive me for belaboring the point countering your repeated assertion that, as of 1976, (HUD) required manufactured home Solar Panel capable roof strength. In 1976 HUD did not, and has not as of 2022, required Solar Panel capable roof strength for manufactured homes.

It is clear that your daughter's home has an excellent roof. Also, she must have a permanent foundation, which is rare for most mobile homes. Mine sits on blocks on a cemment pad with a skirt around it, which rules me out for roof Solar Panels before I even get to the roof structure. If you can tell me the name of the manufacturer of her home, I would be interested.

Solar panels are roughly 5 feet long and 3 feet wide, with some small variation by manufacturer. Solar panels usually weigh about 40 pounds each. So, that comes out at about 2.7 lbs per square ft. Both the mounting equipment and the solar panels weigh 2-4 lbs per square foot. Some crystalline panels, however, bear too much weight for some roofs (i.e. most manufactured homes) to withstand. WHY? Because the key number you need to figure is not the 2-4 lbs per square ft, but the attachment point PSI (lbs per square inch). That is where the pressure is actually exerted on the roof.

I hope this article helps you underatnd why I firmly believe I have factual grounds for my claim that most manufactured homes do not have the roof rafter and or joist strength to safely handle average Solar Panel installation PSI:

Recent article by Understand Solar
SNIPPETS:
n 1976, new federal standards for manufactured homes (known as the HUD Code) means they are now much more energy efficient, but new mobile homes can still be plagued by inefficiencies. ... ...

The issue is the structural components of most manufactured homes, specifically the roof and the foundation. Most of these homes simply aren’t designed to hold solar panels. ... ...

The issue with most manufactured homes is that they typically have smaller roof joists than conventional homes. This means they can’t safely hold the weight of the installation. If you’ve got the right joist set-up, you could be well on your way to safely installing solar on your roof, but few mobile homes actually do.

A permanent foundation is required
We’ve all probably seen a conventional house being built. Builders dig deep into the ground to lay a concrete foundation that gives the house its strong structure. Manufactured homes are different, though. They aren’t necessarily permanently embedded into the ground. Instead, they are placed on top of the ground.

The bottom line on solar panels for mobile homes
You can certainly install solar on mobile homes, but homes that meet the requirements are fairly rare. Our best advice is to talk to a few local installers to see what the local building requirements are and have them inspect your roof joists and foundation to see if your home is up for the challenge.

Full article: 🌞
« Last Edit: June 30, 2022, 04:49:11 pm by AGelbert »
So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets. Matthew 7:12

AGelbert

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FACTORTHIS!

AUGUST 15, 2022

Taking on solar's recycling imperative

🔊 RENEWABLE ENERGY WORLD SEASON 1 EPISODE 11

SHOW NOTES

Around 70% of solar systems in the U.S. are less than five years old, and with a lifespan of 30 years or more, recycling may not seem urgent.

But multi-gigawatt demand for solar recycling awaits the industry in the decades to come. The International Renewable Energy Agency estimates global solar PV waste will reach 78 million tonnes by 2050—with those raw materials worth $15 billion. 

How can solar recycling scale to meet the need , and who’s going to capture that market?

On Episode 11 of the Factor This! podcast, Suvi Sharma – the solar veteran who co-founded Solaria and Nextracker – shares how his latest startup, SOLARCYCLE, is taking on solar’s recycling imperative.

Show notes:

-Read the article: Can solar avoid a recycling problem? Suvi Sharma is convinced it can

-Register for the free RENEWABLE +Series on green hydrogen, featuring panelists from Generate Capital, EDP Renewables, and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.

-Subscribe to the free Renewable Energy World newsletter to stay up-to-date on the latest news in solar, wind, energy storage, green hydrogen, and more.

Factor This!  is produced by Renewable Energy World and Clarion Energy. Connect with John Engel 🌞,  the host of Factor This!, on LinkedIn and Twitter.
« Last Edit: August 15, 2022, 04:51:33 pm by AGelbert »
So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets. Matthew 7:12

AGelbert

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September 21, 2022

Summary

👉   Solar power is providing a lifeline 🕊️ for some in Puerto Rico after Fiona.

👉   Clean energy costs are expected to plummet thanks to IRA.

👉   The battery recycling industry is heating up.

👉   The Biden administration boosts the offshore wind sector.

👉   Solar power is helping balance school budgets.


👉   EVs won’t break the grid — they can help save it.
 
Quote of the Week:
Quote
“If all the EVs in the state plug in during these peak load times and feed power back to the grid, they’re acting as giant batteries. We could use them to greatly relieve stress on the grid during the periods of greatest need,” said Clifford Rechtschaffen, commissioner of the California Public Utilities Commission.

CLEAN ENERGY
Must Be Equitable
After hurricane, solar offers  lifeline for some in Puerto Rico. Days before the five-year anniversary of Hurricane Maria, Hurricane Fiona struck Puerto Rico, knocking out the island’s electrical grid. But some communities were better prepared than five years prior, after a grassroots boom in rooftop solar installation creating energy resiliency during the disaster. Roughly 50,000 rooftop solar arrays — most of which also have battery storage — have been installed in the years since Hurricane Maria, up from just 5,000 the year before the storm. (Canary Media)
 
CLEAN ENERGY
Is A Good Investment
Clean energy is becoming even more cost-competitive. The costs of clean energy are forecast to significantly decline thanks to provisions in the Inflation Reduction Act, according to a study from consulting firm ICF Climate Center. The levelized cost of energy for technologies like wind, solar, and hydrogen are projected to drop by double-digit figures by 2030, though more investment in transmission infrastructure and faster clean energy buildout are needed to reach climate goals.(Washington Post $)
 
CLEAN ENERGY
Is Replacing Fossil Fuels
Battery recycling heats up. As automakers shift to producing electric vehicles amid growing demand, battery recycling companies are receiving hundreds of millions of dollars of investment to help shore up supply of key battery minerals. With new domestic mines facing long timelines and opposition from many frontline communities, the battery recycling sector is aiming to take advantage of Inflation Reduction Act provisions designed to wean the auto industry off Chinese supply chains. Analysts expect the industry to take off when the first generation of large-scale EV batteries are retired. (Wall Street Journal $)

Biden aims to shore up U.S. offshore wind industry. The Biden administration announced a new goal of building 15 gigawatts of floating offshore wind capacity by 2035, and is investing $50 million in funding to develop floating offshore wind technology. It will also hold a lease sale in the next few months in areas that would require floating turbines. The Verge reports that the U.S. Departments of Energy, Interior, Commerce, and Transportation will collaborate to drive down the costs of the technology, since nearly 60 percent of U.S. offshore wind potential is available at depths only suited to floating arrays. The Biden administration is also partnering with a group of East Coast states to support the development of domestic offshore wind supply chains, Reuters writes. (The Verge, Reuters)

 
CLEAN ENERGY
Has Many Benefits

Solar power savings are helping balance school budgets. Facing budget shortfalls, schools across the country are finding significant savings that they can devote to other priorities by adopting solar power for their energy needs — all at no cost to taxpayers. Energy is the second-largest expense for public K-12 schools, and district savings from solar arrays have often topped millions of dollars. Some districts have been able to significantly raise teacher pay thanks to energy cost savings, while others have invested in new heating and ventilation systems, wi-fi stations, and new academic programs. Nearly one in ten K-12 schools across the country are now using solar power, according to a study from clean energy non-profit Generation180. (New York Times $)

Electric ⚡ vehicles could be the next big thing in energy storage. As bidirectional and vehicle-to-grid technology advances, grid officials and analysts believe EVs can play a major role in bolstering the grid during high-demand moments. Utilities in California have begun experimenting with vehicle-to-grid trials and automakers have begun investing in these capabilities, with Nissan recently approving the first bidirectional charging system for its all-electric Leaf model. Experts say EVs can also help manage grid demand if utilities employ time-of-use rates, which encourage EV charging when grid demand is low. (Wired)

 
CLEAN ENERGY
Is Challenging
Strong EV demand caught automakers by surprise. In recent years, some auto companies hesitated to begin shifting their focus to EVs — and now rapidly growing consumer demand has caught many automakers flat-footed. With customers stuck on wait lists for new EVs, automakers are investing billions as part of a rush to expand manufacturing capacity and accelerate production timelines. But despite these efforts and strong demand signals, EV production is still facing uphill challenges of supply chain development and shortages driving high prices for key commodities like battery minerals and computer chips. (Wall Street Journal $)
 
MULTIMEDIA
Video: The 6 key elements of a just energy transition

« Last Edit: September 22, 2022, 05:30:43 pm by AGelbert »
So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets. Matthew 7:12

AGelbert

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10.13.2022 By John Engel

🌞 Sunrun fed rooftop solar ⚡ energy into a ⚡ wholesale market: Here’s how it did

SNIPPET:

Images from the installation of a Sunrun solar panel system on the roof of the home of HGTV's Property Brothers.

A virtualpower plant operated by 🌞 Sunrun contributed more than 1.8 GWh to the New England grid this summer.

Sunrun's residential VPP in New England is the first in the nation to participate in a wholesale electricity market. Thousands of home solar and battery storage systems helped to reduce the overall demand on the grid and minimize the use of 🦕 peaker plants.

“This is a wonderful example of radical collaboration and demonstrates the importance of every market operator leveraging local clean energy resources to solve capacity constraints and grid reliability," Sunrun CEO Mary Powell said. "As more severe and frequent heat waves, arctic freezes and other climatic events continue to stress our nation’s grid, we strongly encourage grid operators, utilities, and policymakers alike to leverage these amazing solar energy resources.”

In 2019, Sunrun won its cost-competitive bid into the Independent System Operator - New England (ISO-NE). The landmark contract was the first successful bid committing capacity value from home solar and battery storage systems to the grid.

In an August report, ISO-NE detailed how home ⚡ solar helped keep wholesale system ⚡ demand below the average forecast throughout a heat wave in July, despite the region’s heat index hitting 100 degrees or more.


Full article: 
https://www.renewableenergyworld.com/solar/the-results-are-in-for-the-first-residential-vpps-participation-in-a-wholesale-market/
« Last Edit: October 14, 2022, 04:12:36 pm by AGelbert »
So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets. Matthew 7:12

AGelbert

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EcoWatch

January 10, 2023 By: Cristen Hemingway Jaynes

A floating solar module. Ocean Sun

Scientists Developing Floating Solar Farms That Can Withstand 🌊 Rough Oceans

SNIPPETS:

Scientists Developing Floating Solar Farms That Can Withstand Rough Oceans
Floating solar farms are solar panels that are installed on the surface of bodies of water — such as lakes and reservoirs — to save space on land or provide electricity to remote locations.

Now, engineers and scientists are beginning to develop ways to put solar farms on the surface of the ocean to bring electricity to isolated places, such as the island nation of Indonesia, where more than a million people are without access to electricity, reported BBC News.


A study published last year in the journal Nature found that if 10 percent of the planet’s hydropower reservoirs were covered with floating solar panels, 4,000 gigawatts of electricity could be generated — as much as all the 🦖 fossil fuel power plants in the world.

Full article: 
https://www.ecowatch.com/floating-solar-farms-oceans.html
« Last Edit: January 11, 2023, 01:41:01 pm by AGelbert »
So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets. Matthew 7:12

AGelbert

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Congratulations to the 🌞 winners!
« Reply #14 on: January 19, 2023, 02:10:11 pm »
2022 Leadership in 🌞 Solar Winners

Congratulations! Celebrating the companies and individuals leading the solar PV industry.
Solar Power 🌞 World announces the winners of our Leadership in Solar program. Nominees were released in our January issue, and our user community voted on which companies they felt best exemplify solar leadership. Congratulations to the winners!

https://www.solarpowerworldonline.com/leadership/2022-leadership-in-solar-winners/
« Last Edit: January 19, 2023, 02:14:12 pm by AGelbert »
So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets. Matthew 7:12