My SolarCity install is today. I’m going to do a live blog so this article is going to change. It’s 10:40 am and I got a call saying they will be here in 10 minutes. They were scheduled for noon so they get a +1 for being more than on time. They did call 90 minutes ago asking me if they can come early. So far so good.
10:50am They have arrived.
One thing I did find out is that the solar isn’t going to be actually working today. They have to inspect it and there’s paperwork and then PG&E has to change out the meter. So it’s going to be several weeks before I actually get power off the system.
12:30pm Running into a few issues. Apparently the design team didn’t get the dimensions right on my existing solar collector for heating water. As a result I’m only getting 14 panels instead of 15. I did however talk them into a couple extra panels so I still have enough, although I did want to have extra capacity so I could be net power positive.
I’m also hearing bad things about the City of Gilroy permitting process. Not just from the guys here on the job but another guy from SolarCity that I ran into a few days ago at planing department. He said Gilroy has a lot of unnecessary paperwork that other cities in the area don’t require. I have already emailed the entire city council about it and the city manager. Gilroy doesn’t need to be hostile to solar energy.
Additionally I invited all of city council to show up and watch as well as the head of the local Chamber of Commerce. So the day is still young.
1:08pm Progress continues …
1:38pm They started with 3 guys this morning. Now 3 more guys showed up. One of the guys is a girl.
1:55pm Inverter mounted on house.
2:54pm – Progress continues Not sure what’s happening up top but they are connecting the wiring into the inverter and into the electrical panel.
3:55pm – it’s done! Crew poses for group shot.
Can’t get a good picture from any angle. This includes my home made solar hot water heater.
View from across the creek. There’s no good place to take a pic of my roof until the Google satellite goes over.
Now I have to wait maybe another month so that Gilroy inspectors and PG&E inspectors can approve it. Hopefully they aren’t going to be an obstacle.
CONCLUSION – The whole install took 5 hours which is what I consider to be fast. The installers were very nice and all of them seemed to feel like working for SolarCity was great. The panels are mounted well and everything looks very professional. The engineering was the only issue, and the install team had to redesign the system on the fly because of some fairly gross mistakes by engineering.
This isn’t the final step though. It’s just sitting there doing nothing right now waiting for inspectors. Hopefully no one is going to screw up the process. So after it’s turned on we’ll see what kind of power it produces. But I’m giving SolarCity a thumbs up so far.
That’s a big house you got there.
That’s the garage.
After install, please try getting an above photo showing how much area of your roofs are covered in panels. Even a sketch would do. Thanks.
Will do. Right now they don’t want me on their ladders.
Hehe. For people wondering, Perkel’s changed the picture.
Yeah – I had grabbed a photo from the internet but thought my own picture would work better.
WHAT????????
I thought you would have canceled that contract after the fine input from this forum!
……..I’m joking. And very much in admiration of you. You religious types, hard core, are agents of change. Get after Gilroy–fully document the red tape that is not needed. Names, dates, places. Make it worthy of a national publication. Your grandkiddies demand it. All with the positive desired outcome of making it easier, just as responsible, for those who follow your path.
You’d think that Solar City would be gung ho in such activity but it is freaky how often such merchantiles feel they must be subservient to the civil powers that be. Retailiation by functionaries is just too common. Thank goodness building inspectors don’t carry guns……. yet.
“That Home Owner was coming right at me……..”
Ha, ha.
Thin out their neurons….
Good for you Marc! I almost have the wife convinced. It’s a no-brainer considering what we pay in electric per month. But, we will need a new roof. That is holding us back right now.
Keep up the install blogging. Thanks.
Yeah – they don’t like putting it on an old roof. That’s a problem. I just replaced my roof 5 years ago. When I did they asked if I wanted a 40 year roof or a lifetime roof. I replied, “At my age the 40 year roof sounds like the better deal.”
As long as the mounting holes don’t let the rain in, solar collectors “should” extend the life of the roof by shading it from the sun. Cooler in the summer for that reason too.
Probably not to any significant factors though.
Wear and tear on the roof “membrane” caused by walking on it for Solar Maintenance would be a top concern of mine.
I’d even install walk ways on the roof to address that issue……. if its an issue?
Roofs have always been an interest of mine ever since I read that most of Frank Lloyd Wrights flat roof homes leaked. It seems he didn’t care about that functionality. For me, it all about pragmatism….. and why can’t a roof be leak proof?
I’m no architect and only understand the obvious. Pitched roofs shed water and snow. I do like flat roofs aesthetically. From a ground view flat roof buildings have no vent pipes and such in your view.
There’s one of Wrights houses that I love. Kinda like a dream house. Hint, I love the woods. Can you guess without Web search? I had forgotten the name and did have to search, to be honest.
“….. and why can’t a roof be leak proof?”
Because we take a perfectly good roof, and then poke holes in it for a chimneys, vent pipes, and skylights!
Flashing and caulk seem to do a good job, UNTIL the wind blows the rain sideways.
And finding a leak is a black art. Water enters in one place and usually exits (leaks) in a seemingly unrelated place.
There was an old sci-fi I remember as a kid — I *think* it was filmed in a Wright-designed *modern* home with perhaps a curved, glass frontage.
It was a ‘smart/automated’ house and it got jeolous, or something. The only thing specific I remember is that it boiled a nurse in a heated pool faster than Chernobyl ever could muster up and some dude got electrocuted at the driveway gate.
What is this made for tv movie??
Falling Waters is “The House over the Waterfall” so you must be thinking of some other home? He built everywhere … but “mostly” in subburbs and cities with remote/rural areas just getting 100 times the publicity.
I’ve visited a few dozen FLW homes…everyone is charming and I’d love to live in them….after I fixed the roof, expanded the kitchen, and installed automatic window cleaners.
Now, That house looks absofuckingfabulous! But, you’re wright. Wong one.
That’s it bobbo. I love that house built with stone atop a stream surrounded by woods.
Well worth the visit. Been there twice. Not like visiting Biltmore or some place totally out of scale.
Any of us could actually “live” there.
Tried to find the Glass Atrium House that showcased on a tv show from Britain. Don’t have the right search words.
Eyecatching–but nothing like Falling Waters…… its the location…. so much more than the location. Perfect Harmony. I think that roof leaks too.
Marc is the lifetime roof the removal of all materials down to the rafters? Is the 40 year roof removal of shingles and tar paper, then new wood put atop the existing the covered with tar paper and shingles?
Or, I haven’t come close? What’s the difference between the two roofs. Thanks…
I’d *assume* the lifetime roof is powder-painted sheet metal.
I’d love a metal roof. Fire Proof, Rot Proof, Bug Proof, you can walk on it. Every reason in the world to use them except they take a teensy weensy amount of skill to install: so not for USA.
I love skylights too. Covered with garage doors for that automatic opening ability.
…… actually, I have a whole list of features.
I’ve *installed* one about ten years ago. Polybutalene calk and all. Still doin’ dandy.
Metal roofs are a breeze to install. I just did one on my house. Put it on right over top of the old shingles.
Has it occurred to people that such paperwork happens with all sorts of businesses and government regulators?
What paperwork are you referring to?
You know….. specifically??
I think all building permits now should require that solar mounting points should be required to future proof the structure.
Rotate on that.
Either we are “serious” about saving our grandkiddies from AGW, or we will let them die.
that’s neat to disquise the vanadium flow-battery as a big green truck…
“I want that battery, daddy.”
Just wondering. Where was the panels made? (Sorry if you mentioned it on the post, tired eyes can’t read late day)
Seem to remember that they came from Canada.
Looks to me that the cute blonde woman is doing more work than the guys by the sweat showing thru her clothing.
So how much Windex will you need to keep the efficiency from dropping to unacceptable levels? How will you really know?
A bit technical, but this link includes a killer efficiency improvement chart (1975 to present):
http://wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_cell_efficiency
Looking at the chart, what do you think drives the efficiency numbers up?
Deep pockets? Breakthrough science? Retail sales?
probably NASA weight/watt…
Cheap yttrium oxide from the now-conquered Afgafistan??
Yet another Perkel blog post.
It’s not your fault, I blame JCD, clearly he has lost interest in this blog but has coat-tail-rider Perkel to post his life story on here, can we at least change the name, it’s false advertising, Perkel Uncensored.
In case you were wondering I absolutely detest you and your inane filler.
Life story?
Ah, go play some video games. Get some, get some.
*detest* is such an esoteric word. I’d put it on my flag but some dumbstick jocky would make me sick watching him capture it forthwith.
Real gamers point and click with a mouse… as is natural when aiming/shooting. They don’t do accelleration-based do-it-by-rote jerk and squirt at 30 degrees FOV.
Absolutely detest?
You mean Mark is tied with Hitler?
Ha, ha……… I crack myself up. Who knew Hitler could be funny?
It changes. For awhile this was Eideard Uncensored, and sometimes it’s even Uncle Dave.
…and here is a picture of the back of the house, but you can still see the side of the house….
Looks really sweet, Marc. What is in that little solarium on the right by the downspout?
Spidey tells me thats a home made hot air solar heater. Design a bit off with the top part being solid. Maybe a home made dehydrator?
IDK, I was distracted by the Bukake Sweat.
Looks like a mud room to me.
Bukake sweat, I’m still giggling.
Fucked up but I sweat like a pig, my T shirts look like hers when working outdoors in the sun. I can take mine off and make a head wrap to stop the salt getting my eyes.
Bukake sweat. Still giggling. Yes, I’m childish at times.
That’s the not water heater shed. Here in earthquake country people put water heaters outside.
In a few years this company will fail, because by definition it is already failed (subsidized).
In the mean time my property has enuff decent open southern exposure to support this. I will look into it and see if I can get my share of the money stolen from tax payers to support this type of business at the expense of other successful business’, while I concurrently make some money standing on the backs of the rest of you suckers. Thank you for hiring R/Ds. Bwhwaahahahahahahaha.
https://google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q=%22solarcity%22+subsidized
Oil is subsidized too. (Iraq war) And SolarCity is building the world’s biggest solar manufacturing plant to make 24% efficient solar panels. At that rate they can compete with coal and gas without subsidies.
Thank you, Perkel!
Unlike some of the naysayers here, I was glad to see your post.
The information you posted is useful and interesting.
What I learned:
A. Make sure your roof is top notch,
B. The professional installation only took half a day (which surprised me), and
C. Beware of the City Counsel and Inspectors. A little Hookers and Blow goes a long way.
Generally Gilroy is open to changes and suggestions. I’m hoping to convince them to be more solar panel friendly.
Care to explain the finances behind this?
What are the costs versus savings? Payback period?
I paid $0 down. SolarCity owns the equipment and they sell me power for less than PG&E, The assumption is that PG&E will increase the cost of power faster than SolarCity does.
In my case since my usage is so low I’m going to pay about the same at first. My electric bill was only $75/month. So my main motivation was that I like the idea if I’m going to pay the same I’d rather buy solar. And I’m a total Elon worshiper. But I will save money in the long run too.
I’ve done this kind of work in the past. I’m not really sure why they are installing the inverter outside. I assume it is a weather proof version, that allows them to come monitor it or something. I also find it odd your breaker panel is outdoors as well. I guess the electrical code is a lot different than here in Canada. Biggest problem we had were inverters that failed, but that problem usually occurred immediately and we got the units replaced under warranty.
The main electrical panel is outside next to it. So kind of an obvious place to put it.
Yes, I did mention that fact as well; and that also seems a little risky. I wouldn’t want the general public having easy access to my electrical panel, not to mention moisture issues, maybe this is a very dry area, IDK. I was just saying installs like this are not legal here in Canada. Not to mention that inverter is worth $2000-3000. Nice target for an informed thief.
That’s wonderful that someone is able to “get off the grid,” or get off as much as possible. Maybe with new technology like this (which really isn’t all that new) it will allow more people to keep more of their money and stop handing it over to greedy government / big business types.
Whoops! There I go again. Thinking money is actually owned by people who manage to hold on to it. I’m sure our owners would argue that anything “green” is really all theirs (owners like the Federal Reserve or any elected dumb ass, that is).
BTW, perhaps you could enlighten us on how you earn your money there Marc. I’m a bit curious if you’ve ever broke a sweat actually working somewhere like those installers did. And if you did, how much were you paid?
(Does it seem fair or correct that people who “produce” things get paid less? Should the intellectuals of America be the new economic “elite” simply because they push data and ideas instead of solar panels?!)
This isn’t an off grid system. In fact I like the idea of feeding the grid because my excess power, combined with other solar users excess power, makes it so PG&E doesn’t have to build more power plants to handle peak demand. Every KWH I make is coal not being burnt.
Only true if you are offsetting peak demand. I think at other times, if you are causing a reduction in coal output, then the logistics of turning off and on leads to less efficiency at the coal plants.
For this reason solar and wind lead to more CO2 emissions, though that is not a concern in my above point.
(Does it seem fair or correct that people who “produce” things get paid less? Should the intellectuals of America be the new economic “elite” simply because they push data and ideas instead of solar panels?!) /// No, it doesn’t. But every society on Earth has been organized that way. Could almost make you wondeer whats going on?
Neat. That should provide around 3000 to 3500 Watts during full sunlight. Post some stats later.. interested to see what the output of these bad boys are. Would be nice if the ‘solar paint’ stuff became mainstream.. and cheap. ^_^
If I had to guess, then that ‘paint’ is probably being held back because of the military applications —
Its work function is such that it converts infrared as well as visible (possibly allowing for the gridding and painting on of giant sensors).
Detectors generally can be emitters, as well (possibly useful in the gridding and painting on of active IR camoflage).
So Ive seen some ads from SolarCity. Is it because business is good, or is it because they know I read this page?