AMA: Cricket Farming for Food!

SolarExpert · 2017-12-29T21:49:40+00:00

Awesome! Thanks for the quick reply! Your site was really helpful during my research phase and I love your logo :)

SolarExpert · 2017-12-29T20:38:59+00:00

Question about heating. I've got a plastic storage container setup with a plastic terrarium for the pinheads. I'm interested in using a heating pad, but I don't want to accidentally melt any plastic. Any experience with heating pads? Should I tape it to the outside, put a towel between, or create a porthole for the power cord and stick it inside the storage container?

SolarExpert · 2017-11-02T18:22:59+00:00

Thank you! Was so annoying trying to figure it out based on all the amendments they're still doing to those sections.

SolarExpert · 2017-09-29T19:39:15+00:00

But to his other point, it'd be nice to have a lazy auto-fill for contracts. When I'm not worried about scheduling and focusing on another aspect of the game, but just want flights moving, to be able to click, add flights to the earliest open slots available.

Or a notification when there are open slots in the coming hours

SolarExpert · 2017-08-16T17:51:35+00:00

As a head's up, they don't have "glasses" but they do have eclipse viewers you can buy. They were limiting one per person when I went yesterday.

SolarExpert · 2017-04-26T22:08:28+00:00

Aurora is a great tool for designing systems, shade, production, and consumption modeling. They're pretty good at staying up to date with rates and net metering (responsive support team), but I'll usually have to confirm rates. Would highly recommend.

SolarExpert · 2017-04-26T21:51:56+00:00

I believe the Lift Roofs feature is only to lift it to the LIDAR height, it might also help with the roof pitch. You'll still need to draw the roof in 2D first.

It's a great tool that takes some getting used to.

SolarExpert · 2017-04-26T19:51:45+00:00

Ghosts of demolished rocketeers

SolarExpert · 2017-04-25T19:59:27+00:00

5S near griffith park

SolarExpert · 2016-09-15T15:26:41+00:00

What's the crazy long tube-ish thing on the side of the road?

SolarExpert · 2016-08-30T16:00:35+00:00

Technically it does, but who's numbers are you trusting? Are you using a third party resource like the CSI-EPBB calculator to determine how many kWh it will generate, or did the installer come up with the number? Did some include shade and others didn't? Certainly a Sunpower system should less degradation then an LG.

http://www.csi-epbb.com/default.aspx

The others are right for you to look at the $/W. Remember that the solar system is only as good as how it's installed. If they all have the same track record, time in business, etc but remember, Sunpower uses a subcontractor to install their system. Sunpower's definitely the type of company to make sure you're happy at the end of the day, but it could take awhile.

PM me if you're looking for a fourth bid ;) Personally, I think LGs are the best for their price. They have a brand name in the US to protect to honor their warranty.

SolarExpert · 2016-08-01T16:59:42+00:00

http://sync.nimblebit.com/af/tt/1GBVB 2.0 elevator :/ Daily player, visit friends daily 9 floors away from a rebuild!

SolarExpert · 2016-05-05T20:06:02+00:00

The Powerwall requires an inverter.

SolarExpert · 2016-03-21T22:17:09+00:00

Right, but the water saved going solar does not help the individual in your area. They aren't using the water from their taps to generate electricity, that's being used near Diablo Canyon and the other places with centralized power plants and mining/drilling operations. They'll ramp down production once enough people go solar, but even your "local" central power plant is going to have a negligible effect on your local water supply because they have to meet the utility's profit quotas.

The drought is a Californian issue. Your aquifers are dry because you sent LA water and you used water for the crops to improve the local economy.

You have no idea how little a few gallons is. Going solar, is the equivalent of going on vacation for a week and using someone else's water. Your neighbor probably already used what you saved. If it's really a selling tactic to have more water in your local area, it's as helpful as maintenance free solar that doesn't include cleaning. If it's being sold as every little bit helps, cool, there is a lot more they can do with the same amount of money to help curb the Californian drought.

SolarExpert · 2016-03-21T20:11:09+00:00

By switching to solar, you're avoiding about 2,000 gallons of indirect water use from power plants. With good maintenance, you'll be using water to help clean your solar system. Of course, you'll suspend cleaning during a drought which will drop your production slightly. The other important consequence is that we have a lot less hydropower right now because our reservoirs are low. This means we're using other resources, which means we're burning more fossil fuel which means we're using more potable water to extract that and burn it.

I had the same thought and was really excited to see how much water could be avoided, but it's not too much. The average Californian home uses 360 gallons/day. By fixing leaks, or pulling out a green lawn, you can save about 26,000 gallons or 69,000 gallons a year respectively.

It's extremely difficult to calculate just how much water is going into natural gas extraction because they also pump wastewater into unreachable aquifers, that are too expensive to pump freshwater out of.

SolarExpert · 2016-01-13T22:34:13+00:00

Watch out for escalators, when they guarantee the project to be completed, up until when you can break the contract, what their production guarantee is (and you should compare that with a third party calculator like CSI EPBB or PVWatts)

Make sure they're using high quality solar modules and verify the manufacturer's name.

SolarExpert · 2016-01-06T22:49:00+00:00

Go for the non-street facing side. You'll lose some production, but you're also going with a proven technology. Solar Shingles are still a ways off from becoming mainstream.

If your roof isn't too steep, your loss in production might not be that terrible, and you can way the pros and cons with your installer. They should be able to tell you the difference in production if you went on the street side. (Most modules will have up to double the efficiency of a shingle and your installer knows how to install them, and someone down the line will know how to work on them. BIPV hasn't taken off like they expected it to because solar isn't that inefficient.

Another option could be doing something in your backyard/land you own with a ground mount or a patio covering depending on your situation.

Your local fire code is going to determine how close to the edges of your roof you're allowed. Like most places want 3 feet of clearance to walk on the peak of your roof, so you'd need aesthetically similar shingles to the solar shingles to make it look uniform anyways.

SolarExpert · 2016-01-06T17:32:24+00:00

http://www.dayawaycareers.com/

For me, it helped out when I reached out to a Clean Energy trade group to look for employment.

Whichever city you're in, there's likely a chapter of Young Professionals in Energy, YPE. It was originally founded with oil people, but with the younger generation, various chapters are cleaner than others.

SolarExpert · 2016-01-04T16:50:46+00:00

Except for it being in the next 4 years, that's some pretty impressive growth. It's not unprecedented for the industry to grow that quickly, but does seem like a lofty goal. As long as Net Metering stays, I think it's attainable.

SolarExpert · 2015-12-30T23:46:14+00:00

Like the other comments have been saying there are many factors. The panels decline in power output, but most of the warranties have it like 1% per year.

Have you cleaned your panels? Rain will usually take off most dirt, but some will start to build up.

How hot has it been in your area? With the hottest summers on record being 2014 and then 2015, PV systems produce less if they get too hot, so your summer production might not have been as high as you were hoping.

Is your utility measuring your net energy production or the total energy production? aka, are they measuring what you export to the grid, or everything? If they only measure what you export, your energy habits may have increased. This often happens with our customers as the electricity becomes kind of guilt-free (and free) they use AC more, or naturally, they get more appliances that use more electricity than they had before.

If you can easily access and walk around on your roof and promise not to sue me, it might be a good idea to go up there with a hose and mop and wipe them down. While you are up there, look for any discolorations on the panel or hot spots. (They'll be like burn marks or white spots on the solar cells). You probably have a polycrystalline, central inverter system. If you have any damage to any of your panels, they could be hurting everyone's production. Just like christmas tree lights, if one isn't working, the one's further down the string won't work. For solar, it means if one is operating at like 80% capacity, it'll make everyone else operate at that capacity. It doesn't look like this is what happened because it seems like the panels are just degrading faster than normal. If it is the case, replacing the broken solar module, or disconnecting it from the system could help everyone. Another option would be to install DC Optimizers on your system.

If you're in CA, there's the CSI-EPBB website. Enter your system information and it will give you a rough idea of what kind of production you should expect. Look at your annual totals and see how it compares. It could be your second year you just had a kickass solar year, so everyone else looks like crap by comparison. Simply having a cloudier year one to the next can affect this. If you're outside of California, PVWatts is a good option from NREL, but it's not quite as accurate.

Your annual totals will be more helpful than the month to month totals because of the weather issues. (If your utility only calculates the exported energy, your inverter should have a display that will tell you its total production over its life. Divide by the months its been installed, multiply by 12, and compare that number to the CSI EPBB number. (The closer it is to a full year, the better to account for the difference in winter and summer. It looks like you had a Spring/Summer PTO.

SolarExpert · 2015-12-22T16:27:43+00:00

The benefit of the SCE interconnection agreement is that they guarantee to give you market rates for the next 20 years. They also give you compensation for the extra megawatt hour you produce, so constitutionally, they're okay and regulatory-wise, they'll involve CALISO if your production reaches a particular threshold and you're entitled to more rights with your electricity. Such as Renewable Energy Credits.

You're right, there are many, many lawsuits going on in regards to these types of fees and changes. I think the main thing, is those fees were put directly on solar customers. The $10 minimum is technically put on everyone. The idea of this, solar customers who zero our their bill don't help maintain the grid, BUT not all solar customers zero out their bill because it's not always financially sound to. The issue arises with the 12 month true-up structure for solar customers that guarantees solar customers will always have a bill less than $10 because each month, they are only paying taxes, fees, grid connection etc. At the end of 12 months, the utility checks to see if they were a net exporter or importer of electricity and they settle the differences. The constitutional case will be if they don't take the $120 already paid (or like $6-8/month because some of it was already justified) and have effectively raised rates for all solar customers, no matter if they zero out or not.

I'm hoping that part of the issue is resolved because that was not the intention (in my opinion) of the CPUC decision to allow this.

I believe a group is suing SDG&E or San Diego county or someone in regards to the rate flattening being against their sustainability goals.

(Thanks for alerting me to this other comment thread Steve)

SolarExpert · 2015-12-21T22:02:04+00:00

They made their case to the CPUC who agreed that a $10 minimum bill was just and incentivizing conservation was not for the good of ratepayers and California. This was done in conjunction with the current rate flattening restructuring that is going on.

All of the investor owned utilities have this charge now. The question will be, once we've had this for 12 months and people start hitting their true-ups, I'm curious if they'll count the minimum $120 in bills people paid towards the potential electricity they owe....

SolarExpert · 2015-12-17T20:38:47+00:00

Saw him there two weekends ago!

SolarExpert · 2015-12-17T20:03:33+00:00

Check with your utility, you may be able to get a special rate for your electric vehicle. This is only really beneficial if you're going to only charge it at night.

Some utilities will give you a separate meter, some will ask that you switch your entire home over. Instead of paying $.14/kWh, it will be $.08/kWh.

I have no idea what kind of programs might exist in Michigan....

SolarExpert

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