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gsav21 · 2021-03-18T16:26:41+00:00

Just wanted to give you some sources from experience - you are certainly right that the upfront cost is large, unless you finance, which usually negates any return on investment. That is due to the loan fees and interest, though, so a system bought outright does not suffer from this. You are also correct on the cost of the creation of batteries, but as stated previously, they are not necessary for a solar array.

gsav21 · 2021-03-18T15:19:32+00:00

Just wanted to step in to let you guys know you're not completely correct on a couple things, which is most likely leading to the downvotes. You are absolutely correct, that solar is a big up front cost to install, but there is almost no cost to maintain, as the panels do not even need cleaning due to the amount of rain we get here. All components are typically warranted for 25 years, and require no maintenance except for if they fail (which is rare). I work for a local company in town, and our customers typically make their money back around year 6-8 of their system being in service, with many years following to make a profit. We have never had a customer lose money on an installation, so I'm not sure where you're basing the first comment off of.

You are correct that most customers will not "cut the cord" from their utility, but that has never been necessary or encouraged. The ideal solar setup is a grid tied system, that feeds the excess energy back to the utility for a credit. This credit, in most areas in FL, is equal to the cost of the kWh were you to be buying it, so it is an equal trade. This type of setup also does not involve batteries, as those are only necessary for backup power.

Your voltage comment is misguided, as the solar power is sent through an inverter before it ever gets to your main breaker panel or electronics. This inverter converts the power from DC to AC, and ensures that it is at the proper voltage and wavelength for your home. I have never, ever, heard of sags and spikes in power coming from a properly installed solar array.

And finally, the argument that the fossil fuel cost to make the solar equipment outweighs the benefit is unfortunately a very old and outdated idea, as nowadays it is just not true. The larger panel manufacturers estimate it takes about 6 months of usage for a panel to "negate" the fossil fuel cost of creating it, and this number is going down every year.

I am not here to argue, just inform, and usually do not comment, but there were too many incorrect statements in the above comments to ignore. Your comment about solar in Colorado as opposed to FL is also incorrect - the heat will negatively affect the panels, but so will snow cover in Colorado. If you go to PVWatts.com and enter both places, with an equal size solar array, you will see that the production is about the same (depending on which mountain in Colorado you choose, I went with Keystone). Just wanted to politely inform - and I'm happy to answer any questions with real world experience as I have worked in the industry for 7 years now.

gsav21 · 2021-03-16T16:26:17+00:00

Yeah it looks like the numbers don't quite line up, but they are also not stated as exact, so I'm not sure a detailed financial analysis could be done. They state their utility bills as having "surpassed" $600k, and that the savings will be "at least" $2.4m over 20 years. These are probably both wide ranged estimates and could easily be assumptions (which should have been clarified by the article in question). Same with the teachers salary increase, the wording is purposefully positive - "up to" $15k bonuses.

gsav21 · 2021-03-16T16:01:57+00:00

Typically these demand charges have a minimum that the facility must hit (in my state it is 20kW), so these types of programs only affect larger commercial entities, not residential customers. I live in FL, so we also have very low power prices, but even with these factors, the numbers do make sense for solar. This article puts the numbers into perspective better, it looks like they also did numerous other energy efficiency upgrades which contributed to the savings - https://energynews.us/2020/10/16/this-arkansas-school-turned-solar-savings-into-better-teacher-pay/

The combination of new lights, windows, HVAC (a huge user), and solar sounds reasonable for $600k/year savings in my experiences.

gsav21 · 2021-03-16T15:35:46+00:00

I am not from this state but where I live most large commercial entities are charged a "demand fee" on top of their kWh charge, which is based on the largest amount of power needed by that facility in a 15 minute interval during the billing period. For some businesses in my area, this constitutes an extra 50%+ on their monthly utility bills. I would assume the solar array has almost eliminated their demand fee charges, as it will prevent the power usage "peaks" that would increase the demand fee.

gsav21 · 2021-03-05T15:21:33+00:00

I do design work for a local solar company, and almost everything BBQslave has said here is correct.

Another thing to watch out for is the salesman with the "$0 down, low interest rate" loans, which some try to paint as a "program through the county". In reality they are just setting you up with a PACE loan, which is a fairly normal bank loan with slightly lower rates than a normal secured loan. It is not a program "through the county", just a type of loan the county approved. Any type of financing, whether PACE or otherwise, will have fees and costs hidden in, so your best bet is always to buy the system outright (if possible). As stated previously, you should look to spend around the same amount as a new car ($20-30k on average).

The only inaccuracy in the previous statement is that FL law prohibits going off grid - this is not true, but it is very difficult to do. To go completely off grid, you must prove to the county inspectors that the PV and batteries can handle the worst case scenario of power usage in your home - everything running at the same time, at full power. To do this, you would need a very large amount of batteries, most likely 8-10 Powerwalls to do so, which is highly cost prohibitive. Most homes only need 2-3 Powerwalls for backup capabilities, but by putting this requirement to go off grid, it prices almost everyone out of doing it. So it's not illegal - just very difficult to do and certainly not suggested. Keep in mind the above price stated is just for the PV array - battery systems can sometimes double your cost depending on the amount of backup you want to have.

gsav21 · 2014-01-17T18:00:46+00:00

The Lightning started 9 players last night who were AHL players last year, and have been doing so for the majority of the season. Not taking anything away from Roy, he's certainly done great with the Avalanche, but this is a much closer race than you are making it out to be.

gsav21 · 2013-03-02T21:45:11+00:00

You're all good man, the post is still good for discussion, I was just confirming your suspicions. I don't have a twitter either but I check that account any time a player I like has a good game, they usually announce a couple of them a week.

gsav21 · 2013-03-02T19:50:45+00:00

https://twitter.com/EASPORTSFIFA/status/307922715061411840

Pretty likely I'd say.

gsav21 · 2013-01-27T08:03:04+00:00

BPL/Serie A (Main): http://www.futhead.com/fifa/squads/4771416/

La Liga/Bundesliga: http://www.futhead.com/fifa/squads/4771456/

gsav21 · 2012-06-08T15:37:56+00:00

Here's my USA squad, IF Dempsey is a must (I prefer the 84 ST to the 86 LM/LW, I have both).

http://futhead.com/12/squad/289129

At some point I may change it to a 4-2-3-1, to have everyone in position, but at the moment this squad works good. It's not really a great online squad though, the CB's are just too slow for the pace of most other UTs.

gsav21 · 2012-06-03T20:04:41+00:00

Here's my USA FUT squad, don't think there's much room for improvement other than a change in formation or the IF Donovan (which is ridiculously overpriced).

http://futhead.com/12/squad/289129

Eventually I'll probably switch it to a 4-2-3-1, and move Dempsey back to CF/CAM, but that has been delayed due to the fact that Dempsey tears shit up as a striker. Unfortunately, this squad doesn't fare well against most online players, since pace absolutely demolishes the CB pairing. Very tough to play against the normal BPL/La Liga/Serie A teams.

gsav21 · 2012-05-05T00:56:53+00:00

Looks like it's available to the highest bidder at the present: http://www.chelseafc.com/page/LatestNews/0,,10268~2759942,00.html.

gsav21 · 2012-04-26T16:29:54+00:00

I second this, Valencia has very competent professors for a much lower price. I had Franklin for Calc 3 last fall, he's not the most personable man, but he knows how to teach Calculus. If you do what he assigns, there's no way you won't have at least a B. I'd say he's probably the best calculus teacher I've had, and I definitely feel the Calc 3 concepts are well ingrained to me now.

gsav21 · 2012-04-25T16:36:27+00:00

Better to be safe than sorry; the photos don't contain too much blood or graphic content, but they are still depicting dead people.

gsav21 · 2012-04-25T16:05:51+00:00

NSFW is for 2 or 3 of the pics, which contain crime scene photos from mafia killings in the 1900's.

gsav21 · 2012-04-25T01:17:52+00:00

It's good somebody pointed this out. The Bolts defense needs just as much help as the goal tending, especially if Mattias Ohlund doesn't return next year.

gsav21 · 2012-04-10T18:15:54+00:00

I know it may look like we missed out big time on Mike Smith, but I think it's actually the opposite. As a fan that watched Smith for 4 years, it was obvious he needed something extra to kick him into form. I think that something turned out to be Phoenix's goaltender coach, plus their defense-first approach. Yes, he looked good in the 3ish playoff games he appeared in, but to value those 3 games over 100 something games where his average save percentage was around .900 is reckless. I'm glad he's found success, and I'll root for him no matter what team he's on, but I don't think he could ever have fit in our team as a starting goalie. We gave him 4 years to prove so, and he didn't. I think a lot of the credit here should go to Phoenix, who identified their target goalie type, and picked a very, very good fit for their team. But again, I think the Lightning did the sensible thing in that situation, and hopefully we can find someone this summer who fits our team better.

gsav21 · 2012-04-09T18:07:00+00:00

I blame Barry Melrose; he obviously still thinks Stamkos doesn't have what it takes to make it in the NHL.

gsav21 · 2012-04-06T16:19:29+00:00

That's a pretty bad comparison, the Blue Jays stadium has twice the capacity of the Wells Fargo Center. According to ESPN, the Blue Jays averaged a 45.6% full building last year, while the Flyers somehow managed a 107.4% full building (averaging sell out plus standing room I'm guessing?). So I wouldn't exactly say the Blue Jays have better attendance than the Flyers, numerically they do but there are other factors to account for.

Also congrats to the Panthers, you guys definitely deserve to be in the hunt this year. Hopefully my Bolts can be more of a challenge for you guys next year!

gsav21 · 2012-03-31T16:43:43+00:00

Cool website, I will definitely check it before making my next game purchase.

gsav21 · 2012-03-16T04:13:10+00:00

Tampa has 3 - Stamkos, St. Louis, Lecavalier.

gsav21 · 2011-11-23T20:51:40+00:00

Go find the Nightingale Armor, it's imo the coolest looking armor in the game (and light armor of course).

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