[Don A]

Plus house and vehicles as well.

This photo was pre Karma of course and the lawn won't be in any condition to stage a new photo for some time. The Karma is my third plugin vehicle or fourth if you count my riding mower.

And the required photos to prove it really did happen!

 

[ct-fiskerbuzz]

Nice ... is the smaller panel water-heating?

(I'm doing solar PV and hot water here, in the remodel...)

 

[SoCalGuy]

Very cool! How much of your total energy use does it generate per year?

 

[Don A]

Nice ... is the smaller panel water-heating?

(I'm doing solar PV and hot water here, in the remodel...)

Yes, I installed the solar hot-water when I switched from natural gas to geo-thermal heat about 6 years ago. The geo provides domestic hot water during operation and the solar works well to complement that.
[hr]

Very cool! How much of your total energy use does it generate per year?

My original install as pictured was a 13.5 kW system and produced about 85% of my total use which includes my heat and 18K electric miles per year. I have since added an additional 2.7 kW of panels to bring the total to 16.2 kW.

I expect to produce 100% of my use for a year with an average winter. This year has been extremely mild so I will have a considerable surplus for the year.

 

[Richard Carnes]

Damn, that puts my old 3kW system to shame. Congrats!

 

[Dutch]

Perfect Don. You're clearly showing the route we should all go. This is the future!

Are those SunPower All Black-panels?

I'm charging my Karma daily at my company with the 12 kW-system on the roof (which from next week will also charge my brother's Opel Ampera aka Chevy Volt). And within 1-2 months I will have a 4 kW-system on the roof of my house as well for the daily charging session at home (I drive 2 x 42 miles with the Karma).

Driving on sunpower, what more can we wish for?!

 

[Fabulist]

Plus house and vehicles as well.

This photo was pre Karma of course and the lawn won't be in any condition to stage a new photo for some time. The Karma is my third plugin vehicle or fourth if you count my riding mower.

Absolutely beautiful cars and home. Congratulations!

 

[MArkansas]

Plus house and vehicles as well.

This photo was pre Karma of course and the lawn won't be in any condition to stage a new photo for some time. The Karma is my third plugin vehicle or fourth if you count my riding mower.

Absolutely beautiful cars and home. Congratulations!

Solar was to be my next endeavor any suggestions on name brands or install co's to get me ahead of the curve? Would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Don A]

Thanks for the complements everyone!

Electric powered driving is addicting and producing your own is even better![hr]

Perfect Don. You're clearly showing the route we should all go. This is the future!

Are those SunPower All Black-panels?

I'm charging my Karma daily at my company with the 12 kW-system on the roof (which from next week will also charge my brother's Opel Ampera aka Chevy Volt). And within 1-2 months I will have a 4 kW-system on the roof of my house as well for the daily charging session at home (I drive 2 x 42 miles with the Karma).

Driving on sunpower, what more can we wish for?!

Yes, those are the SunPower all black 225 panels. As you can see they where an almost perfect fit for my roof area.

I also have a 21 kW system on my office and am installing a charge station for the Chevy Volts I have purchased for two of my employees.

So yes, driving on sunpower has become a bit of an obsession for me. :shy:

 

[MArkansas]

Thanks for the complements everyone!

Electric powered driving is addicting and producing your own is even better![hr]

Perfect Don. You're clearly showing the route we should all go. This is the future!

Are those SunPower All Black-panels?

I'm charging my Karma daily at my company with the 12 kW-system on the roof (which from next week will also charge my brother's Opel Ampera aka Chevy Volt). And within 1-2 months I will have a 4 kW-system on the roof of my house as well for the daily charging session at home (I drive 2 x 42 miles with the Karma).

Driving on sunpower, what more can we wish for?!

Yes, those are the SunPower all black 225 panels. As you can see they where an almost perfect fit for my roof area.

I also have a 21 kW system on my office and am installing a charge station for the Chevy Volts I have purchased for two of my employees.

So yes, driving on sunpower has become a bit of an obsession for me. :shy:

Any DOE money out there for the sunPower....?

 

[Don A]

Solar was to be my next endeavor any suggestions on name brands or install co's to get me ahead of the curve? Would be greatly appreciated.

I am absolutely sold on SunPower for several reasons. I like their high efficiency thus maximizing output for the given area I had to work with. I like the all black look and the totally smooth install method. In addition to looking good this allows snow to slide right off. I have seen full output within hours of the sun comming out after a foot of snow.

I went with a local installer that had been in business for a number of years.

 

[MArkansas]

Solar was to be my next endeavor any suggestions on name brands or install co's to get me ahead of the curve? Would be greatly appreciated.

I am absolutely sold on SunPower for several reasons. I like their high efficiency thus maximizing output for the given area I had to work with. I like the all black look and the totally smooth install method. In addition to looking good this allows snow to slide right off. I have seen full output within hours of the sun comming out after a foot of snow.

I went with a local installer that had been in business for a number of years.

Thanks

 

[ct-fiskerbuzz]

Any DOE money out there for the sunPower....?

There's a 30% Federal tax credit for solar PV: if you spend $10k, you can knock $3k off your 1040. It's not a refundable credit so make sure you owe however much you're spending. :idea:

If you are not going to do the install yourself, it's probably best to look for a local company that has been around a while and will give you a warranty on their work. The biggest issue with roof-mounted PV is standing up to high winds. The electrics are the easy part....

 

[MArkansas]

Any DOE money out there for the sunPower....?

There's a 30% Federal tax credit for solar PV: if you spend $10k, you can knock $3k off your 1040. It's not a refundable credit so make sure you owe however much you're spending. :idea:

If you are not going to do the install yourself, it's probably best to look for a local company that has been around a while and will give you a warranty on their work. The biggest issue with roof-mounted PV is standing up to high winds. The electrics are the easy part....

Thanks again. Ouch I live at the pinacle of a hill across a lake fed by the Arkansas river. The wind goes down the river across the lake and hits my house head on. Our storms average 20-70 mph. Everybody lost their roof last year but us. Thanks to metal roof.

 

[kabalah70]

Is the 30% for the total cost of install or material only? I claimed my 30% for the EVSE install based on total cost. According to the website below: "The cost of property, plant, and equipment includes the purchase price of the asset and all expenditures necessary to prepare the asset for its intended use."
Furthermore:
"Equipment, vehicles, and furniture. The cost of equipment, vehicles, and furniture includes the purchase price, sales taxes, transportation fees, insurance paid to cover the item during shipment, assembly, installation, and all other costs associated with making the item ready for use. These costs do not include such things as motor vehicle licensing and insurance, however, even if they are paid when a vehicle purchase occurs. Expenses of this type are normal, recurring operational expenses that do not add lasting value to the vehicle."

http://www.cliffsnotes.com/study_guide/The-Cost-of-Property-Plant-Equipment.topicArticleId-21081,articleId-21075.html

 

[Fabulist]

Ouch I live at the pinacle of a hill across a lake feed by the Arkansas river. The wind goes down the river across the lake and hits my house head on. Our storms average 20-70 mph. Everybody lost their roof last year but us. Thanks to metal roof.

Maybe you should consider installing one of these instead.

 

[ct-fiskerbuzz]

Is the 30% for the total cost of install or material only?

Total install cost, as far as I know. However, if you do the installation yourself (rather than paying someone else) you will have to keep lots of detailed records in case of an audit. If the IRS comes and says "prove you paid $20k for your solar system" and you have a check (or several) going to "Solar System Installers Inc", you're done. If you have $4k paid here, $8k paid there, $2k elsewhere, etc., and you "paid yourself" some amount for your time, it's obviously a lot more difficult to demonstrate the total cost.

 

[kabalah70]

I would love a metal roof and put flexible PV on it like the Uni-Solar stuff. Unfortunately, the lots in the neighborhood came with covenants and restrictions on the deed, and one was composite single roofs.

 

[MArkansas]

Ouch I live at the pinacle of a hill across a lake feed by the Arkansas river. The wind goes down the river across the lake and hits my house head on. Our storms average 20-70 mph. Everybody lost their roof last year but us. Thanks to metal roof.

Maybe you should consider installing one of these instead.

Man I'm anything but green. My wife drives an H2 and giggles when a slightly touched greenie chases her down the street from time to time. I'm feeling the movement. I'm going solar with wind turbines that look like palm trees. Damn it I'm All In Again. I'm standing on the shoulders of you GIANTS. Thanks for leading the way: D

 

[marcus]

Comment deleted - - I'm not trying to be offensive, I just have an opinion.