|
|
|
too shady for Brian
Monday, September 10 2007
Recently Gretchen and I started the process of finding out what would be needed to have a photovoltaic array installed on our roof in manner that would allow us to receive the hefty NYSERDA tax breaks available in this state. (Ironically, the most appropriate states for such tax breaks tend to be in the Sun Belt, a politically conservative region culturally adverse to anything that smacks of unnecessary concern for sustainable energy generation.)
In order to obtain these tax breaks one must hire a certified installer, meaning I couldn't just rig up a system on my own. This suited me fine, since I don't have the equipment to scale the roof above the upstairs master bedroom and bathroom, the only part of our roof with an east-west axis providing a roof pitched southward.
Today we began communicating with Brian, an installer for a regional photovoltaics company. Brian used to be an nuclear engineer on a naval submarine, but now he's come up to the surface to work. I sent him site photos and a copy of our electric bill and miraculously his schedule allowed him to come out this afternoon.
Brian took one look at the part of the roof I suggested and declared that the trees to the immediate south were too tall and too close and they'd have to be cut down. This didn't make much sense to me given that the sun clears them for most of the year and in the winter they lose their leaves. But according to Brian, even the shadows cast by branches disable whole sectors of solar panels. So in the end he concluded that our site wasn't any good for a photovoltaic installation. He thought perhaps we could do a ground installation near the road, but even that would require the cutting of trees (and would probably also intrude on our neighbors' property, since they're the technical owners of a third of our front yard).
Some time in the midst of all this Gretchen came home, and Brian explained all the tax benefits we'd be missing out on. From the way he described things, after tax breaks a five kilowatt installation would have only required $18,000 in upfront costs, money we could have obtained with state-subsidized ultra-low-interest loans. Such an installation would provide all, or nearly all, of our electrical needs.
At this point in my search for meterless electricity it's looking like I'm going to have to start gathering old smoke detectors for their Americium 241 so I can build a tiny nuclear power plant like the one that still powers the Voyager I.
For linking purposes this article's URL is:
http://asecular.com/blog.php?070910 feedback
previous | next |
