NJ is #2 for solar power
- Thread starter Boyd
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Who would believe that Mister Softee has covered the roof of their building in Runnemede with solar panels. Even the ice cream man is going high tech. I looked on Google and Live Maps but they don't show them so I can't post the photo's. It is the way to go!
And our PBX hiking partner Mike Baker from mikebaker.com has had them for years. I recall riding in the bed of Bob's truck on the road from Wading Pines to Atsion and him telling me all the benefits and downfalls of his system
http://www.mikebaker.com/energy/pv.html
Guy
And our PBX hiking partner Mike Baker from mikebaker.com has had them for years. I recall riding in the bed of Bob's truck on the road from Wading Pines to Atsion and him telling me all the benefits and downfalls of his system
http://www.mikebaker.com/energy/pv.html
Guy
My company and industry are quite involved in such. There are some front runners in my industry who have tried to seperate themselves from the pack and be mainstream in this. I service other venues myself. Funny but many Walgreens are going this way and a number of schools. I've personally seen numbers on the schools and the payback sucks. On the residential front the payback is damned slow and in most cases you even need a new roof to support the system and service upgrades you will not want to deal with. The state offers very significant rebates however. If you combine that with a Home Eq loan, you can pay for your system and buy off the return (in theory). If you don't buy into a bunch of smoke and mirrors and just accept that there is no more power generation capability and that's a major concern, then good for you. If all you're doing it for is to "be green", then yippeekayay!, and aren't you great. It's in for now. I am on my company's green committee and promote and educate on a great many aspects of "Green". (mostly large scale lighting related, L.E.D technology is unbelievable for performance and savings, but not particularly proven over time yet and color rendering remains an issue) Quite a bit is very "bandwagon" today and do not think there are not a shitload of dirty little secrets that come with the alternatives.
do what you like though. Have at it.
g.
do what you like though. Have at it.
g.
I'd love to see some comparisons of before and after in dollars. The cost of these systems is way high, pretty hard to justify IMO. The state put a bunch of them on top of the some of their buildings, the closest to me are the buildings at IBSP, the home of the multi-million dollar outhouse; solar, wind & propane powered. They forgot the obvious source 
The windmill is not falling over, a very wide angle lens was used
The windmill is not falling over, a very wide angle lens was used
If you're really interested, Mike's site (which Guy linked to above) has full data going back for years so you can see what he's getting out of it. I didn't take the time to study myself.
I saw that, but it doesn't include factoring the cost of the system and any purchased power, at least not that I could find. Unless you don't give a megawatt about the actual cost of running one of these systems, power output means little to the average person.
I am a huge fan of solar power research. How can it miss? Its a no brainer. Look at this photo of retirement homes in Toms River. Lets put some of those roofs to work with that stimulus money, even if it means a little strengthening. No pain, no gain.
Updating this old thread.... New Jersey is now #1 in solar power.
http://content.usatoday.com/communi...y-overtakes-calif-in-commercial-solar-power/1
http://content.usatoday.com/communi...y-overtakes-calif-in-commercial-solar-power/1
It has me wondering what is really happening when energy is more important than food. The Hamilton area, closer to Crosswicks, has completed one solar plant and the second one is under construction. The two of these sites were at one time productive farmer's fields, but now they are/will be fields of solar panels. That being aside, almost every telephone pole has a panel on it and I can't count how many homes now have panels on the roofs. Some even have a set up on the garage. It is very common around here. I have also recently started seing solar heating piggybacking along with the solar panels.
Yeah... just think, they could grow corn in those fields, and turn it into ethanol!
If both of these forms of "green energy" weren't so heavily subsidized by the government, the fields probably would be growing food. Or maybe they would just grow weeds, while the farmers got paid not to grow crops by the government. Wouldn't it be nice if we could just get back to the basics, end all of these subsidies, and let the free market sort it all out?
I was driving around Burlington County today, and everytime I go up there I see more and more solar panels. As you say, every telephone pole has one, so it's a distributed system. I also noticed a small solar "farm" next to an elementary school at the intersection of (I think) Hartford and Mt Laurel Roads. It was surrounded by a big shiny cyclone fence, right next to the school building and playground. Quite an eyesore. Too bad they couldn't mount the panels on the roof .
For some reason, I don't see as many solar panels down here in Atlantic County. Maybe we don't have as many solar contractors with friends in the County government here?
Maybe you don't have as much sun
Yeah, that must be it.
Looking at that article, this statistic truly boggles my mind.
The whole US is 3.8 million square miles. New Jersey is less than 9,000 square miles. Wow.
I think the reason New Jersey over took California for PV growth is because of California's fiscal state. I'm curious to what the average income is for homeowners having the systems installed in New Jersey. Teegate, there is a new development on Route 130 which has a sales pitch of being "green" . They have a solar option and are being pushed as ultra efficient. After the last home is sold, a lucky homeowner will also win a new Ford Fiesta. You could say that the builder is forward thinking.
I find this project interesting...shining mirrors all on one spot 650 feet up a cylinder, to heat salt. I'm trying to find graphics about it.
http://www.greenbang.com/us-funds-tallest-molten-salt-tower-in-the-world_18179.html
http://www.greenbang.com/us-funds-tallest-molten-salt-tower-in-the-world_18179.html
A solar updraft tower is another way to harness the sun's energy. An Australian company is suppose to have a working version built in Arizona by 2015.
http://www.cnn.com/2011/10/02/tech/innovation/solar-tower-arizona/index.html
http://www.cnn.com/2011/10/02/tech/innovation/solar-tower-arizona/index.html