Comments for QUEST Community Science Blog - KQED http://www.kqed.org/quest/blog Science, Environment, and Nature in the SF Bay Area Fri, 20 Nov 2009 19:32:15 -0800 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 Comment on Reporter's Notes: Getting Paid to Go Solar by Christopher Earl http://www.kqed.org/quest/blog/2009/11/06/reporters-notes-getting-paid-to-go-solar/comment-page-1/#comment-65814 Christopher Earl Fri, 20 Nov 2009 19:32:15 +0000 http://www.kqed.org/quest/blog/?p=4171#comment-65814 Response by Christopher Earl of Akeena Solar: Today, California home owners with sunny southwest facing roofs are seeing an average payback on their solar power system (total installed system cost) between 5 – 8 years by offsetting their electric utility demand and therefore reducing or eliminating their electricity bills on month one of them getting their solar power system installed and turned on. By going solar today, home owners are able to lock-in their electricity savings the first month they go solar with the fixed cost of their solar installation and are able to continue to increase their electricity savings for decades while their solar power system produces clean, renewable power from their home. To answer Jim's questions: 1) Andalay Solar panels (currently exclusively installed by Akeena Solar in California) carry a 25-year warranty for the laminates and have an expected production life span of 30+ years. Andalay AC has a micro-inverter built into each panel and carries a 15-year warranty whereas central inverters tend to carry warranties that range from 5 - 10 years. For any warranty issues you can call us 888.253.3628 and we will come out and replace the system part. 2) If the roof needs to be replaced in the near term then the home owner should not have their solar power system installed before replacing their roof. Akeena Solar performs FREE Solar Evaluations to evaluate when the home owners’ roof will need to be replaced and consider the roof life span with the solar power system life span. For roofs that do need to be replaced after a solar power system has been installed, the costs include but aren’t limited to, the labor involved with uninstalling & reinstalling the solar power system. Because Andalay AC has built-in racking, wiring, grounding and micro-inverter it has 80% fewer parts and can be installed in half the time of ordinary solar systems therefore carrying a lower cost to uninstall and reinstall. 3) An Andalay AC Solar Power System severely increases the value of a home, similar to the increased value a home owners realizes when they invest in other additions to their home. Solar electric power systems reduce the amount of electricity a home needs to purchase from the utility and therefore decreases the electricity load and costs that a new homeowner would have to absorb, providing value to a home with solar. For California homeowners who have any further questions and want to get a FREE Solar Evaluation, Call 888.253.3628 or Click Akeena.com TODAY. For solar installers outside of California looking to install Andalay AC, Call 888.395.2248 or Click AndalaySolar.com to get your Andalay AC quote TODAY. Christopher Earl Marketing Manager Akeena Solar 888.253.3628 | Akeena.com We Make Solar Power Easy Our philosophy is simple: producing clean electricity directly from the sun is the right thing to do, both for the economy and the environment. Response by Christopher Earl of Akeena Solar:

Today, California home owners with sunny southwest facing roofs are seeing an average payback on their solar power system (total installed system cost) between 5 – 8 years by offsetting their electric utility demand and therefore reducing or eliminating their electricity bills on month one of them getting their solar power system installed and turned on. By going solar today, home owners are able to lock-in their electricity savings the first month they go solar with the fixed cost of their solar installation and are able to continue to increase their electricity savings for decades while their solar power system produces clean, renewable power from their home.

To answer Jim's questions:
1) Andalay Solar panels (currently exclusively installed by Akeena Solar in California) carry a 25-year warranty for the laminates and have an expected production life span of 30+ years. Andalay AC has a micro-inverter built into each panel and carries a 15-year warranty whereas central inverters tend to carry warranties that range from 5 – 10 years. For any warranty issues you can call us 888.253.3628 and we will come out and replace the system part.
2) If the roof needs to be replaced in the near term then the home owner should not have their solar power system installed before replacing their roof. Akeena Solar performs FREE Solar Evaluations to evaluate when the home owners’ roof will need to be replaced and consider the roof life span with the solar power system life span. For roofs that do need to be replaced after a solar power system has been installed, the costs include but aren’t limited to, the labor involved with uninstalling & reinstalling the solar power system. Because Andalay AC has built-in racking, wiring, grounding and micro-inverter it has 80% fewer parts and can be installed in half the time of ordinary solar systems therefore carrying a lower cost to uninstall and reinstall.
3) An Andalay AC Solar Power System severely increases the value of a home, similar to the increased value a home owners realizes when they invest in other additions to their home. Solar electric power systems reduce the amount of electricity a home needs to purchase from the utility and therefore decreases the electricity load and costs that a new homeowner would have to absorb, providing value to a home with solar.

For California homeowners who have any further questions and want to get a FREE Solar Evaluation, Call 888.253.3628 or Click Akeena.com TODAY. For solar installers outside of California looking to install Andalay AC, Call 888.395.2248 or Click AndalaySolar.com to get your Andalay AC quote TODAY.

Christopher Earl
Marketing Manager
Akeena Solar
888.253.3628 | Akeena.com
We Make Solar Power Easy
Our philosophy is simple: producing clean electricity directly from the sun is the right thing to do, both for the economy and the environment.

]]> Comment on The Unaided Eye by Jon Swartz http://www.kqed.org/quest/blog/2007/09/28/the-unaided-eye/comment-page-1/#comment-65804 Jon Swartz Thu, 19 Nov 2009 03:27:49 +0000 http://www.kqed.org/quest/blog/2007/09/28/the-unaided-eye/#comment-65804 Great explanation... exactly what I was looking for -thanks! Great explanation… exactly what I was looking for -thanks!

]]> Comment on Google Mars by Science Event Pick: Geek Out: Surviving on Mars | QUEST Community Science Blog - KQED http://www.kqed.org/quest/blog/2009/06/05/google-mars/comment-page-1/#comment-65797 Science Event Pick: Geek Out: Surviving on Mars | QUEST Community Science Blog - KQED Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:02:18 +0000 http://www.kqed.org/quest/blog/?p=2674#comment-65797 [...] explorers (and a number of awful movies) to formulate colonization plans. With a little help from Google Mars, you can choose plot near all the important landmarks: Valles Marineris, Olympus Mons, or even the [...] [...] explorers (and a number of awful movies) to formulate colonization plans. With a little help from Google Mars, you can choose plot near all the important landmarks: Valles Marineris, Olympus Mons, or even the [...]

]]> Comment on Toward Greener Biofuels and Greener Cars by Best Value Cars http://www.kqed.org/quest/blog/2009/10/05/toward-greener-biofuels-and-greener-cars/comment-page-1/#comment-65783 Best Value Cars Fri, 13 Nov 2009 15:08:17 +0000 http://www.kqed.org/quest/blog/?p=3779#comment-65783 Biofuels are the way forward, the Americans will just have to get used to it Biofuels are the way forward, the Americans will just have to get used to it

]]> Comment on Have You Seen My Dog? Top 10 Tips for finding lost pets by citara http://www.kqed.org/quest/blog/2008/01/07/have-you-seen-my-dog-top-10-tips-for-finding-lost-pets/comment-page-1/#comment-65779 citara Fri, 13 Nov 2009 04:43:46 +0000 http://www.kqed.org/quest/blog/2008/01/07/have-you-seen-my-dog-top-10-tips-for-finding-lost-pets/#comment-65779 I lost my dog on 11 November 2009, female German Shepherd her name is Inul. I thought she was being kidnapped because she can't jump through my fences. I live in Indonesia and there is no local animal control here, even the police wouldn't help me to see her. What should I do? I lost my dog on 11 November 2009, female German Shepherd her name is Inul. I thought she was being kidnapped because she can't jump through my fences. I live in Indonesia and there is no local animal control here, even the police wouldn't help me to see her. What should I do?

]]> Comment on Methane on Mars? Moooooooo! by Lambert Lambert http://www.kqed.org/quest/blog/2009/01/30/methane-on-mars-moooooooo/comment-page-1/#comment-65777 Lambert Lambert Thu, 12 Nov 2009 22:54:14 +0000 http://www.kqed.org/quest/blog/?p=1213#comment-65777 No Martian cows, indeed! Perhaps they have some sort of cloaking device? I suspect a government coverup! :) No Martian cows, indeed! Perhaps they have some sort of cloaking device? I suspect a government coverup! :)

]]> Comment on What Makes Us Care About Nature? by Fostering Sustainable Behavior – A Powerful, New Perspective | QUEST Community Science Blog - KQED http://www.kqed.org/quest/blog/2009/02/25/what-makes-us-care-about-nature/comment-page-1/#comment-65774 Fostering Sustainable Behavior – A Powerful, New Perspective | QUEST Community Science Blog - KQED Wed, 11 Nov 2009 16:02:17 +0000 http://www.kqed.org/quest/blog/?p=1394#comment-65774 [...] earlier blog of mine explored what makes a person care about nature. Now I’m compelled to explore what makes a person change a behavior for the good of nature – [...] [...] earlier blog of mine explored what makes a person care about nature. Now I’m compelled to explore what makes a person change a behavior for the good of nature – [...]

]]> Comment on Reporter's Notes: Getting Paid to Go Solar by Jim http://www.kqed.org/quest/blog/2009/11/06/reporters-notes-getting-paid-to-go-solar/comment-page-1/#comment-65769 Jim Tue, 10 Nov 2009 02:27:14 +0000 http://www.kqed.org/quest/blog/?p=4171#comment-65769 There are a number of practical and financial questions about residential solar installations that I never seem to be able to find the answer: 1. What is the expected life span of the solar panels and controllers? 2. What happens if the roof that the panels are installed on needs replacement? 3. What proportion of the installation costs are recaptured when the property is sold? There are a number of practical and financial questions about residential solar installations that I never seem to be able to find the answer:
1. What is the expected life span of the solar panels and controllers?
2. What happens if the roof that the panels are installed on needs replacement?
3. What proportion of the installation costs are recaptured when the property is sold?

]]> Comment on LIDAR: Lasers Nab Leadfoots by Marqui Marq http://www.kqed.org/quest/blog/2007/05/01/lidar-lasers-nab-leadfoots/comment-page-1/#comment-65766 Marqui Marq Mon, 09 Nov 2009 18:47:59 +0000 http://www.kqed.org/quest/blog/2007/05/01/lidar-lasers-nab-leadfoots/#comment-65766 I have an appeal coming up in Placer County about a LIDAR ticket. After researching, I do not find that the technology meets the Frye standard which governs the use of novel technology such as LIDAR. I have read several cases in other states where LIDAR was thrown out due to its novel science and the fact, like in CA, there is no single court case where there was expert testimony to set the precedence for judicial notice that LIDAR is in fact scientifically accurrate. In order for courts to take judicial notice, they must have one case where this sets the stage for others to recognize. I have an appeal coming up in Placer County about a LIDAR ticket. After researching, I do not find that the technology meets the Frye standard which governs the use of novel technology such as LIDAR. I have read several cases in other states where LIDAR was thrown out due to its novel science and the fact, like in CA, there is no single court case where there was expert testimony to set the precedence for judicial notice that LIDAR is in fact scientifically accurrate. In order for courts to take judicial notice, they must have one case where this sets the stage for others to recognize.

]]> Comment on Reporter's Notes: Getting Paid to Go Solar by Amy Standen http://www.kqed.org/quest/blog/2009/11/06/reporters-notes-getting-paid-to-go-solar/comment-page-1/#comment-65765 Amy Standen Mon, 09 Nov 2009 18:40:08 +0000 http://www.kqed.org/quest/blog/?p=4171#comment-65765 Hi Albert: Sorry, I should have been clearer here. From a financial stanpoint, the question is: how soon will those solar panels pay for themselves, in terms of reduced energy bills? Because of "tiered pricing," people who live in small houses with modest energy needs will spend much longer paying off their panels than people with big, energy-guzzling homes. This <a href="http://www.findsolar.com/index.php?page=rightforme" rel="nofollow">Solar Calculator</a> will tell you how quickly you'll make back the money you spent on your PV system. (For me, it's 16 years, which is probably less time than I'll own my house. So, again from a strictly financial standpoint, I'm probably better off making cheaper weatherization fixes around the house than investing in expensive PV panels.) Hi Albert:

Sorry, I should have been clearer here. From a financial stanpoint, the question is: how soon will those solar panels pay for themselves, in terms of reduced energy bills? Because of "tiered pricing," people who live in small houses with modest energy needs will spend much longer paying off their panels than people with big, energy-guzzling homes.

This Solar Calculator will tell you how quickly you'll make back the money you spent on your PV system.

(For me, it's 16 years, which is probably less time than I'll own my house. So, again from a strictly financial standpoint, I'm probably better off making cheaper weatherization fixes around the house than investing in expensive PV panels.)

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