Late fall of 2011, I finally got my third array in place…..10-245w Solarworld panels on a homebuilt dual axis tracking mount. And added a pair of 175w panels to even up the previous two arrays at 10 panels each. Total system panel rating is now 5.95kw.

The new panels were enough to boost our October production to a new record ( for us ) of 658kw/hrs !

We actually ended the year with a credit of $101, and got a check from the Johnson City Power Bd.

Total spent on power last year ( including the year end check ) was $49, and with this fall’s addition, I anticipate no more power bills this year, and a check for about $400 or so end of 2012.

Get ready for disappointment, I’m afraid….a 2.88kw system will NOT provide a $140 worth of power per month.

You’re looking at maybe 350-400kw/hrs/month in your BEST months….maybe 50 bucks.

Sorry, that the real truth.

Not sure where you’re getting $2,000 on a $55,000 solar system, which by the way, is AWFUL high for a 6 kw system….the typical grid tie system is running in the $5/w range, installed, if you shop around…..meaning a 6kw system should run about $30,000, not 55,….BUT even assuming you spend 55,00, the federal tax credit is 30%, which would be:

$16,500

and TVA kicks in a flat $1,000 on top of that when you connect.

On building your own:

1. Panels have gotten down to the price point you simply can’t build your own and compete. No way.

2. Even IF the above is wrong, you can’t legally connect non UL approved panels to the grid…meaning homebuilt panels don’t qualify.

The are the SunPower E19 couples to Enphase M215’s and both show a 25yr life. SunPowerhas a E20 panel that is commercial only.

Compare that to a $55,000 6KwH solar system and you get $2,000 in incentives.

OK So I’ve got the car; so now make it possible for me to power my house and car off the grid for a reasonable cost.

Instead of giving bankers trillions to save their sorry hides, how about a few billion for solar energy?

COME ON ALREADY!!

North Carolina for example I pay more in property taxes than my sister which owns more land and a slightly larger home than mine. I pay state income tax, our sales tax is slightly cheaper than in TN but North Carolina charges you a yearly tax on the value of the car you own. Pray to GOD you don’t own what they call a “classic car”. (((One the the guys I work with had to sell the car he bought when he moved to NC because they called it a “classic”. They were going to charge him $15,000 a year the car he paid $10,000 JUST to own it))).

TO THE POINT: Everyone as a whole should pressure the government to pressure electric companies in transferring to clean energy for the enviroment, for our children and for national security.

WHY: The government will ALWAYS keep their hands in our pockets because other countries and Americans will keep their hands out asking for freebies. So regardless if you do go off grid to try and save money the goverment will ALWAYS take more than you can afford to support those request. EVERYONE should focus more on demanding HOW our government spends OUR money instead of asking to get a tax break. “Tax break being temporary relief”.

Some of you still won’t understand the “WHY” so I will explain another way. People are lazy. Look at how many obese people you see in America, people ARE lazy. How many of those people do you think are going to maintenance an emissions free power system? 10%..20%. Do you honestly think they will spend the time learning to maintenance the equipment when the only thing they can think about is ways to get out of working? (Co-worker of my Dad’s is 367 pounds. He goes to the Doctor and finds he is eligible for disability. Put simply if he would lose weight he would not have these health problems. But instead he has found a way to stop working and he tells my Dad he is going to collect his check from the government. Paid by me and you.)

So if we demand our tax money be spent wisely, demand our electric companies go 100% emissions free it will benefit every American, every Americans’ children and speed up the process for saving the enviroment.

How is this going to make you money? You can bank on it that if we forced our government to do the right thing everyone would save money in taxes without having to spend a dime.

America sends Pakistan $3 trillion in aid. (A study was done, 90% of Pakistan is against Americans meaning they hate us yet they are glad to take our money.) America sends China money for aid (We owe them money!!! Why are we giving them free money?) TARP money was given to banks as a bailout (Senior CEOs earn 1 million in bonus pay and they purchase new jets with the money OUR government sent them). Black American farmers were given $50,000 a peice for discrimination by our government. (I say good they deserve their hard earned money lost. The problem is in the settlement it says if you “attempted to farm” you were entitled to $50,000. $2 billion was started to reimburse them and because so many “attempted to farm” NOT farmers the government had to dish out more of our tax dollars.) Clothes are sent to Iraqis to help them during time of war. (The Iraqis cut those clothes up, sold them back to us and now we use them as oil rags. I know because I am in Iraq.)

Look at the bigger picture, educate yourselves so YOU CAN make a difference in the enviorment, save yourself some money and save the American economy without spending a dime.

How do you do that? Protest protest protest. Something can be learned from France. Their government is afraid of the people but in America we are afraid of our government.