Solar Panels Declined

 

We looked hard into solar panels.  We were super close to going with a company that would install and maintain them and we more or less would rent them from them.

It sounded all good like we would be able to more or less run the house from solar panels and only have the grid connection for the odd necessity. This is not how it ended up working at all.

At first we were told that this was how it would work.  Then they wanted us to sign more agreements before getting the full information and design.  Then as we were thinking about it someone else in the company said that the system would be much different and that solar would only cover 60% of our need.  So on top of everything we were being told different things by different people.  In the end we looked into doing it ourselves.  We quickly realized now unregulated so much of solar still is.

If I had more land and the ability to take a hit if parts needed replacement due to failures, then maybe.  As it is we don't have the room for solar (way better to be ground mounted) and do our gardening and have a yard.  Whereas the roof gives more sun access, it also voids the roof warranty and is hard on maintenance. They perform better mounted down and if they can move some with the sun even better.  The roof is seldom optimal for the angle. 

We also talked to a guy who has installed more systems than I could have imagined, a real pro.  He recommended not doing solar for our situation for many of the reasons above.  I know there is the government support right now but I don't see going solar any time soon.

What these companies are doing is using the government programs to cover the install and staff payroll and at the same time "renting the panels to you."  They are in effect paid twice for a good portion of the panels.  If you want the panels they sell them to you at full price, prorated for value but not the discount they got up front.  On top of that they probably got a bulk discount on the panels as well.

If someone tells you that your house will be considered an energy producer with Oncor, it's a lie.  A house will NEVER be more than a house.  Oncor will always get their cut in all directions.

2024 Total Solar Eclipse

 

I can't believe it's already been so many years and I hadn't put up my solar eclipse pictures.

Yes, I've been waiting this long to view it and it finally came and went.

Here's a recap from my gardening blog:

So many people said they really didn't care to watch the eclipse.  It's so confusing since these same people are the kind of person that would spend thousands of dollars on other events that might be considered once in a lifetime events.

Considering where we are and how much effort it really took most people you'd think that at least they would bother to look up.

I don't know how many pictures I've seen of the eclipse.  Most of them are similar to this one I took where it's exactly as you'd expect and have been told by thousands of media outlets that you'd see.

Whereas the image itself is really nothing special, and frankly I've seen so many better pictures, the event was something I'm glad I took off work to experience.  I was able to spend hours with friends chatting about the eclipse as well as anything but the eclipse.  For the most part it was an excuse to have an off day.

What I didn't expect was the speed at which the sky darkened and got lighter afterwards.  Also the chill in the air as the sun was slowly dimming.  I guess I should have thought of that but to experience it was akin to being a small child and having an airplane fly overhead and cast its shadow on you.  But this was the moon.  It put into perspective the massive size of everything and how I'm just one person on this huge planet.

I also found it interesting that everyone experienced the eclipse differently.  Different clouds, different duration, different mood.  Although we were looking at the same thing, we didn't experience the same thing.

In conclusion, yeah, I'd do it again.

Again,  I should have posted here first.

On a side note, now that we've gotten back into a house we're seriously considering solar panels.  So stay tuned for our adventures into the solar panel fray!

If you've gone solar let me know how it went for you.

Monterrey Sundial

On a recent trip to Monterrey, Mexico we happened to pass by this sundial in Fundidora Park. It was just outside of the historical archive of Nuevo Leon.

Considering its outside of a historical archive building I'm surprised I can't find more information about it.  Although, by the looks of the gnome, it was probably originally built when the park was a metal foundry.

All around the park and nearby businesses there are sculptures and remnants of the early beginnings of Monterrey.

Dallas Solar Eclipse 2024

The solar eclipse a few years back was a neat experience.  We got together with some friends and had a hamburger cookout and watched as the sun made a crescent shape and went back to normal.  The shadows multiplied the effect and gave us all a nice show.

We also used mirrors to reflect the shape onto the far walls by the pool.  The bigger the mirror the brighter but fuzzier the image, much like a camera does with the aperture.

Coming up in a little over five years we will get to experience the total eclipse though as darkness will descend upon the DFW metroplex.  One of the few phenomenon I haven't seen yet.  I'll probably still do burgers though.  I mean, who doesn't like burgers?

Get Out and Enjoy the Sun

We've all has the doom and destruction speech about how the sun will kill us if we stay out in it too long. How it will breed quick spreading cancer throughout our skin and we will be helpless as it sloughs off in bloody sheets.  This is of course an exaggeration but really it's how a lot of people  view getting out in the sun.  It terrifies them and so they stay home or go to an indoor mall where the deadly radiation can't reach them.

The fact is that even if you get a bad sunburn, not what anyone wants, the chances of you getting skin cancer is less than 0.05% and the chances of you dying from it if you do get it are less than 13% making the probability of dying from skin cancer less than 0.005%.  That makes your chances pretty good that you won't come down with much less die from skin cancer. This is a worst case scenario too if you happen to live in a state more prone to getting it and have an ethnic background to support it. Overall the chances are actually much lower.

The drawbacks of not getting enough sun are actually worse for you. Your immune system needs vitamin D to function properly and without sunlight it can be difficult to get enough vitamin D to stay healthy.  On top of that your mood is worse and depression can get a foot hold. In high latitude areas where the sun is seen less in winter time depression gets to be a real problem. In the end you will likely spend more combating the effects of not getting enough sun and feeling miserable than if you just got out for a while each day.

Getting outside has further positive effects. You likely aren't going to be staring at a screen.  Instead you will be looking around enjoying the scenery or playing some sport or another. Either way your eyes will benefit from the change of focus promoting good eye health.  It has been said that by our teens we are now having our visual focus trained to look 2.5 feet in front of us, right where a screen would sit. retraining our eyes can be a benefit to not only our eyes but our health in general by getting out and doing something in the sun.

A quick note: All percents are on a yearly basis.  This still makes the probability of dying from skin cancer less than half a percent over an 80 year lifetime.  Pretty good odds and one I can live with. (Numbers rounded to worst case and then some. Actual chance is probably more around three hundredth of a percent (0.03%). That is still thousands a year though many of them have extenuating circumstances.

Properties of Light, The Particle Side

It's been some time since I posted the debunk of the Theory of Relativity and felt there needed to be a little bit said on the particle side of light.

In the previous post I clearly stated that light was a wave in electromagnetic fields.  This is true.  What about photons? If you aren't familiar with photons then it's the particle some have said that light is made of.  It is thought that they must be what dislodges electrons when high frequency light is shown on certain surfaces. Simply stated they are merely a way for some folks to wrap their minds around something so they can move forward.

A more accurate way to state it would be likening it to a vibration.  When crystal, we've all heard about this, is exposed to vibrations at a certain frequency then it can shatter, that is to say it releases it's bond.  In like manner when exposed to a certain frequency some electrons shoot off, that is to say they release their bonds. In both cases the frequency must match the material being affected.

Thus the statement that light is a wave in the electromagnetic field is still true.

Again if you have relevant input please feel free to share.

Moon's Orbit Unwinding?

I'm not sure the theories are quite thought through yet.  Since the entire idea is based on speculation and limited observation, there is no reason to believe the trend to move away from the earth is continuous or that it won't get closer as well.  The main influence on the moon is the sun as mentioned. The moon and earth both orbit the sun, neither of them curving outward but always toward the sun.  The moon's orbit is a little more erratic but the sun is still the main influence.
In my looking into this the tides are citeed as a cause of this distance widening of the moon.  This is a little odd since there is no gravitational friction.  Also the tides are a result of the moons gravity not the other way around.
Interestingly the movement of the moon away from the earth at such a rate does correlate somewhat with the rising sea level.  If this is the reason for the movement then as the icecaps freeze and thaw then the moon shifts with the overall surface of the water, not a degrading or unwinding orbit but a symbiotic relationship with the earth.