Do You Have Solar Power?

[Nancy OShea]

Finally, the US has a Climate Change / Inflation Reduction Bill before the Senate that may get approved early next week.  Hurray!  The good news is that the Bill provides many incentives for people to switch to Solar Power.  It's something I have wanted to do for years. And this may be the best time to do it. 

How many people are currently using Solar Power at home, office or school?

[George_F]

Holy smokes!  Quite literally!  I'm glad you made it through without losing power due to demand.  Do higher temps also correlate with more brown-outs? (if I'm using this term correctly?)

To a much lesser extent, that's sort of how our summer has played out on the East Coast as well.  Periods of hot and dry, and then heavy rain storms which is unusual for us.  We've just left severe drought status in the last 3 weeks or so.  I was very surprised to see how much of the world has experienced drought conditions this summer.

We just finalized our 1/100th or so ownership in a solar farm collective and it will be online next August.  I hope our tiny contribution does the world some good 🙂

[Nancy OShea]

Brown outs are very weird events.  As a kid, we had them in Los Angeles.  Lights dim to an eerie brown-amber glow -- not quite on, not quite off.   You don't want to be in an elevator during one.  That said, I haven't seen a brown-out for decades.  

These days, our power is either on/off.  My gas range locks up whenever power is interrupted (safety measure).  On average, I have to unlock it  once a week.

We plan to install solar panels after fire season, end of fall.  As a formality, I have to obtain permits and HOA permission first.

[Chuck Uebele]

In CA, HOAs cannot prohibit you from installing solar panels, but they can tell you how they need to be instslled.

[Nancy OShea]

That's right. It's a process. Our HOA requires everything is up to code.  The Architectural Committee doesn't meet again until the Fall.

[Chuck Uebele]

I hate HOAs!

[Nancy OShea]

I'm ok with our HOA.  Before moving here, we looked at a house in a non-HOA area that was dropped in price 3 times and still couldn't sell.  The problem was a hoarding neighbor next door.  Fortunately, we don't have those problems.

[Chuck Uebele]

That good you don't have a horder. We had one in a condo complex. The HOA, didn't know how to deal with it. It was finally resolved, luckily, after a lot of time and legal dealings.

Had a horder across the street from us in a non HOA neighborhood. She kept the outside nice, but the inside!!!

[Nancy OShea]

We've been lucky.  Despite our many water challenges from the mega-drought, everyone is keeping their properties presentable.  The HOA keeps the common areas well-maintained. 

I'm using make-shift ollas from clay pots & saucers to keep our citrus trees & cullinary herbs alive. It's very low-tech but effective.  As water perspires out of the ollas into the soil, it gives plant roots some much needed H20 between 1/wk watering.  So far, so good. But I think the lawn is a goner.

[Jill_C]

We had synthetic grass installed in our back yard 2 summers ago - it looks fairly realistic and perfect year around. I just have to sweep it off from time to time...

[Jill_C]

In my many walks around the various neighborhoods in Redwood City, it is easy to conclude that those managed by HOA's are considerably more attractive and homogenous and command a higher price when sold. No abandoned vehicles dripping oil on driveways, no trash piled up outside garages, no foil-covered windows, no houses painted neon pink, no overgrown landscaping, etc. But you do have to be willing to "follow the rules" regarding what you can do to the exterior of your house, parking restrictions, etc. For me, it's a small price to pay to live in an attractive, well-maintained, safe neighborhood.

[Nancy OShea]

@Jill_C,

When I was single, I lived in Redwood City.  My low-rent apartment was within walking distance of a Lucky's supermarket (now Amazon/Whole Foods). I liked it there but the plumbing sucked.  So I moved to San Carlos.  🙂

[Jill_C]

Probably still a crummy apartment building, with a much higher price !

[Nancy OShea]

This 100% solar community endured Hurricane Ian with no loss of power and minimal damage

The storm obliterated nearby Fort Myers and Naples areas with record-breaking water surge and winds over 100 mph. It knocked out power to more than 2.6 million customers in the state, including 90% of Charlotte County.  But the lights stayed on in Babcock Ranch.

Babcock Ranch calls itself “America’s first solar-powered town.” Its nearby solar array — made up of 700,000 individual panels — generates more electricity than the 2,000-home neighborhood uses, in a state where most electricity is generated by natural gas and fossile fuel.

The streets in this meticulously planned neighborhood were designed to flood so houses don’t. Native landscaping along roads helps control storm water. Power and internet lines are underground to avoid wind damage. This is all in addition to being built to Florida’s robust building codes.

Babcock Ranch is a tested model for planned communities of the future to follow.

[Brynlee27683515n29y]

I'm using solar power at home. Tbh, I analyzed this decision for more months. At first, I was skeptical about switching to solar energy. This is because the initial cost of purchasing a solar system is pretty high.

[Brynlee27683515n29y]

However, the guys from https://yenex.com convinced me investing in solar power is crucial. It can reduce or eliminate the need for fossil fuels to produce electricity. I'm happy about the results so far. I noticed an electricity bill reduction. So this change was definitely worth it.

[Nancy OShea]

Mexico could soon be powering California and Arizona with solar energy. 

Mexico is moving to power California and Arizona

A 120-megawatt capacity photovoltaic plant in the Sonoran seaside city of Puerto Peñasco already began feeding the national grid last month, while another 300 megawatts are expected to be online next year.   The third phase of this project hopes to connect with the Western Interconnection that stretches from Western Canada to Baja California in Mexico. 

[Smart Energy Gap]

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