Enemies of solar power: who's stopping solar power

Everyone has to pretend to be for solar, or at least tolerate it; but utilities, unions, building inspectors, people who don't like change, fire departments, planning departments, regulators, and many business interests do, in fact, want to stop or at least slow down the move to DISTRIBUTED POWER GENERATION. They do so by making up troublesome regulations, making the code ever more difficult, making it more difficult to get permits, and now, enlisting fire fighters to create regulations that will cripple solar power.

You don't even need a permit to put in a solar rooftop water (thermal) system! But if it's solar electric, much less ugly than the sheets of black plastic or raised glass thermal panels, all sorts of enemies arise, who claim solar electric is UGLY, DANGEROUS, NEEDS EXTENSIVE STUDY, PLANNING, PERMISSION, APPROVALS, and so on.

It takes about 3 days to install a solar PV system, but 6 weeks to 6 months to get through all the RED TAPE paperwork, opposition, petty tyrants and solar opponents, who blandly claim they are just doing their job. But their job seems to obstruct solar, or at least, delay it.

Everyone agrees that safety is important; but every solar system has to follow the NEC National Electric Code! So it's got to be safe, and up to code. The enemies of solar power go BEYOND the code, making up all sorts of frivolous, non-standard, varying and inconsistently applied regulations.

For example, in many cities you can't go to the ridgeline with the panels; in Seal Beach and most other cities, IT'S NO PROBLEM to put it up to the ridgeline, which is the most efficient location.

This is called SELECTIVE ENFORCEMENT of the law, where the law is used to block official policies (which are all pro-solar) via technicalities and armchair engineering.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• PV
• solar
• power
• obstructionists
• who
• stops
• rooftop

[pgm98387]

I would definately make sure that the load bearing portion of the roof can hold the combined weight of the panels, rails etc.

You may have a strong earthquake shake up your house. Don't want that roof caving in if too heavy. If the roof is an issue, build a pole mount rack stand. Safety first.

[liveoilfree]

Weight of solar panels is only 3 lbs. per square foot, about that of ONE layer of composition and far less than solar water or tile roofs.

Every roof has to support 3 layers of composition; we check this first. But think about it, a 200 lb. guy has to be able to jump up and down on the roof; when a solar system is in, no one (usually) walks on it, so it's LESS weight and LESS wear and tear, the roof is protected from weight and UV light.

[CAESARbonds]

@duguder

well now after the (partial) nuclear meltdowns in the fukushima npp, after lots of critics from the opposing parties and loosing some districts in local election, the goverment and Mrs merkel made a 180° turn and shut down the 8 oldest npps and made the plan to stop all at 2022.

Sadly it had to be a catastrophy to make ppl understand

[duguder]

@CAESARbonds So much for pro nuclear, she just scrap the whole thing.

[CAESARbonds]

In Germany Mrs Merkel our Chancellor is destroying our solar industry.

cutbacks in funding, and the media produce a lot of FUD!

You have to pay for your neighbors solar system you surely don't want to do that... On every channel they say it.

MRS Merkel is pro nuclear. We have no storage for the waste. the last is collapsing but the government lied to us telling it is save.

cleaning up the mess will cost over 5.5 billion dollars.

Old reactors are planned to run for another 60 years.

[deKubber]

it's great to see what's happening over here in Germany. Solar panels are being installed on roofs everywhere.....even in fields.....and they have many, many windmills

[btwbrand]

Unfortunately, that is how the game is played.

Dis-information, hoops and hurdles, bold faced lies, and faction wars. As with everything else, change is inevitable.

I will agree 100% the change is slower than it should be. The evidence of change is springing up as you pointed out on your roof and saw solar on others homes. Lots of folks are catching on.

[sircastor1138]

The Solar panels going up on my roof are actually being supported by my local power utility. Up here in Oregon, the power utilities have been forced to shut down some local power generation (hydro-electric dams) for various reasons. The solution they came up with was subsidizing solar panels on consumers' roofs. It's very exciting, and I hope we'll see more of it.

[ndyt]

Will be cool when the solar system will BE the roof.

[johthe]

Oh the irony. :) My closest fire and SOS-station is one of the largest solar-electric-systems in Sweden with an area of 1150m2 and peak power of 150000Watt.

Search "Norrfalk invigde Sveriges största solcell" and "PV installation in Falun" for pictures and some short information.

"The average electricity generated per day is 266 kWh. It ranges from 30 kWh/day in February to 662 kWh/day in April."