Killing Trees For Solar Panels

[MasterBlaster]

It's amazing. At least go back and delete the quote once you've seen that you don't need it.

And notice how I didn't need to quote Zale for ya'll to realize that I'm responding to him?

 

[Blakesmaster]

I think you're an idiot. Guess who I'm talking to.

 

[MasterBlaster]

 

[ATH]

I think it is a great idea.

 

[Zale]

I think it is a great idea.

Me to.

 

[Saddle Mander]

You might be right about the CO2 in those situations.

 

[Raintree]

Today was the Cherry on the "Killing trees for solar panels" cake! Just wrote up a removal quote for a real nice specimen copper Beach. A 30" tree with a full healthy canopy front of house.

 

[mga]

I'll say it again - replant.

replant in the same spot the original shade tree was removed from?

makes sense.

 

[imagineero]

Duct tape the solar panels to the top of the tree. Done

 

[trees4life]

Trees provide more than shade to reduce a/c costs. They reduce storm water runoff and costs of water treatment, stabilize slopes, provide shade, create oxygen, and studies prove that children living in well treed areas suffer less stress, as well as reducing crime. There is also the aesthetic value. Solar panels cannot complete as far as I'm concerned.

 

[jefflovstrom]

Trees provide more than shade to reduce a/c costs. They reduce storm water runoff and costs of water treatment, stabilize slopes, provide shade, create oxygen, and studies prove that children living in well treed areas suffer less stress, as well as reducing crime. There is also the aesthetic value. Solar panels cannot complete as far as I'm concerned.

You do no live in southern california I bet,,taking away the shade brings more solar power,,
I am not saying I am for it , but very real savings in energy costs helps a lot to the customer.
Jeff

 

[ChoppyChoppy]

I put solar panels on my place, I went from about $900-1000 a year in electric to about $150-200. Winters here don't have much daylight so I make minimal power 4 months a year. Summer does make up for that with 20+ hrs of daylight though.


With the tax credit I have about $7k out of pocket into it, so payoff in around 9 years. The panels and inverters have a 20 or 25 year warranty I believe.

I would have pretty much free power but the electric company changed how they handle it. When I first looked into it, they did "net metering" where if you made more power in a month they you used, you would get a credit of x Kw/Hr for that month. So you could "save up" and in winter be all set. Well by the time I had everything bought, put up and inspected by them, they changed it where they buy back each month at wholesale cost. I pay about 0.16 $Kw/hr, they buy the extra power back at $0.04

Also at the time I had to put the panels only in one spot (power company didn't want a "split system" and wanted it on the main building.
Well my homeowners wouldn't cover any damage to the roof or secondary damage so I decided to put the panels on an outbuilding after working through a bit of red tape with the power company.

The shed is pretty much running in an east-west so the roof sides face the north and south.
I expected the north side to not make as much power... Well it's roughly 1/2 from the south panels.
I'm hoping to put those 8 panels on the house's south roof this summer.

I don't know if larger scale applications like a school changes the cost/benefit analysis. Typical residential systems installed in 2013 were expected to take 20 years to break even. How many do you think will make 20 years trouble free? And that was with the tax credit.

I know a family locally that recently made the investments to do this at several of their offsprings homes. Time will tell, how long they remain trouble free being the deciding factor. I have doubts that current technology has broken the barrier of being long term cost efficient and truly green. Maybe in time, but its still pretty much a wash. Between the pollution of the manufacturing of the solar panels, net transport of the goods, destruction of the trees green effect, and likelihood of replacement costs kicking the investment return date further down the road it's still tentative at best. Is everybody involved stoked about "new" work? Heck yeah. Are the investors getting their money's worth? Not yet.

Edit: don't mistake my comment as being negative about the technology. I just think its important to see the big picture in regard to any savings.

 

[DR. P. Proteus]

I thought we were supposed to chop them all down just because its a manly thing to do and didn't really need a legitmate reason other than its a pain in the ass to rake the leaves. Have I been wrong this whole time?

 

[GrassGuerilla]

I put solar panels on my place, I went from about $900-1000 a year in electric to about $150-200. Winters here don't have much daylight so I make minimal power 4 months a year. Summer does make up for that with 20+ hrs of daylight though.


With the tax credit I have about $7k out of pocket into it, so payoff in around 9 years. The panels and inverters have a 20 or 25 year warranty I believe.

I would have pretty much free power but the electric company changed how they handle it. When I first looked into it, they did "net metering" where if you made more power in a month they you used, you would get a credit of x Kw/Hr for that month. So you could "save up" and in winter be all set. Well by the time I had everything bought, put up and inspected by them, they changed it where they buy back each month at wholesale cost. I pay about 0.16 $Kw/hr, they buy the extra power back at $0.04

Also at the time I had to put the panels only in one spot (power company didn't want a "split system" and wanted it on the main building.
Well my homeowners wouldn't cover any damage to the roof or secondary damage so I decided to put the panels on an outbuilding after working through a bit of red tape with the power company.

The shed is pretty much running in an east-west so the roof sides face the north and south.
I expected the north side to not make as much power... Well it's roughly 1/2 from the south panels.
I'm hoping to put those 8 panels on the house's south roof this summer.

I'm assuming the $7000 total out of pocket means you did all the labor? And thanks for the post. Good to know. Those numbers sound much more workable.

 

[ChoppyChoppy]

I'm assuming the $7000 total out of pocket means you did all the labor? And thanks for the post. Good to know. Those numbers sound much more workable.

Yes, me and 3 friends. Was pretty easy to install them.

 

[OLD OAK]

I thought we were supposed to chop them all down just because its a manly thing to do and didn't really need a legitmate reason other than its a pain in the ass to rake the leaves. Have I been wrong this whole time?

You are correct, they all need to go. I see no problem in removal of trees for any reason at all. It belongs to the customer and if they want it gone then it is their decision to make.