O! Wretched mortals, open your eyes!

Clean Solar Panels

2012-07-09T16:40:00.000-07:00

I sprayed down my solar panels on Sunday morning. My production that day was over 11% higher than previous days. A light layer of dust on the panels seems to be OK, but anything more does definitely affect production.

Solar Panel System Turned On

2012-07-05T16:09:00.000-07:00

I received the notice that my solar panel system was officially turned on June 13 although it was commissioned on June 11. I learned that the installers actually turned the system on when they came back to my house to wrap-up the installation. My system actually started producing on June 1, 2012. Here is a snapshot of my system's production for June:

That is pretty good considering my panels are still dirty from the installation and a summer rain storm that happened the day after they were installed. If I was disappointed with any part of the process, it was that the panels were dirty when they were installed and the installers did not clean them.

I used the Go Solar California incentive calculator to estimate the production of my solar system. That estimate was less than my guaranteed production from Sungevity and my actual production for the month of June is even higher than that. My system actually produced 134kWh more than my guaranteed production! That is enough to make me think that my system will perform better than I expected this year.

Here is the Go Solar California estimate:

Sungevity Solar Panel Installation - Day 5

2012-05-26T16:06:00.001-07:00

Friday, May 25 was the final day of installation for our solar panel system from Sungevity. Brian and Andrew from Kuykendall Solar had to come inside to attach the data cable to my switch, but other than that it was all about getting my panels wired. They got the system installed on time, despite all of the delays in getting materials. It was s very painless installation.

The system was even inspected by the city today and passed. Now all we are waiting for is Southern California Edison to power up the system. I hope they can get it done in less than a month. It would be great to be producing electricity with our solar panels before the heat of summer arrives for good.

A solar lease is a great thing. You don't have to pay any money up front. You only pay once your system starts producing electricity. Get A Free Sungevity Solar iQuote now! It only takes a few minutes.

Sungevity Solar Panel Installation - Day 4

2012-05-26T15:57:00.000-07:00

Day four of our solar panel installation was trouble free. The guys from Kuykendall got all of the panels installed. They didn't have to go into the house at all that day. So far our Sungevity system has been installed ahead of schedule. I just hope Southern California Edison can get it powered up ahead of schedule.

Get A Free Sungevity Solar iQuote now! It only takes a few minutes. You don't have to pay anything up front. You only start paying for electricity once the system starts producing.

Sungevity Solar Panel Installation - Day 3

2012-05-23T18:10:00.003-07:00

The guys from Kuykendall had to come into the attic again today for a few hours. They started their day at eight and finished up around five-thirty. They finished in the attic, installed all of the mounting hardware on the roof, installed the inverter and conduit in the garage and installed the box and conduit on the outside of the house. They even got six panels installed on the roof today! I hope they are back on schedule.

Here are photos of the progress from today:

I even got a Sungevity sign in my yard.

Get A Free Sungevity Solar iQuote now! It only takes a few minutes.

Sungevity Solar Panel Installation - Day 2

2012-05-22T19:05:00.001-07:00

Day two of our solar panel installation got off to an early start. Andrew from Kuykendall Solar showed up at 6:45. He had to do some work in the attic, so it made sense for him to start before it got too warm outside. Our shipment from Sungevity did not arrive yesterday, so it was supposed to arrive today. It turns out that it was shipped to Kuykendall's shop about two hours north of my house this afternoon.

It seems like Kuykendall is going to be behind the eight ball to get this installation done by Friday, but Brian has a good attitude. The roof doesn't look much different from yesterday since Andrew did a lot of work installign conduit in the attic.

Get A Free Sungevity Solar iQuote now! It only takes a few minutes.

Sungevity Solar Panel Installation - Day 1

2012-05-21T19:53:00.000-07:00

Brian and Andrew from Kuykendall Solar arrived at my house before eight this morning to begin the installation. The panels and mounting hardware were supposed to arrive today as well. The shipment ended up being delayed until tomorrow, but Brian and Andrew had enough items from previous installations that they were able to get started with cutting tiles and installing flashing on the roof. It was a hot day today, but they persevered until around four in the afternoon.

The shipment is supposed to arrive tomorrow afternoon, so Andrew will get started running conduit in my attic tomorrow morning. From there, he will move into the garage to get ready for the inverter installation. Brian said that the goal is to have my solar system installed by this Friday.

I don't know what caused the delay in materials being delivered, but Brian and Andrew are going to have to work hard to get my system installed in about three days. Here is what my roof looks like this evening.

Get A Free Sungevity Solar iQuote now! It only takes a few minutes.

Solar Permit Approved

2012-05-16T15:48:00.002-07:00

I received an email yesterday from my Sungevity project manager Ian that my permit has been approved and the installation could start as early as Monday. Today he confirmed that the installation will start on Monday, exactly three weeks from the time the permit was submitted to my city. That is fast, considering Sungevity estimated that it would take 4-6 weeks for approval.

I am really getting excited now!

Plans Submitted for Permits

2012-05-10T14:20:00.000-07:00

I was travelling April 13-19. It was just a business trip to Texas, North Carolina and Georgia.

I received an email from my Sungevity Project Manager, Ian, while on April 16. He let me know that the design review of my project was complete and that he would contact me to review the project in the next few days. I let him know I was travelling and asked him to call me the following week.

We finally spoke on April 26. Ian was responsible for most of the delay, but I was not even thinking about it or I would have called or sent him and email. We reviewed the plans and every piece of the system, which took maybe ten minutes at the most. My next communication from Ian was that my plans were complete and ready to be submitted for permits. I received that email on April 27. He let me know that in my town, permits can take four to five weeks. My installer, Kuykendall Solar, was supposed to submit my plans on April 30.

California Solar Initiative, Confirmed Reservation Notice

2012-05-09T16:27:00.000-07:00

I received an email from the California Solar Initiative on April 24 confirming my reservation for rebates. Here is the text of the letter:

Congratulations! This letter confirms that a Reservation has been approved for your proposed Photovoltaic (PV) project under the California Solar Initiative Program.

Details regarding your reservation are listed below:
Application Number: SCE-CSI-#####
Application Type: Residential
Host Customer: My Name
Installation Address:My Address
CEC – AC Rating: 5.471
Design Factor: 99.538%
CSI System Size: 5.446
EPBB/PBI Incentive Rate $350.00 per kW
Reserved Incentive Amount: $1,906.00
Reservation Expiration Date: 4/24/2013

The reserved incentive amount is determined by the proposed system listed in the Reservation Request documentation. Please note that the actual incentive payment may differ from the amount stated in this letter if the installed system changes.

Please complete the installation and submit the Incentive Claim package by 4/24/2013. Permission to Operate must be issued before the Incentive claim is submitted. To ensure timely processing of the Interconnection Application, please submit the NEM application, single line diagram and signed Interconnection Agreement to customer.generation@sce.com immediately after receiving this Reservation Confirmation. With this approach, the PTO should be issued within 2 to 3 weeks of receiving the final inspection card. The application will be CANCELLED if PTO has not been issued and the Incentive Claim package has not been submitted by 4/24/2013. For more information regarding the Interconnection Application process, please visit www.sce.com/nem.

Reservation Expiration Date extensions may be available depending on cause of delay at Southern California Edison's discretion. Please refer to the current California Solar Initiative Handbook for specific requirements and exemptions.

The Incentive Claim Form can now be completed online at: https://sce.powerclerk.com.

Please note the CPUC ordered California Solar Initiative Phase One Modifications effective July 14, 2011. One of these modifications requires all applications over 10 kW to take Performance Monitoring and Reporting Services (PMRS) and report 15-minute interval kWH production data to the Program Administrators. Please refer to Section 5.5.1 of the current California Solar Initiative Handbook for specific requirements and exemptions.

The CSI handbook has been finalized by the California Public Utilities Commission but may be subject to future changes. Obtain the latest version at: http://www.gosolarcalifornia.ca.gov/documents/

Sungevity Welcome

2012-04-07T09:41:00.004-07:00

I requested my free iQuote on Wednesday, March 31. A Sungevity solar associate, David, sent me an email that same afternoon. I needed to provide my last 12 months of kWh usage from SCE. He also asked me what some of the reasons I was thinking about going solar were. I told him I wanted to save money, save the planet and increase my home value. He set up a call with a Sungevity solar consultant, Brian, for the next day.

Throughout the process of evaluating solar providers, Brian was very responsive and did not put any pressure on me. He answered all of my questions and put up with my continual analysis. He was great to work with. I told Brian that I decided to move forward with Sungevity on Friday, March 30. I asked him if he knew I was going to make that decision from the beginning. He told me that he had a good idea because of the amount of analysis I was doing. Brian said it would take four to six weeks for the panels to be installed and powered on, but that it would depend on me and how fast I get done what they need me to do.

Brian sent my performance guarantee and lease agreement to me via email while we were on the phone. I reviewed the documents and esigned them very late that night or early the next morning. We had some friends over that night, so I didn't finish reviewing and signing the documents until they were gone.

My Sungevity project manager sent me an email on Monday, April 2. It outlined the next steps in the process. I needed to schedule a two-hour home visit, let me know that there was a FedEx package heading my way with documents that I needed to review and sign and that I needed to review the Sungevity Installation Overview that he attached to the email. Ian was very helpful answering any questions that I had. It turned out that they scheduled the home visit with a different installer than I had initially been told would be working on my project. This surprised me a bit because I had called the previous installers references and even visited an installation. Ian said I could choose between the installers, but if I chose the original installer I would be working with a different project manager. I chose to move forward with the new installer and asked for references and photos.

Ian set up an appointment for the home visit with Brian Kuykendall fron Kuykendall solar on Friday, April 6. He also sent me some installation photos, the link to Brian's website and some references the following day. I sent some emails to the references and they all raved about Brian. I asked Ian to have Brian bring some more installation photos with him to the meeting.

I received the FedEx package on Wednesday, April 4 and reviewed and signed all of the documents that evening. I had to complete an SCE Home Energy and Water Efficiency Survey which took about 10 minutes to complete. I also had to provide a voided check for the automatic payments. I dropped off the FedEx package the next day.

The home visit was much shorter and easier than I thought. I didn't know what would happen, but Brian showed me some photos and then started measuring. The installations looked great, so I felt very comfortable with Brian doing the installation. We talked about the inverter placement, where conduit would be run and where the disconnect would be placed. We decided to put the inverter in my garage so there would only be a small disconnect panel added to the outside of my house. All of the conduit will be run through my attic. I was very satisfied with this decision. Brian was done with all of his measurements and on the road after a little over an hour.

At this point I should be a week ahead of schedule in the process because they normally plan for a two week window for the home visit. Hopefully I can stay ahead of schedule and have the panels installed in less than 4 months.

Every Child Has a Light

2012-04-04T06:04:00.001-07:00

Sungevity's goal is to provide 5,000 solar light kits. I did my part and ordered my Sungevity solar system. Read more about this program and then get your free iQuote.

I Just Went Solar...Again

2012-04-03T16:33:00.001-07:00

The first time I went solar was when I bought my Prius in 2009. I opted for the model with solar panels on the roof. I just decided to put solar panels on my home. I decided to go with a company named Sungevity. There were four main reasons I went with Sungevity:

1. Every Child Has a Light - This is a program that partners with Empowered by Light to give a solar light kit to a school in need in Zambia for each new residential solar installation in the US. Read more about the program.

2. Responsiveness - Sungevity listened to me and put together a system that takes into account my present and future needs and will provide me with 97% of my electricity. They also answered every one of my questions in a timely manner.

3. Pricing - I compared a few solar companies (I will get into details later) before deciding on Sungevity. Their pricing made sense to me because I will not reach any tier 3 or higher electricity pricing with their system and their lease pricing was aggressive.

4. Potential - I didn't know what to label this item, so I settled on Potential. For every referral that I give Sungevity that turns into a new system, they will give me $500 and the new customer $500. In addition, the new customer gets an iPad to use to monitor their system. That is a win-win situation.

Get A Free Sungevity Solar iQuote now! It only takes a few minutes.

Bernard Buffet

2011-12-28T16:43:00.000-08:00

I just discovered the art of Bernard Buffet today thanks to Fab.com. I spent some time browsing through his art on the internet and was really taken by his style. He created a lot of work during his lifetime and you can see changes to his style, but it remains very similar visually.

Check out his biography and take a look at his art. I don't think you will be dissappointed.

Happy Holidays!

2011-12-24T22:47:00.001-08:00

I have been very erratic with my posting lately. I just want to wish everyone a happy holiday season. I hope to get off to a good start in 2012.

Not Feeling Creative

2011-10-28T16:20:00.000-07:00

I am in a major creative funk. I actually took a trip to Puerto Rico last week and did not even take my camera. I was only there for three days, but even as recently as last year I would have never gone without my camera.

In addition, it has been way too long since I wrote a blog post. I just have not had much to say that I think other people want to hear about. I have been so busy with soccer that I have not felt like blogging at all.

I am hoping that I can come out of my funk for the holidays as it is a great time to take photos. I love taking pictures of holiday lights and the winter landscape.

Half Dome

2011-09-14T15:29:00.001-07:00

The Queen and I hiked to Half Dome a few weekends ago. It was a long, hard hike, but it was worth it.

The part of the hike up past Nevada Fall was tough, but beautiful. Even though it was late in the season, there was still water coming down the falls. We only saw a handful of people on this part of the hike because we left at five in the morning. There were no people at Vernal Fall, so we stopped to enjoy it for a minute or two.

Hiking on we passed Emerald Pool and Silver Apron and both were amazing. I didn't research why the rock in this area is silver, but it was cool. The hike up to the top of Nevada Fall was tough, but The Queen picked a great pace. We stopped often, but continued to make good time. After Nevada Fall we started to see more people, but there were still not very many people on the trail. At the point where the John Muir Trail joined our trail, the hike changed. The trail was then covered in sand.

At this point the hike was not as pretty and was not that difficult. It was just long. After passing the backpackers camp we came back to the Merced River again. The hike got more difficult and we made it back to some good scenery again.

Just before Sub Dome, we finally laid eyes on Half Dome and it looked intimidating. We stopped and took some photos before heading to Sub Dome. We could see people climbing the cables and even a hiker out on the diving board.

We made it to Sub Dome before a ranger was there. We got one last drink of water and headed up. It was steep with stairs leading up switchbacks. The Queen started to have a panic attack and finally stopped about a quarter of the way up. I slowly took her back down. While back at the base of Sub Dome the ranger finally made it and started checking permits. I hiked back down a ways to see if anyone needed our extra permits. I saw a few deer near the trail before heading back to Sub Dome.

Back on Sub Dome the stairs stop about half way up. At that point you just have to climb up the rock and make your own trail. I could see the cables, so I had a general idea of which way to go. I got near the base of the cables before eleven o'clock and took off my backpack to take some photos. I think at this point I knew I was not going any further. I just kept thinking about the show "I Shouldn't Be Alive". I wondered how The Queen would know if something bad happened to me. I thought about my sore finger joints and how that would hurt my efforts to climb the cables. I saw people struggling up and slipping down the cables. I put my backpack back on and headed back down Sub Dome defeated.

The hike back down to camp was easier, but it felt longer. There were several points where we could see Half Dome that we didn't see on the way up. We stopped at the Merced River so I could refill a water bottle. I sterilized the water and it tasted good and cool. Later in the hike it tasted a little fishy.

When we got close to Vernal Fall we ran into the crowds. It took us a long time to get back down to the bridge. By the time we got back to the road, we were exhausted.

We got back to camp before four and cracked open a few beers before taking showers. We had an early dinner at the Curry Village buffet and were asleep before eight.

It was a great experience and looking back at the photos I realized the cables were not as steep as they looked. I already told The Queen that I am going to do the hike again and make it all the way up the cables.

Ignorance

2011-08-30T13:40:00.000-07:00

Michele Bachmann, the Tea Party favorite, made a comment to supporters in Florida this past weekend. She said that Hurricane Irene, which killed at least 40 people, and 5.8 magnitude east coast earthquake were God's way of telling US politicians to cut spending and fix the budget deficit. What?

I can't believe that someone with so much political clout can be so stupid. Do you really think that God cares so much about the budget deficit that he is willing to kill innocent people to get the message across? How can someone this dumb be so close to leading our country?

Michele and her husband own a Christian counseling center that, among other things, tries to convert gays to be heterosexuals. An undercover counseling session was filmed and aired on ABC News. The counselor actually says that God "designed" men's eyes to be attracted to women's breasts.

I am tired of all the politics in this country and the dumb people that continually support politicians that do not have any common sense. Michele Bachmann is such an idiot. Here is a link to some of her best quotes.

Floating On

2011-08-23T21:24:00.001-07:00

I have hit rock bottom creatively and intellectually. I just feel like I have lost a few steps. I feel overwhelmed. I feel uninterested.

At work I have realized that I would rather talk about problems than solve them. I have lost interest in most of what goes on. At home I have started running again in the morning and I feel great most days.

When I get home from work I usually cannot stop eating and I don't know why. I am at a weird point in my life and I don't know why or how to fix it. Maybe something is missing from my life. Maybe it is just the summer heat and the start of school. Maybe it is just the disappointment that I can't do what I want financially. Maybe...

Family-filled Weekend

2011-07-30T21:52:00.001-07:00

The Queen and I have a full weekend of family activities. Tonight with her family and tomorrow with mine.

The Queen's aunt and uncle were very surprised tonight by a birthday party. They thought they were going to The Queen's parents' anniversary party.

Busy and a Bit Overwhelmed

2011-07-27T15:46:00.001-07:00

I have been very busy at work lately and I am starting to get pretty busy in my personal life as well. Soccer season is about to start. I had my first meeting last night and practices start next week, as does soccer camp. This is a good time of year, but my work schedule and the added stress there is making it tough this year.

I am a bit overwhelmed at work. There are so many small problems to fix in every department that I sometimes don't even know where to start. I know that I need to get more organized. I need a new method of logging issues and creating follow-up plans. I have even joked a few times that I need a secretary. Her sole purpose would be to keep me focused on the tasks that need to be addressed. If I could find a good one, I could do the work of five people instead of just the work of two people I do now.

I just ordered a 4-pack of Pick Four, which is an updated version of Zig Ziglar’s legendary goal-setting program, The Performance Planner, updated by Seth Godin. I can't wait to receive it and start digging in. I plan to share some of the copies with other managers in my company. I think we all need to be more organized and focus our efforts on key goals. If we can all do that, this company will return to glory.

Two Years Ago Today

2011-07-15T14:01:00.000-07:00

Two years ago today I started this journey. I originally tried to post at least five times per week. I have not been able to maintain that schedule, but I am still posting semi-regularly. I will continue to post here as often as I can so I can continue my life journey.

Thinking of Change

2011-07-14T19:18:00.000-07:00

My eyes have been opened to the problems within my company the last two months. I have been getting more involved in all aspects of the company and I do not like what I am seeing. I feel like I am overwhelmed by the number of changes that need to be made. I feel like I am powerless to make some of the changes and am encountering resistance with most of my recommendations. People fear change!

I keep debating how much I want to talk about with the owner of my company and how much I want to volunteer to take on myself. My work is suffering because of the number of items I am trying to juggle. I can't do this alone.

On a much better note, the family and I had a great time in Seattle over the Fourth of July. It was my third trip to the city and The Queen's second trip there. We were able to see a lot of the city and surrounding area. The only think on my list that we did not get to check off was a visit to the Hoh Rain Forrest. I really wanted to go, but it was just too far for this trip. Maybe on our next trip we can make a plan to visit for a few days.

Seattle made me realize again what is missing in the Central Valley. Other than the fact that I hate the heat here, there is no sense of community. I often wonder why my cities downtown does not have the things that other cities and towns I visit have. Don't get me wrong, our downtown is great and has a lot to offer. It is just missing things that would attract more people to the area.

The entire valley is way too conservative for my tastes. Everyone is afraid to do something quirky because of the people they might alienate. The great thing about a bigger city is that it doesn't matter if you turn some people off because there are enough people that will like what you are doing to support you.

I really loved the Fremont neighborhood of Seattle. They have the famous troll under the Aurora Bridge, but they have a lot more to offer as well. There is a full sized rocket mounted on a building, a chocolate factory, a statue of Lenin and some dinosaur topiaries by the channel. It also has offices for Adobe, Getty Images and some other large offices. They claim they are the center of the universe and even have walking tour maps and funny signs posted around the area. They have created a community and I love it.

The Queen and I talked to our good friends about this and they agreed with us. They have not been to Seattle, but agreed that big cities have much more to offer. They even told us that they have contemplated moving to Portland, but that we were holding them back. They do not want to leave us. That made us feel good, but also got me thinking about a move to Portland as well. I have visited Portland once many years ago, but that was before it stated embracing technology and green industries. The city has changed for the better and I can't wait to visit again.

Summer So Far

2011-06-28T06:41:00.000-07:00

I want to start by saying happy birthday to The Queen. She is my best friend and a great mother to our children.

We went camping at Dinkey Creek this past weekend. I always going to this area and wonder why I don't more often. It is great to be in the mountains with creeks, rivers and a lake all nearby. It was also a refreshing change from the hot temperatures in the valley.

My only problem with camping with The Queen's family is that everything revolves around food, and lots of it. We had to take so much stuff with us, and most of it had to come back with us. We just take way too much stuff. Most of it never gets used or eaten, so we have to pack it back up when we leave.

I slept horribly for the two nights we were there, but it was still better than being home. I would gladly trade my good sleep for bad sleep if I could live in that area full time.

Tomorrow morning we are off to Seattle. I have been there twice before and really liked it the second time I visited. I can't wait to get there and show the girls all that the city has to offer. I have put together a pretty nice itinerary that takes all over the city, to the Hoh Rain Forest in Olympic National Park and on a ferry to one of the islands to hopefully see some whales.

I can't wait until tomorrow!

Selfish Government

2011-06-14T16:37:00.000-07:00

Candidates are now declaring their intentions to run for president in 2012. Millions and most likely billions of dollars are spent on elections every four years. It has made me think about the amount of money spent on elections in this country and what that money could be spent on.

I think we have to ask ourselves what makes more sense? We have found out this year that governments can be toppled by Twitter and Facebook. These social media websites are free to use, so why do candidates for the office of president of the most powerful nation in the world not grasp this technology and spend their campaign funds on something that will definately make our country a better place to live?

Many of these politicians who have announced their candidacy have fought against President Obama's healthcare plan and our budget and taxes. Everyone knows that our healthcare system needs reform. Everyone knows that the government has the potential to employ people that will shape the future of our country. We need good, quality teachers to teach our children so they can grow up to be leaders of the world. Budget cuts affect our ability to hire these qualified teachers, forcing our children into overcrowded classrooms that make it difficult to learn.

Our politicians need to stop being selfish. Our politicians need to embrace the technology that is changing the world. For as much as we consider our country the most wealthy, powerful nation in the world, we are still selfish and slow to change. We believe that nobody can tell us what to do. We do things the way they should be done. We cannot look at something that is successful in a third world country and make use of it here. We are better than that. I am tired of this type of thinking and call on our leaders to truly embrace change. I am asking them to stop spending money selfishly and start thinking about the greater good.