One of my neighbor's up north had a generator that kicked in when the power went out. It was run off natural gas. I guess that is as safe as running from any gasoline, but it seemed a little scary to me.
About two weeks ago some young man came by to try and get us to install solar panels. I laughed and asked him if he knows about the HOA we have. His response was that his company works with HOA's, but that doesn't mean solar panels would be acceptable. I told him I could not afford solar panels and he claimed they would be free. After the installation we would no longer pay Ameren Missouri for electric, but instead pay his company (whose name I quickly forgot). So, apparently the real story had nothing to do with clean energy. It was all about switching power suppliers, and in this case the power source would be on top of my roof. I think that in theory the idea is good, but in practice it would look ugly if half the houses had solar panels and the other half did not. That would destroy the ticky-tacky look the HOA is so adamant about preserving.
Really Old
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Re: Really Old
¿Renting solar panels? no, thanks. I'd prefer to assemble the necesary hardware myself... Fortunatelly HOA's are not a thing down here and if present, nobody would take care of them.
Re: Really Old
I lived 72 years without the oversight of a Home Owners Association (HOA). I'm not sure why people feel they need some oversight committee to set a bunch of ridiculous rules for the entire community to follow. The argument is that by everyone's home being uniform (identical) the value of the real estate would be maintained. They also run the community swimming pool in our case, but that has been closed due to COVID and the lack of life guards. So I'm giving them $400 a year for a set of rules I don't need and a swimming pool I don't or can't use. I'll concede the community looks nice. Every house is the same color down to the shades you put on your windows. Back where I came from every house was different, some even ugly, and I got top dollar for it when I sold it. I can't believe the HOA dictators would allow the installation of something like solar panels to mar the appearance of all these beautiful and identical houses.
Re: Really Old
We have a solar panel company less than a mile from me that offers those types of deals also.
Or you can buy them outright.
They do have several different styles too, some of them look like the old ceramic tile pipe looking roofs, so are not a sore thumb.
Their big thing in my area is selling carports with solar panel roofs. I checked into that, but due to the large trees behind my garage, and being on the north face of a mountain, they said it was not feasible for me.
They would love to put some on the northwest facing roofs on my house, because we get the hottest of the 3 pm sun.
However, the way they operate the free installations is you cannot charge batteries, all excess must go back into the electrical system through a 500 dollar meter. Then he found out we are not on a grid and only fed from a single substation, and that ended our talk, hi hi.
We do have a neighbor a couple of doors away who has four banks of solar panels in his back yard. They are high off the ground, about 9 feet up at the back end, and I guess 7 feet give or take at the front end, but he also has a stockade fence in his near side backyard so you don't see those panels from the street. He also has four battery boxes up against the backside of his fence. And I guess the wiring to his house is underground. I do know he is not feeding the electric back to the electric company since we can't here. But he does use it to run the pumps on his pool and most of the lighting and appliances in his house. But the batteries seem to only have about 10 hours of power if all of his electric is out from the power company.
Or you can buy them outright.
They do have several different styles too, some of them look like the old ceramic tile pipe looking roofs, so are not a sore thumb.
Their big thing in my area is selling carports with solar panel roofs. I checked into that, but due to the large trees behind my garage, and being on the north face of a mountain, they said it was not feasible for me.
They would love to put some on the northwest facing roofs on my house, because we get the hottest of the 3 pm sun.
However, the way they operate the free installations is you cannot charge batteries, all excess must go back into the electrical system through a 500 dollar meter. Then he found out we are not on a grid and only fed from a single substation, and that ended our talk, hi hi.
We do have a neighbor a couple of doors away who has four banks of solar panels in his back yard. They are high off the ground, about 9 feet up at the back end, and I guess 7 feet give or take at the front end, but he also has a stockade fence in his near side backyard so you don't see those panels from the street. He also has four battery boxes up against the backside of his fence. And I guess the wiring to his house is underground. I do know he is not feeding the electric back to the electric company since we can't here. But he does use it to run the pumps on his pool and most of the lighting and appliances in his house. But the batteries seem to only have about 10 hours of power if all of his electric is out from the power company.
Re: Really Old
I had no idea about the arrangements that could be made with solar panels. This "free" panel offer was new to me and it seemed like it was designed just to get a foothold into the area and not necessarily a big benefit to me. I truly don't know about any restrictions the HOA might impose. It just seems like the kind of thing they would not allow in our pristine neighborhood. Panels on my roof would stand out like a sore thumb and that seems to be a big deal around here. Nobody is supposed to look any different than anyone else. I didn't agree to talk to the sales people so that I don't know what the cost benefits may or may not be. I am surprised that there is a scheme that does not allow battery charging. That would seem like a bad idea when the sun don't shine. In any case, I'm sticking with Ameren for now, and probably for the duration. I don't know of any residential solar panels anywhere in O'Fallow, but then I don't get around much. It might be fashionable somewhere.
Re: Really Old
It goes along with, the mouse doesn't understand why the cheese in the trap is free.
People, especially those who work, don't use much electric during the day.
But they do use a lot from around 3:30 until 7 pm for cooking and cooling the house back down again.
Solar panels put out the most power from around noon until 3 to 4 pm.
And with the peak power being put back into the grid, and the money going to the solar panel company.
In a basic way, they are just trying to find places to install solar panels they won't have to pay rent on their placement.
Most folks leave their AC on all day and night, and running it from the solar panels will save them a considerable amount on their electric bill.
Now some of those who install free solar panels will be glad to sell you a battery system to store power.
And the batteries fill up pretty fast, so the company is still making a bundle during the peak times of the day from the panels.
Going way back to the early days of generating your own power, they had reverse running electric meters.
The electric company quickly realized this was costing them big time, so they outlawed them, and instead have meters that allow them to see how much you put into the grid and pay you a much cheaper rate than they charge you for using their electric.
People, especially those who work, don't use much electric during the day.
But they do use a lot from around 3:30 until 7 pm for cooking and cooling the house back down again.
Solar panels put out the most power from around noon until 3 to 4 pm.
And with the peak power being put back into the grid, and the money going to the solar panel company.
In a basic way, they are just trying to find places to install solar panels they won't have to pay rent on their placement.
Most folks leave their AC on all day and night, and running it from the solar panels will save them a considerable amount on their electric bill.
Now some of those who install free solar panels will be glad to sell you a battery system to store power.
And the batteries fill up pretty fast, so the company is still making a bundle during the peak times of the day from the panels.
Going way back to the early days of generating your own power, they had reverse running electric meters.
The electric company quickly realized this was costing them big time, so they outlawed them, and instead have meters that allow them to see how much you put into the grid and pay you a much cheaper rate than they charge you for using their electric.
Re: Really Old
I can see the logic to the electric company paying less for incoming power than they charge for outgoing power. My electric bill spells it all out in clear itemized terms. Distribution costs and taxes often equal the production costs. I'd venture to guess that it costs the same to produce a kilowatt of power no matter where you do it. Getting it to your customers is where the expense builds up quickly.
No doubt the solar panel people are legitimate. It's just a different way to do things and seems a little shady.
No doubt the solar panel people are legitimate. It's just a different way to do things and seems a little shady.
Re: Really Old
As far as I've read about, the ide is that the solar panels are inclined to the south, both to drain during rain and in order to take advantage of the sun, specially at noon. Ideally down here the prefered inclination would be that of the latitude. It's not a big deal since it's 19.5 degrees, but up there it would be 36 degrees in Knoxville and 39 degrees in O' Fallon, and that added to wind would mean a possibility for the solar panel contraption to fall over unless securely attached to an already inclined roof... Dennis, since from what you've posted, and what I've seen from Google Maps, it seems that your front door is pointed N or NNW, so the panels would be mounted in the back roof of the house. Batteries, the sun harvester, charger and the DC - AC converter could be housed in a strategically installed shed in the back side... What bugs me is if the walls and roof are sturdy enough for such a setup can be done without using reinforcements on your roofs. Don't rely too much on my assessment since my viewpoint comes from someone used to earthquakes and steel reinforced concrete, brick and mortar houses...
Also I've seen there is an Ameren solar generating plant north of Carshield field over there in O' Fallon... And see that the plant seemingly has 115 KV and 230 KV distribution lines going out from there... Will have to check a bit more about that.
Also I've seen there is an Ameren solar generating plant north of Carshield field over there in O' Fallon... And see that the plant seemingly has 115 KV and 230 KV distribution lines going out from there... Will have to check a bit more about that.
Re: Really Old
Juan, you are correct about the orientation of my home. The north side at street level looks normal but the south side grade is 8-10 feel lower due to the slope of the land. Thus out back the entire basement wall and the first floor are exposed to the southern sun. There are quite a few windows on that southern side as well which is a marvelous thing during the cold winter months. We get a lot of heating help from the sun (when it shines) during the winter months. During the summer we need to close the drapes on the windows during the daytime so that we do not feel as if we live inside an oven. LOL
Solar panels would logically be placed on the roof of that southern exposure. While I have not checked it to be certain, I believe the roof is angled between 30 and 45 degrees, which would be pretty close to ideal for solar panels. You are a master sleuth. LOL I had no idea that Ameren had a solar panel generating station anywhere in O'Fallon. I live fairly close to Carshield Field and was unaware of what is going on there, or just north of there. I'm not a baseball fan so that I don't get to that part of town very often. I will have to look for that farm of solar panels the next time I'm in that area.
Solar panels would logically be placed on the roof of that southern exposure. While I have not checked it to be certain, I believe the roof is angled between 30 and 45 degrees, which would be pretty close to ideal for solar panels. You are a master sleuth. LOL I had no idea that Ameren had a solar panel generating station anywhere in O'Fallon. I live fairly close to Carshield Field and was unaware of what is going on there, or just north of there. I'm not a baseball fan so that I don't get to that part of town very often. I will have to look for that farm of solar panels the next time I'm in that area.
Re: Really Old
Down here, although there are several ground mounted solar farms with their panels facing south and slightly west. We see most of the residential ones near us facing north west.
There's probably a good reason for that too, since we live on the north face of a mountain.
We don't see the sunrise until an hour after official sunrise, and in my case with the trees in the woods behind me, it is more like an hour and half before we see any sun at all.
But from around 11 am until 7 pm we can see the sun. And the hottest time period of the day is usually from 2 to 4 pm.
The sun is hot enough at 3 pm that a west facing window will have mini-blinds turn black and sag from the heat.
Lot's of stuff facing west and slightly north down here gets fried by the sun.
There's probably a good reason for that too, since we live on the north face of a mountain.
We don't see the sunrise until an hour after official sunrise, and in my case with the trees in the woods behind me, it is more like an hour and half before we see any sun at all.
But from around 11 am until 7 pm we can see the sun. And the hottest time period of the day is usually from 2 to 4 pm.
The sun is hot enough at 3 pm that a west facing window will have mini-blinds turn black and sag from the heat.
Lot's of stuff facing west and slightly north down here gets fried by the sun.
Re: Really Old
I spent about ten minutes perusing a satellite image of O'Fallon and found only one home that could be identified as having solar panels on it's roof. As luck would have it the panels were facing west/southwest. I'm certain I could easily have missed a few more solarized homes, but the lack of them around here is stunning. Then I checked on the view of that array at Carshield Field. It's humongous. I can't believe I missed something that size. LOL
- OFMOmap.JPG (157.11 KiB) Viewed 628 times
Re: Really Old
Wow, that is a big layout for sure!
I wonder if they use it to melt planes as they fly over, hi hi.
Just below that are two area that look like a 3 leaf clover and a 4 leaf clover, I can't read the text on the green dot for it though.
I wonder if they use it to melt planes as they fly over, hi hi.
Just below that are two area that look like a 3 leaf clover and a 4 leaf clover, I can't read the text on the green dot for it though.
Re: Really Old
It''s just the usual Google Maps landmarks ...
- OFMOmap2.JPG (130.42 KiB) Viewed 623 times
Re: Really Old
Why not, it's a big area, maybe 9 hectares... Even if they only reflect around 10% of the incoming light, if pointed to focus on a single point the size of an individual panel (commonly a square meter or so) it could be possible...
The clovers seem to be public baseball fields.
http://www.paynecrest.com/project/ofall ... -center-2/
Re: Really Old
I was on the Ameren Missouri website today to update some information. Apparently my home qualifies to hook up to that solar array and get my energy from there 50% of the time. I did not look into the details to see what the costs might be. When I get the courage (or free time) I'll look into it and report back.
And, just an FYI, we don't get a lot of commercial air traffic over O'Fallon. Most days I do not hear any planes at all, but some days there are two or three that I detect. Private planes are even more rare, but I have seen a crop duster a time or two. Up in Chicago I lived less than10 miles off the end of runway 28R and there were hours when the air traffic was non-stop. One plane about every 30 seconds would not be unusual at those intervals. I'm REALLY loving the peace and quiet of O'Fallon. LOL
And, just an FYI, we don't get a lot of commercial air traffic over O'Fallon. Most days I do not hear any planes at all, but some days there are two or three that I detect. Private planes are even more rare, but I have seen a crop duster a time or two. Up in Chicago I lived less than10 miles off the end of runway 28R and there were hours when the air traffic was non-stop. One plane about every 30 seconds would not be unusual at those intervals. I'm REALLY loving the peace and quiet of O'Fallon. LOL
Re: Really Old
I only got "unavailable content" from Ameren webdites. Did not want to turn on a vpn to find out more. Anyway, I won't use their services at this moment...yogi wrote: ↑27 Aug 2021, 22:34 I was on the Ameren Missouri website today to update some information. Apparently my home qualifies to hook up to that solar array and get my energy from there 50% of the time. I did not look into the details to see what the costs might be. When I get the courage (or free time) I'll look into it and report back.
And, just an FYI, we don't get a lot of commercial air traffic over O'Fallon. Most days I do not hear any planes at all, but some days there are two or three that I detect. Private planes are even more rare, but I have seen a crop duster a time or two. Up in Chicago I lived less than10 miles off the end of runway 28R and there were hours when the air traffic was non-stop. One plane about every 30 seconds would not be unusual at those intervals. I'm REALLY loving the peace and quiet of O'Fallon. LOL
I'm familiar with non stop air traffic. SMO (San Mateo) VOR is almost 4 kilometers west of here, at the peak of La Palma hill. So, most of the Mateo 5 traffic to Mexico City Intl airport used to fly near here until SENEAM changed the routes hoping for the IATA approval of the airport the army is building in Xaltocan, on SLA (Santa Lucía) FAM base.
Dennis, altough St Louis Lambert is around 20 km to the east of your location, your location doesn't seem to be near the approach/departure routes.
Re: Really Old
Juan - looking at a map of Lambert I can see that the runways are oriented at 120/300 degrees, or southeast to northwest. I am located directly west of the airport and very close to Rt 70, the access point to Lambert. That would be an orientation of 270 degrees for which there are no runways at Lambert International. It's likely that any traffic I do see would be aircraft in a holding pattern of some sort. You have my sympathies; 4 kilometers is very close to any airport.
Don't know what to say about the Ameren website. It worked well for me.
Don't know what to say about the Ameren website. It worked well for me.
Re: Really Old
They may be identifying the IP location, so I'm not near the service area (or the same country), so no free ride... And those 4 kilometers are for one of the waypoints in the approach. At sometime in the past I was playing with the idea of going several places along the approach route and assemble a "Kai Tak, Mexico City" video, including a take from the Bellini restaurant. It may happen or not... I'm still not sure about the idea.
Re: Really Old
I can't think of a good reason why Ameren would deny access to anybody in any country. There is no sensitive information on the general website unless you have a users account, which is not what you are trying to access. I'm pretty sure Kai Tak is or was the airport in Hong Kong. I'm unfamiliar with a video about it. I know you are a creative person and anything you might compose would likely be entertaining. I had to look up Bellini. It seems to be an Italian Restaurant in Miami. How that would fit into a video about Mexico City could be very interesting. LOL
Re: Really Old
The original idea was about taking shorts of several locations along the approach route to Mexico City Airport, each would be "normal" shightseeing, when suddenly a Jumbo Aircraft flies over the place. There is a restaurant installed in a rotating platform atop the old "Hotel de México", now WTC México. That's the Bellini. Some of the most spectacular views of Mexico City can be seen from there. It also happens to be quite near the turning point where approaching aircraft have to do a 90° left turn in order to align to the 5L and 5R runways of Mexico City airport. The take would also be of a Jumbo aircraft doing that left turn from the restaurant, while people keep eating and minding their business... Th idea came to me while I was correcting some parabolic antennas atop the Insurgentes Sur 800 building, a couple blocks from the WTC México.
http://www.bellini.com.mx/
http://www.bellini.com.mx/