Author Archives: solarcollector

About solarcollector

An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.

Production: September, October, November, December, January

Posted on February 15, 2013 by solarcollector

A catch-up post with production for September through January. You can really see Hurricane Sandy in the results… There was fortunately no damage to the panels, nothing blew off the house, but down the street a tree blew down and … Continue reading →

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Cool Solar Gadget: “Rainbow-maker”

Posted on September 8, 2012 by solarcollector

Here’s something neat we’ve been enjoying, it’s a solar powered device that attaches to a window by suction cup… and at the time of day that full sun pours through the window onto it, its little solar panel generates enough … Continue reading →

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July, August Production vs. Projections

Posted on September 8, 2012 by solarcollector

Here’s an update on how we did in the months of July, and August, versus the projections that Long Island Power Solutions gave us in their original estimate. I’m once again presenting the numbers on a per-panel basis: July Projected: … Continue reading →

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June Production: Actual vs. Projected

Posted on July 1, 2012 by solarcollector

It’s our second full month, and here’s how we did versus the projections for the month of June that Long Island Power Solutions gave us in their original estimate. I’ll present the numbers on a per-panel basis: Projected: 35.33 kWh … Continue reading →

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LIPA Thanks Me

Posted on June 29, 2012 by solarcollector

LIPA sent me a nice letter and “Solar Pioneer” certificate. It has an interesting statement on it… that I am contributing to the Department of Energy’s “Million Solar Roofs Initiative” to install one million solar energy systems on buildings across … Continue reading →

Posted in LIPA's Long Island Solar Pioneer Program | 1 Comment

Up Next: LED Replacement Bulbs

Posted on June 24, 2012 by solarcollector

This post is about LED replacement bulbs which may seem a little off-topic, but a lot of the themes are similar to that of solar energy: saving energy (and saving money) through alternative energy technology. I’ll entice you with the … Continue reading →

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May Production: Actual vs. Projected

Posted on June 1, 2012 by solarcollector

Today being the last day of May, I logged into the Enlighten system to see how we did for our first full month, versus the projections that Long Island Power Solutions gave us in their original estimate. I’ll present the … Continue reading →

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Still No Certificate of Occupancy

Posted on June 1, 2012 by solarcollector

I was expecting my certificate of occupancy to arrive by mail, having completed (I thought) everything they required… so when a letter came today from the town, I opened it expecting to find my certificate of occupancy inside. Instead, it … Continue reading →

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Do The Solar Panels Ever Need To Be Cleaned?

Posted on May 17, 2012 by solarcollector

A common question I’ve been asked since launching this blog, is about maintenance of the panels; specifically, do they ever need to be cleaned? Here is the official Sharp literature on the subject (emphasis added): Sharp PV modules are designed … Continue reading →

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Net Read Meter Installed Today!

Posted on May 17, 2012 by solarcollector

Hooray, LIPA came this afternoon and switched out our old analog meter for a digital net-read meter! By this evening when I checked again it was -5 kWh in our favor 🙂 I’m impressed by how quickly LIPA did this… … Continue reading →

Posted in LIPA's Long Island Solar Pioneer Program | 1 Comment