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Solar Panels Catching On In Crown Heights - Page 2 — Brooklynian

Solar Panels Catching On In Crown Heights

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  • Vanderbilly
    Vanderbilly

    Delivery Notification: Delivery has failed


    My message to Elena didn't go through.  If you speak to Elena again, please let her know that there is a communication issue through their site.  This was my fourth unique attempt to get through to them

  • capt. planet
    capt. planet
    Sorry, the correct email is [email protected]
  • Vanderbilly
    Vanderbilly
    It was just a typo.  Elana's email is [email protected]

    We had a very interesting convo. One interesting thing is that for furnished roofs like ours they suggest lofting the panels up to create recreation space underneath. like in the image shown.  Just for a larger building the panels would run a lot longer

    Canopy Rendering- BSW-1
  • Vanderbilly
    Vanderbilly
    oh sorry, didnt see your correction 
  • whynot_31
    whynot_31
    edited August 2015
    If you install the above set up, (10' x 20'?) how much energy is expected to capture on a day it is "mostly sunny" and has 12 hours of light.

    In Kilowatt hours.

    ...because people presently buy electricity in kilowatt hours.

  • capt. planet
    capt. planet
    Here's a link to the technical page from the 951 Pacific net zero condo.  It shows the solar panel array for each of the three units, how many panels are in each array and how many watts are generated.

    In general 50 solar panels generate 12,500 watts of electricity in this system.




  • whynot_31
    whynot_31
    edited August 2015
    It does not take many appliances to use up the total 12,500 watts available to the whole building, or the approximately 4250 watts available per unit.

    https://www.donrowe.com/usage-chart-a/259.htm

    I certainly would not be able to sell any power back to the grid in my "active" apartment.

    Can the passive units run an extension cord to the light pole for additional power?     ....like power starved residents of Crown Heights did in the 80s.
  • capt. planet
    capt. planet
    Running a line to the light pole would be rather foolish given that the entire building is already tied to the grid.
    So if you wanted to chill out in 68 degree A/C while it was 120 in India, please do so.  At least you'd have the satisfaction of knowing that your system was more efficient that just about anyone else's in Brooklyn.


  • whynot_31
    whynot_31
    edited August 2015
    Summer heat doesn't really bother me, so I don't run my A/C's very often.

    I'm actually most concerned about the sustainability of the passive homes your are selling during the winter months, because they do not have a gas line or an oil burner.

    Depending upon the weather, an electric heating system would consume around 13,500 watts to heat a comparable size, 1350 sf unit in an acitve home.

    http://www.air-n-water.com/heater_volt.htm

    In addition to be expensive, this strikes me as being yet another situation in which wealthy New Yorkers export their pollution to the areas around the power plant, instead of polluting their own air from burning their own oil or natural gas.

    While I am sure the buildings you are trying sell have better designs, I can't help but think of these electricity dependent Crown Heights residents:

    http://www.brownstoner.com/blog/2015/03/renters-upset-about-insane-coned-bills-to-heat-crown-heights-luxury-building/

    In their situation, the landlord came to the rescue because they were renters and the building needed to protect its reputation. However, I do not believe anyone will come to the rescue of owners of solar panels and passive homes if they find that:

    - they are spending lots of money on electric and/or

    - the solar panel subsidies disappear under a Republican president, and they can no longer get parts or service.

    BTW, I'm no engineer, but the roof top structure in Vanderbilly's post looks like it won't be able to stand up to a strong noreaster: 22" of snow and 50 mph winds.
  • capt. planet
    capt. planet
    edited August 2015

    Here's a link documenting the "net zero" capability of 951 Pacific Street


    Passive Haus standards have been successfully demonstrated for a decade throughout Europe with 10,000's of Passive Haus properties now constructed.  

    Interestingly the world's tallest Passive Haus project is now under construction right here on Roosevelt Island.


    Passive Haus is becoming the new normal.   70% more efficient that conventional construction, using super insulation, super sealing and energy capturing ventilation systems to reduce the building's carbon footprint.  Given rising energy costs and a finite amount of fossil fuels, it's only a matter of time until this standard is mandated by the City.
  • Dawndew
    Dawndew
    There other ways to hear a home besides electric, gas, oil. i've heard of hot air heated by the sun and water heated on the roof?
  • whynot_31
    whynot_31
    edited August 2015
    Yup, those technologies use the greenhouse effect: http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/thermo/grnhse.html

    Capt-
    How long do you think that "matter of time" is?
  • capt. planet
    capt. planet
    As long as we're asking questions, here are a few for you.

    How many more states will ban hydrofracking like NY State has?


    How many more earthquakes will it take for Oklahoma to do so? 


    How many towns have to be incinerated by tank cars carrying fracked oil before such cars are banned or insurance companies refuse to insure them?


    How many more Superstorm Sandy's will it take before insurance companies refuse to issue insurance in flood plains and cities refuse to issue building permits?


    How many more deep water drilling disasters such as the BP explosion in the Gulf will it take before governments quit issuing drilling permits for deep water rigs?  


    How long before government's quit issuing permits to drill in the Arctic?


    If you can answer any of these questions, I'll be happy to answer yours.



  • whynot_31
    whynot_31
    edited August 2015
    I have not purported (nor do I believe...) that government will EVER take action on those issues, so I don't feel giving answers would be sincere.

    Have you considered nuclear power as a way to postpone the inevitable death of humanity?

    Given humanities' present course, do you have a prediction for how long it will be before the earth will be uninhabitable?

    I predict 3 Billion years.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Earth
  • Vanderbilly
    Vanderbilly
    Ill keep this forum posted with our progress as we continue to explore.  At this point Solar1 has our con ed info, and roof layout.  I'm expecting to hear back by the end of the week.  If we can come up with a plan that still leaves plenty of roof space free for direct sun recreation than we can move forward.

    Installation is very expensive and my fellow owners are risk adverse.  And that's probably where we're going to meet our fatal stalemate.    But if this is workable, and can save us money in less than 5 years, and we can come up with some evidence it raises property value, I'm all in to persuade the other 13. 
  • capt. planet
    capt. planet
    edited August 2015
    You might have trouble convincing the folks in Syria, Iraq, Libya, Afghanistan, the Gaza strip, Yemen, Somalia or the Ukraine that their countries are inhabitable.  Not to mention all of those refugees on sinking ships in the Mediterranean.  Just because you happen for the moment to live in one of the increasingly few places that are not subject to civil war or resource depletion, drought or crop failure, don't get too smug.

    As far as a nuclear goes, ask the folks at Fukushima.

    How long will the planet be inhabitable?  Shakespeare said it best.

    "The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, But in ourselves. 
  • whynot_31
    whynot_31
    edited August 2015
    Capt-
    While there are people out there who deny that humans are causing the earth to be a less pleasant place to live, I am not among them.

    If we accept that humans are not going to conserve energy for their own sake, I think nuclear holds a lot of promise.

    We just shouldn't hire the guys who designed Fukushima, or Homer Simpson.
  • Dawndew
    Dawndew
    Solar is very big in Europe. I've seen them on hundreds of farm house roofs and on the sides of city buildings.
  • whynot_31
    whynot_31
    edited August 2015
    Wealthy countries with a lot of sunlight seem to implement solar the most: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_power_by_country

    As a proportion of energy used, Israel might become the world's largest.

    It not only not only has a lot of sunlight and wealth, but also no fossil fuels and (lets just say) "tense" relationships with nearby courtries which have fossil fuels: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_power_in_Israel
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