Electric Cordless Lawn Mower

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   I should have said its a no brainer if you have a site for it.
I ran a residential solar company for many years. The two worst things we dealt with were (1) trees and (2) architects. Trees are really pretty easy, do a survey and the either cut down the offending ones or don't do solar. The architects were harder. They insisted in putting useless bric a brac like attic dormers and false gable ends on otherwise perfectly good south facing roofs. And they insist of putting plumbing vents and flues on the back roof even if that is south facing. 

Orientation isn't really the issue folks think it is. Generally, east or west facing arrays produce only about 20% less than south facing. We can almost always find a roof face that will work if its unshaded and doesn't have architectural junk all over it.  

 Personally, I prefer ground mounted solar. I don't like ladders, and the electric code requirements are simpler for ground mounts. 

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offgrid Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 23 Jul 2018 Online Status: Offline Posts: 5290	Topic: Electric Cordless Lawn Mower Posted: 23 Aug 2020 at 12:03pm
	I should have said its a no brainer if you have a site for it. I ran a residential solar company for many years. The two worst things we dealt with were (1) trees and (2) architects. Trees are really pretty easy, do a survey and the either cut down the offending ones or don't do solar. The architects were harder. They insisted in putting useless bric a brac like attic dormers and false gable ends on otherwise perfectly good south facing roofs. And they insist of putting plumbing vents and flues on the back roof even if that is south facing. Orientation isn't really the issue folks think it is. Generally, east or west facing arrays produce only about 20% less than south facing. We can almost always find a roof face that will work if its unshaded and doesn't have architectural junk all over it. Personally, I prefer ground mounted solar. I don't like ladders, and the electric code requirements are simpler for ground mounts.
	1994 Chinook Concourse 1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft 2015 Rpod 179 - sold

StephenH Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List podders Helping podders - pHp Joined: 29 Nov 2015 Location: Wake Forest, NC Online Status: Offline Posts: 6417	Posted: 23 Aug 2020 at 12:54pm
	If I am reading my compass app (and if it is accurate), the ridge line of my main roof runs NW to SE, so there is a bit more sun on the one side. That is the side with the vent stacks though. It also has an uneven roof line due to both a kitchen bay window and the utility room with the water heater that make for an uneven roof. On the other side, there is the porch roof and the section over the bedroom that has a cathedral ceiling so that side of the house is essentially not usable. With the trees we have recently had trimmed or removed, we now get more sunlight than before, but there is a large oak tree that is shading the roof during the day. With the pine and maple we just had removed, we now have more light on the roof than we had before. I might have to reevaluate and see if it is feasible.
	StephenH Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,... ouR escaPOD mods Former RPod 179 Current Cherokee Grey Wolf 24 JS

offgrid Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 23 Jul 2018 Online Status: Offline Posts: 5290	Posted: 23 Aug 2020 at 1:28pm
	You want to be on the SW facing roof sounds like. If that has some plumbing vents and there is an attic its not that bad to move them to the other side. They're just plumbing vents after all, as long as they stick out above the roof somewhere its OK. If there are flues its more difficult to relocate them, we always left those alone and set the solar array around them. You can get a rough idea of tree shading impacts from Google Earth if you live in an urban area with detailed elevation data. You can I'm sure get a couple local solar companies to come out and do a site survey and give you a performance estimate. A professional one will be done including shading analysis from the roof or, as is getting more common these days, using a drone.
	1994 Chinook Concourse 1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft 2015 Rpod 179 - sold