Earth Sky Stars » solar installers http://earthskystars.net/blog blog for earthskystars Sun, 22 Jan 2012 08:35:00 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 My solar power hits a snag — the electrical inspector! http://earthskystars.net/blog/2009/01/18/my-solar-power-hits-a-snag-the-electrical-inspector/ http://earthskystars.net/blog/2009/01/18/my-solar-power-hits-a-snag-the-electrical-inspector/#comments Sun, 18 Jan 2009 21:51:49 +0000 Bill Clugston http://earthskystars.net/blog/?p=103 Well my solar power setup looked all ready to go until the electrical inspector inspected the system. Mary Ness, of the Washington State Dept. of Labor and Industries, cited two complaints, one was arguable either way, the second I found confusing. Apparently Dave Cozine has worked with inspectors that allowed photographs in lieu of climbing the roof  to inspect connections. Mary does not, and wanted the panels removed so she could inspect the Enphase quick-disconnects. I think we’ve resolved this issue, but we’ll see Monday when the inspector comes again.

The lesson I take away from this is have your installer call the inspector before the install begins and ask what they want to see. Dave, who has a spotless record and excellent references, has worked with 47 different inspectors with few snags. But there are no standards between inspectors. There probably should be, but L&I hasn’t set any in place.

]]> http://earthskystars.net/blog/2009/01/18/my-solar-power-hits-a-snag-the-electrical-inspector/feed/ 0 Photograph of the completed solar array http://earthskystars.net/blog/2009/01/11/photograph-of-the-completed-solar-array/ http://earthskystars.net/blog/2009/01/11/photograph-of-the-completed-solar-array/#comments Mon, 12 Jan 2009 05:29:59 +0000 Bill Clugston http://earthskystars.net/blog/?p=94 Here’s a photo of the completed 2 kilowatt solar array.

Photo of completed 2 kilowatt solar power system

Photo of completed 2 kilowatt solar power system

Kudos go to Brothers Electric and Solar for a quick and professional job. If you want a solar power system installed in the Tacoma – Seattle area definitely give Dave Cozine a call! I’ll be adding more information to the main Earth, Sky, Stars website on the steps for installing a solar power system. I’ll also detail how to approach your homeowners association about such a project (hint: lots of detailed information!).

With any luck the incoming Obama administration will give a big boost to solar power installs and make solar power even easier to obtain.

]]> http://earthskystars.net/blog/2009/01/11/photograph-of-the-completed-solar-array/feed/ 0 Solar Power system is up and running http://earthskystars.net/blog/2009/01/09/solar-power-system-is-up-and-running/ http://earthskystars.net/blog/2009/01/09/solar-power-system-is-up-and-running/#comments Sat, 10 Jan 2009 05:53:11 +0000 Bill Clugston http://earthskystars.net/blog/?p=87 Of course some sun would be nice, so we’re off to a slow start :-( But the system is now on the grid and producing power. As soon as Enphase sets up my website I’ll post a link to it so anyone can monitor the power output. Here’s a photo of Dave Cozine, his son Alex, and Tim moving a module to its new home on the roof.

A Sanyo 200 watt module heads for the roof

A Sanyo 200 watt module heads for the roof

]]> http://earthskystars.net/blog/2009/01/09/solar-power-system-is-up-and-running/feed/ 0 Solar Power System Installer chosen … http://earthskystars.net/blog/2008/11/30/solar-power-system-installer-chosen/ http://earthskystars.net/blog/2008/11/30/solar-power-system-installer-chosen/#comments Mon, 01 Dec 2008 03:24:30 +0000 Bill Clugston http://earthskystars.net/blog/?p=47 The winner is Brothers Electric & Solar ! Quite frankly either of the two solar installers I talked with were fine. The other installer, Puget Sound Solar, also has excellent references and competitive prices. I chose Dave Cozine (owner of Brothers Electric) because he’s nearby and had excellent “word of mouth” from the recent Tacoma Solar Home tour ( a great way to check out existing installs).

The system itself will be 10 Sanyo 200 watt modules (a single panel is a module), 10 Enphase 32vdc inverters, an Enphase energy management unit, and Unirac mounting hardware. More details on the system in upcoming posts …

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