[RE-wrenches] Panel Fire

Sat Feb 14 12:04:36 PST 2009

Joel,
   As another Maine installer (of over 20 years) I second Tump's
assessment.I, too, know Dr.Komp and have volunteered a lot of time for
the MSEA. Dr.Komp is a very intelligent engineer, but without the
quality control and testing I would not want a high voltage DC system
of homebrew panels on my home, nor should anyone else. We have worked
too hard. Dr.Komps work is incredibly valuable and helpful to those in
third world countries who have low voltage, extremely low use
electrical systems, but we are talking apples and oranges here.
Daryl

> Joel, Living IN MAINE & interacting w/ Richard Komp I have to disagree on
> your statement below. RC is very smart & has worked in solar MANY years
> but
> he is NOT very helpful to those of us trying to make a living doing PV
> here
> in Maine.
> I was asked to size an inverter( probably the 4th person he contacted) for
> a
> local radio talk host that  was buying "60 Watt solar modules" from
> Richard's guys that were building them in NY at a prison.
> These modules were costing this guy $300.00 I looked at a couple to try &
> establish Isc & Voc to match them w/ a grid tie inverter, needless to say
> their power characteristics were all over the place. The modules were
> found
> to have ~46-54Wts, NO  outdoor rated wire for that matter there was NO
> listing on the wire.A tube of caulk per module. I brought this to the
> attention of both this guy & RK only to hear something like we need to
> address our QC a bit better. I suggested that using an Enphase Invt +
> Sanyo
> modules I could sell him UL listed products w/ a warrantee for ~$6.90/wt.
> Please understand that I do know rk & there IS a place for his work in 3rd
> world countries  BUT not here in the USA where we are trying to establish
> a
> profession that you too Joel have worked long & hard to develop.
> As for the Maine sun there is very little that address the real
> PROFESSIONAL
> world of solar nor has their been any discussion about the need for
> limited
> license or certified installers. Its a rag that promotes DIY & his work in
> Central A.
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: re-wrenches-bounces at lists.re-wrenches.org
> [mailto:re-wrenches-bounces at lists.re-wrenches.org] On Behalf Of Joel
> Davidson
> Sent: Thursday, February 12, 2009 11:01 PM
> To: RE-wrenches
> Subject: Re: [RE-wrenches] Panel Fire
>
>
> There are good people who make and teach other people how to make solar
> modules.
>
> Richard Komp, co-author of the 1983 edition of The New Solar Electric
> Home,
> author of Practical Photovoltaics, President of the Maine Solar Energy
> Society, etc. See http://www.mainesolar.org/
>
> Tor Allen, founder of the Rahus Institute, etc. See http://www.rahus.org/
>
> and many more well-informed, good people around the world.
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Matt  <mailto:gilligan06 at gmail.com> Lafferty
> To: jryago at netscape.com ; 'RE-wrenches'
> <mailto:re-wrenches at lists.re-wrenches.org>
> Sent: Thursday, February 12, 2009 7:41 PM
> Subject: Re: [RE-wrenches] Panel Fire
>
> Hi Jeff,
>
> Somebody should keep an eye on that neighbor of your friend. There have
> been
> any number of "DIY" publications and scams out there. Here's just one of
> many that basically lead to the same thing....
> http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sfc/hsh/1031018343.html  The C-list ad has a
> link to this place:  http://www.solar-panel-kit.net/
>
> What this one is is a $50 book that tells you how to build your own
> windmill, PV module.... Yada Yada... This particular one is a guy named
> Michael Harvey. Anybody know him?  This is only 1 bright idea away from
> the
> guy who rented the shop next to your friend. As in, that guy bought this
> book thinking he was gonna "beat the utility". When he went to Ebay to buy
> his 1st batch of cells, he saw that they weren't all that scarce. He beat
> Travis C out on an auction and built a couple for himself. Then he had the
> bright idea! What if he did this for a bunch of people and sold them?
>
> It's not necessarily that the guy with the bright idea was evil... Not
> necessarily. He could just happen to be a guy who isn't fully informed and
> thinks that there's just no reason for why everybody else charges so much
> and wants to do right by everybody. But, as the old saying goes, ignorance
> is no excuse for the law.
>
> I'm wondering if this is really the brainchild and "factory" for
> CitizenRE... Independent dealers all over the country buying surplus cells
> on Ebay... That would be a mahvelous concept... Until they burn, of
> course.
> That kinda puts a kink in the residential PPA model. But hey, if all you
> gotta do is buy $30 worth of slotted angle, 64 each 1/4-20 x 1" bolts &
> nuts, 20 lags, a tube of caulk, and some wire for BOS and the modules cost
> you $0.50 a watt and you don't bother faking a label on them, you probably
> don't have to even apply for a rebate. You could have your kids just
> slapping cells onto plexiglass and putting clear shrink-wrap over the
> front
> and sticking them onto 1-1/2" aluminum angle for a frame.
>
> Just a thought....
>
> Matt Lafferty
> gilligan06 at gmail.com
>
>
>   _____
>
>  Jeff Y wrote:
>
> The other day a guy rented a warehouse near a business friend of mine and
> he
> went over to say Hi.  My friend later told me this guy told him he was
> planning to  "build"  solar pv modules that he was going to sell and
> install.  Although my friend was no engineer and didn't really know what
> to
> look for, when I described some of the typical equipment that is required
> he
> said it was mostly just work benches and hand tools.
>
> I am betting your first reaction was the same as mine which was  - how
> could
> he expect to hand build solar module's to compete with commercially made
> and
> certified solar modules?
>
> Anyway, after reading this thread I am wondering is this more common than
> I
> thought?  Is this some kind of trend?  Are there others out there trying
> to
> build solar modules?  And finally, with all the different commercially
> made
> and certified solar modules out there in any size, wattage, and shape you
> want, how can they expect to be competitive, assuming their home-made
> modules don't catch fire?
>
>
>
>
>   _____
>
>
>
>
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