[RE-wrenches] Solar gathering?

Sun Oct 9 10:28:25 PDT 2011

I think Joel is tiring (as am I ) of folks claiming experience that just took a weekend SEI course once.(amazing how easy it is to become an "expert" these days) We're losing sales to these guys too, because they can talk a good game, and the uneducated customers have no idea.
If somebody like Joel had had Obama's ear back when he was first considering funding Solydnra, the whole industry would be better off right now.
50 installs might seem like a lot, but really I was still making it up as I went at that point in my career. I went back and fixed my boo boos though, so that's why I'm still in business.
I'm sure SPI will be jammed with folks hawking the latest vaporware, so as soon as you see a virtual recreation of what the installation might look like, run.

And if I see another small child posing in front of a wind turbine on the green washed website of last year's defense contractor........

Send out the clowns,

R. Walters
ray at solarray.com
Solar Engineer

On Oct 9, 2011, at 11:42 AM, wirewiz at gmail.com wrote:

> Again, with all due respect, the don't talk to anyone with less than 50 installs is a bit extreme and quite frankly a little arrogant.
> 
> 
> Larry Liesner
> Wirewiz
> 31 Lincoln St
> Westport, CT 06880
> Phone: 203-644-2404
> wirewiz at gmail.com
> www.wire-wiz.com
> 
> 
> 
> 
> On Oct 9, 2011, at 12:31 PM, North Texas Renewable Energy Inc wrote:
> 
>> With all due respect to your experience in California Joel, total installations is not a very accurate indicator of ability in todays PV industry imho. A good start is how many years have you been in the business, really in the business. This does not include the PV pump in your koi pond but real verifiable, green-tagged installs. 20+ year electrical contractors with a half-dozen installs don't count either. NABCEP certification is another excellent filter but several ECs around here simply hired a NABCEP cert to be able to fly the logo. 
>> 
>> I have sat through Bill Brooks classes almost as many times as John Wiles classes. Just spent 8 hours in a James Stallcup Sr. class in  Austin Friday and had lunch Saturday with the 25 year Exec. Dir. of treia.org. My www site doesn't emphasize the number of installs but it does show a list of training classes, and conferences etc I have attended over the last 18 years.
>> 
>> I won't go into the politics of why Texas is a decade behind the leading edge of PV in the US but I probably don't have to when you consider our political situation here. And our working with TREIA at the state capitol for the last 6 years "greasing the skids" in favor of pro-RE legislation gives a whole new perspective on those politics. There's a reason SEIA & SEPA brought SPI to Dallas.
>> 
>> And since you mentioned it, I don't know how many Wrenches will be at SPI in Dallas but be sure to check out the pulled pork sandwiches and "first-drink-free" meetup at Poor Davids Pub on the 19th from 6-9. It's sponsored by the Texas Solar Energy Society and it's just a couple of blocks from the big show. We'll be looking for NABCEP shirts.
>> 
>> Jim Duncan
>> North Texas Renewable Energy
>> NABCEP Certified Solar PV
>> Installer No.031310-57
>> TECL 27398
>> ntrei at 1scom.net 
>> 817.917.0527
>> www.ntrei.com
>> 
>> 
>> Dear Jesse,
>> 
>> 1. Go to the Dallas solar exhibition and spend a lot of time on the floor
>> talking to real engineers with field experience (not salespeople). First
>> question to ask is "How many PV systems have you installed?" Anyone with
>> less than 50 systems under their belt is either reading from the book or
>> still in training.
>> 
>> 2. Attend a Bill Brooks training session. Bill has strong opinions that some
>> wrenches disagree with but has seen more PV installations than over 99% of
>> the people on Earth and has spend decades thinking about what is good and
>> bad PV.
>> 
>> 3. Meet with and walk the exhibit floor with and talk shop day and night
>> with as many wrenches as you can (at least 3 a day).
>> 
>> 4. Go to the exhibits all the time they are open and keep your ears open.
>> Wrenching is parts and the people who put parts together. Only go to
>> sessions and workshops when the exhibits are closed.
>> 
>> 5. Don't become a true believer in any one part or one way to put parts
>> together. There are many good and bad parts and techniques. The quest is
>> finding something better.
>> 
>> Have fun.
>> Joel Davidson
>> "Not all change is for the better, but nothing gets better without change."
>> 
>> 
>> 
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