Interesting Weather Record Set Today

[Justin Spencer]

Leaky roofs are just more excuses for those who don't want change. I do agree with F&F on energy calcs and should have someone give me some suggestions on improving my homes energy efficiency. Maybe some tax incentives there would be a good way to encourage energy savings as well as boost the private sector with the selling of goods and services.

[lee G.]

I didnt mean it that way Justin, I wouldnt put them on my roof is all, been watching the price on solar for 30 years, hoping for the new advances.

[Justin Spencer]

I didnt mean it that way Justin, I wouldnt put them on my roof is all, been watching the price on solar for 30 years, hoping for the new advances.

Gotcha, I understand the fears. Do any roofers know how the solar shingles work or how long they last, they seem like the best of both worlds.

[Feathers and Fins]

Justin, ive only seen them in demo, practicle application worries me though we see new products like this in roofing and they normally dont last long I would have to see them in use for more than 3 years to be honest with you.

To detract from this thread I'll start a thread on house's ask away i'll do my best to answer the questions there.

[Tim Smith]

Justin, ive only seen them in demo, practicle application worries me though we see new products like this in roofing and they normally dont last long I would have to see them in use for more than 3 years to be honest with you.

To detract from this thread I'll start a thread on house's ask away i'll do my best to answer the questions there.

Dow is launching a major ad campaign associated with these this month. Saw one of the ads yesterday on TV. They're targeting 12 states.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-11128_3-20123121-54/dow-starts-mass-marketing-solar-shingles.

I don't know what incentives are attached to these but the company says they have a 20 year life span...better than a lot of traditional roofs.

Upfront costs are still high and solar shingles work best when the roof is designed to catch the sun whereas solar panels can be angled to compensate.

If any construction experts need help putting basketball goal on your roof, the one I installed for my son 10 years ago is still not leaking...

...although in recent years he has taken to hanging from the rim so I may be SOL on that front soon.

[Feathers and Fins]

Yup them are the ones I saw... Almost ALL roofing shingles now are 25 year on up very few 20 yr shingles out there still. My concerns with these were and still are POA, HOA rules which will knock out many areas, Load on roofs, Winter snow kinda blocks the sun, Trees, Hail, maintenance and cost and how are they doing the roof ventilation then there is that alignment issue for the sun. Plus they are not time tested.

It sounds more like an experimental project at this point so I would not suggest it for some time. I cant in good faith sell something like them at this time. Neat idea.

[Quillback]

Yup them are the ones I saw... Almost ALL roofing shingles now are 25 year on up very few 20 yr shingles out there still. My concerns with these were and still are POA, HOA rules which will knock out many areas, Load on roofs, Winter snow kinda blocks the sun, Trees, Hail, maintenance and cost and how are they doing the roof ventilation then there is that alignment issue for the sun. Plus they are not time tested.

It sounds more like an experimental project at this point so I would not suggest it for some time. I cant in good faith sell something like them at this time. Neat idea.

It does sound like a great idea, F&F you'll have to let us know if and when these solar shingles become practical, if they ever do.

[jeb]

Confused on what you mean here. Are you paying them $100 a month to lease it? Those are some heavy incentives from the govt. Just more and more debt, I guess.

Yeah, heaven forbid anyone should be concerned with what it costs.

This program use roofs, not vast tracts of land. We're not talking about ethanol.

Impacts from solar panels on roofs? Compared to the Gulf Oil Spill, the Nigerian disaster, innumerable Middle East wars, OPEC...it would be pretty hard to be worse than that.

Obviously I was answering the broader question you asked by left out of the quote, to wit:

The point is all of these technologies have an impact on our environment. How big those may be is just about impossible to say up front.

....as I said before, Jeb, I don't see much benefit in discussing alternative technologies with you. Your position has been that solar is "bad" and you're saying we should stick with carbon based technologies that we already know are altering the climate and increasing our dependence of foreign oil. Your position that we can't make any transitions now is demonstrably false. We're already in the process of diversifying our energy sources on very small scales. Some of those solutions are viable now.

Patently false. I never said solar was "bad". I said it has issues, both in application and environmental impact, that need to be figured out. Seems like you just like to gloss over any issues with anecdotes about basketball hoops, etc. That's more the emotional level type thinking than the common sense approach.

[Outside Bend]

Obviously I was answering the broader question you asked by left out of the quote, to wit:

The point is all of these technologies have an impact on our environment. How big those may be is just about impossible to say up front.

Just as it's impossible to know up front what impact gas fracking will have on our environment, or building new oil pipelines, or melting the tar sands. We NEVER know what impact our new technologies are going to have on the environment, but that doesn't stop us from developing and using them. It's impossible to foresee the impacts and outcomes of ANY technology we use- if you're fine with that model for other technology, I don't see how you can rationally use it as an excuse not to develop renewables.

[jeb]

I didn't say not to develop them. I only said we should try to understand the downsides of them as much as possible before hand. Much of the movement towards alternatives is driven by the "green" agenda. So it makes sense to me not to rush into it before trying to know what impacts it will have. It does not make any sense to pay more for our energy, which we certainly will with alternatives, and still have high levels of environmental damage being done to get it.