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While all of our installers do great work, I can often tell which installer did a job by the plumbing. Sometimes it’s the valve manifold at the pool equipment pad and sometimes it’s the roof work. While he likely trained the person doing the actual work on the roof, I’d call this a “Danny job,” recently installed in Cape Coral, FL. Because two lengths of solar pool heating panel were combined in this system, it required that a “common high” be installed. This entails making sure that the water leaving the shorter panels reaches the common high point in the system, which equalizes pressure andRead More →

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As expected, Cape Coral passed the Public Service Tax measure on April 29, 2013. The tax impacts every utility electric customer in the City. The more you use electricity, the more tax you pay. As I noted in my earlier post, solar energy producers can avoid tax on every kilowatt-hour they reduce or produce with solar energy. The City of Cape Coral released an online calculator that has a few deficiencies. Most importantly to me is that the calculator ignores solar producing customers using LCEC’s netmetering program (both commercial and residential). If you are a small commercial (non-demand charge) or residential customer with solar electricRead More →

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A big “thank you” to all of the residents of Sandoval in Cape Coral, FL who showed up to hear about solar energy in Southwest Florida. These events are critically important to help get the word out that solar energy is a realistic option for the masses. It’s so interesting to hear the questions and misconceptions that people have about solar energy. If your community is interested in hosting a learn about solar energy event, we take care of everything. Just give us a venue – I love doing these events! I talk about solar in a practical, no pressure, no obligation  learning environment. SubjectsRead More →

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NOTE: This post is now obsolete and this site is no longer actively updated. Permit costs may be different now, and Charlotte County does now require permits for solar pool heating. Solar permitting is not a small cost in most Southwest Florida cities and counties. Typical solar pool heating permit costs range from $53 in Fort Myers to $226 in Collier County, with only one jurisdiction having no charge (Port Charlotte and Charlotte County). Solar water heating permit costs are similar. Solar electric permit costs can exceed $400.00 for typical residential solar permits in some jurisdictions like Naples, with most permit fees in the rangeRead More →

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A solar water heating project for the Southwest Florida Affordable Housing Choice Foundation is in Cape Coral at the Coconut Apartments. Each of the two multi-tenant buildings have four dwelling units with three 2’x8′ solar water heating collectors per unit. Installation of the solar panels just started, and here’s the day one picture of the first building. Like the Broadway Apartments project, the panels are mounted on rails attached to the standing seam metal roof with non-penetrating S-5 clamps. Can you spot anything wrong with this photo?

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This is a picture of a house in Cape Coral that has long been used as a showpiece for my former employer. It’s a solar photovoltaic (PV) job that was done before my time with the company, but I am very proud of it, nonetheless. Until now we didn’t have any great photos of this home because it is right along the Caloosahatchee River. This weekend I was on a boat and had the opportunity to get some great pictures. This home is seen by thousands of people every day as they travel west over the Cape Coral Bridge into Cape Coral from Fort Myers.Read More →