Solar modules are in!

July 4th was going to be hot. The high winds we had been experiencing were going to abate and the warm weather had finally arrived. It seemed like the perfect day to install the solar modules on our roof, and it was!

After Carol returned to KPA after her volunteering stint at the Kamloops Therapeutic Riding Association, I jumped in the car and headed up to the new house. Arriving at 12:30pm, I unpacked and organized the 8 Sharp 224W solar modules, ready for installation on the roof. So much of the planning for this house was dependent on ensuring the best possible environment for these modules to live in. South facing, 45* angle roofline, minimum shadow-casting obstructions - it was all about the modules! We had to make sure that we were going to get the power we needed to recharge our batteries when the sun was shining, and apart from a "tracking mount", this was the best we could do (or afford, for that matter!).

The framing crew had agreed to "help me out" with this installation. That meant that they were going to do all the hard stuff allowing me to take most of the credit for my high level of skill and expertise...hmmmmm. Anyway, they had all the good safety gear so I wouldn't be able to hurt myself too badly if I ignored their warnings and managed to fall off the roof. They rigged me up and off we went. We needed to drill a grid of holes through the roof into the rafters, and it had to be directly into the rafters or it wouldn't be strong enough to support the loads involved. Between the crew and I, we managed to locate every hole very accurately and mounted the horizontal rails to the 6" standoffs, and finally bolt all 8, 3' x 5' modules to the rails. We spent a lot of time marking, drilling, and waterproofing the holes for the standoffs. It was like a giant mecanno construction, just much bigger and 25 feet off the ground. The first rack of 4 modules on 2 rails took us over 2 1/2 hours to install. Thankfully, the second rack took us just over an hour. They look wonderful! I am thrilled with the result. I have been dreaming, scheming and worrying about this installation for several months now. As many of these things go, it wasn't as difficult as I had thought it might be.
Oh, and the french doors were re-framed and installed. They look great, too!