5 ms·

I'm curious if anyone has stats on what percentage of houses have an unobstructed southern roof (for those in the Northern hemisphere)? My house has seasonally

I'm curious if anyone has stats on what percentage of houses have an unobstructed southern roof (for those in the Northern hemisphere)? My house has seasonally adjusted nanotechnology self-replicating shade "panels" that block considerable sunlight in the spring and summer months (MTBF: 100+ years). The big downside is cleaning up the unused panels in the autumn.

STRiDEX 10y ago
https://www.google.com/get/sunroof#p=0 https://www.google.com/get/sunroof#p=0
- GregBuchholz 10y ago
  Very cool! It seems like it worked for my place: "0 sq feet available for solar panels Based on 3D modeling of your roof and nearby trees"
  - FireBeyond 10y ago
    I tried an address in Cave Creek AZ. 2000 hours of usable sunlight a year. 4664 sq ft available for panels. Total 20 year savings: $1,000. Seems... underwhelming. Oh, this is for a lease. $2,000 if you have to borrow to install the panels. Still... $100/yr? The only worthwhile benefit is you can afford to pay $21,000 out of pocket.
    - Udik 10y ago
      Does it also give you how much you would have made if you had invested the equivalent of the roof panels cost on the stock market?
    - rconti 10y ago
      Those numbers sound way off. My house in Redwood City, CA: 1873 hours of usable sunlight 1561 sqft available for panels (ain't no Cave Creek mansion!) $9000 savings. I left my electric bill at the default $100 estimate, which is close enough. They only defaulted to 3.5kw system for me, I assume based on my electric costs. 247 sqft. Maybe your costs were too low. There's no way an electric bill on a cave creek mansion is $100/mo. Their rates are lower, but the A/C will kill you. Once I moved the slider to $500/mo it estimates $89,000 savings, for example.
      - FireBeyond 10y ago
        That's a good point, I have no idea what the electricity costs are (I used a friend's address).
- t3f 10y ago
  "Sorry, Project Sunroof hasn't reached that address yet." I like the concept, but it has that Beta(tm) feel to it...
cbhl 10y ago
You mean vines?
- deleted 10y ago
  [deleted]
the8472 10y ago
For a moment I thought you were talking about these nanotech mirrors. http://news.stanford.edu/news/2014/november/radiative-cooling-mirror-112614.html http://news.stanford.edu/news/2014/november/radiative-coolin...
fweespeech 10y ago
That has to be the geekiest explanation of a tree I've seen in awhile.
- GregBuchholz 10y ago
  How about from a marketing perspective? Solar 'Sorb(TM) -- The revolutionary shade technology which keeps you cooler in the summer and warmer in winter. Innovative "cell" technology is at the heart of the Solar 'Sorb system. Proprietary nanotechnology utilizes clean solar energy, water and air to fill your yard with beautiful fractal-inspired spires, that not only look great, but save you money. And there is no complicated setup or programming. The Solar 'Sorb keeps track of the seasons by monitoring the length of day, and adjusts it shade profile to match. Some of the features included in each base model : Seasonally Adjusted Shade Evaporative Cooling Low Annual Maintenance Provides shelter for fauna Wind resistant Limited Lifetime Warranty The Solar 'Sorb comes in an exciting array of styles, each specifically adapted to your particular environment. And if you have a sweet tooth, you may be interested in our food bearing models which produce tasty and nutritious food packets for you and your family. You can purchase fully functioning Solar 'Sorb units at one of our many worldwide distributors, or the do-it-yourselfer can order our starter kit pods direct from the factory. StarterPods(R) unfold gradually after installation and provide shade generation precisely where you need it. Solar 'Sorb is a strong advocates for the environment, and that's why all of our products are certified "Green", and carbon neutral.
  - fweespeech 10y ago
    Lol. :)
- deleted 10y ago
  [deleted]
- deleted 10y ago
  [deleted]
Florin_Andrei 10y ago
> My house has seasonally adjusted nanotechnology self-replicating shade "panels" You forgot to say "carbon-based".
acchow 10y ago
This made me think of something William McDonough said. "Imagine this design assignment: design something that makes oxygen, sequesters carbon, fixes nitrogen, distills water, accrues solar energy as fuel, makes complex sugars and food, creates microclimates, changes colors with the seasons, and self replicates. Why don't we knock that down and write on it." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IoRjz8iTVoo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IoRjz8iTVoo
ars 10y ago
I installed them on my walls. It's great, they automatically install themself on the wall with built in glue, while picking the sunniest spots, and automatically drop the shade panels in the winter to increase solar heating on the house. I have to remove them from the windows, but otherwise they are mostly maintenance free. But my MBTF was only 10 years, the first set stopped working in the middle of the summer for no reason after almost completely covering the house, and I had to install a second one (this time with 2 spares, just in case). Luckily the first set delivered the new ones to me for free. My roof faces East-West, my wall is to the South.
lathiat 10y ago
I'm not sure an all-day sun facing roof (here in Australia it's North-ish :-) is as important as you might think. My house is very narrow running North-South so I have two sets of panels facing East and West instead. Does that mean I get a perfect peak output during the middle of the day? No. But my generation comes on earlier and off later than friends with perfectly aligned systems - which without a powerwall (sadly don't have one yet) that is a benefit expanding the amount of time that I am generating usable power and saving A$0.25c/kWh instead of earning $0.06/kWh for exporting it at peak generation. (fair that in this context we're looking at potentially having a power wall too, but never the less - you lose round-trip efficiency on batteries - about 10% - it's likely to end up fully charged anyway depending on your daytime usage and thus extending your generation time might still be good). I have 3.5kW of panels (3kW inverter, the max I can get on a single phase supply) and hit about 2.75kW peak generation . I wouldn't mind adding another panel or two per string (on my particular inverter and due to having two parallel strings, it works out fine for the voltages.. but this can vary a lot depending on your system specifications) </end of not totally scientific ranting> But also - seriously, the aesthetics. My suburb (Baldivis, Western Australia) has one of the top solar penetrations in the entire country at 57% of all houses (you can see here, it's 5th on the list: http://reneweconomy.com.au/australias-top-solar-states-and-suburbs-23048/ http://reneweconomy.com.au/australias-top-solar-states-and-s...) -- and while they're not exactly drop dead UGLY - it sure would be prettier with roofs like this everywhere. Particularly here we have a lot of smaller houses in orientations which mean often they end up being street facing instead of not. So yeah. Not sure how much of a greenhouse effect your roof is going to end up with though, that will be interesting. (here, we have predominantly tile or tin roofing - this shingle like stuff is much less common here than other parts of the world from what I've gathered)
spectrum1234 10y ago
West would work as well. In many cases its better.

STRiDEX 10y ago

https://www.google.com/get/sunroof#p=0 https://www.google.com/get/sunroof#p=0

GregBuchholz 10y ago
Very cool! It seems like it worked for my place: "0 sq feet available for solar panels Based on 3D modeling of your roof and nearby trees"
- FireBeyond 10y ago
  I tried an address in Cave Creek AZ. 2000 hours of usable sunlight a year. 4664 sq ft available for panels. Total 20 year savings: $1,000. Seems... underwhelming. Oh, this is for a lease. $2,000 if you have to borrow to install the panels. Still... $100/yr? The only worthwhile benefit is you can afford to pay $21,000 out of pocket.
  - Udik 10y ago
    Does it also give you how much you would have made if you had invested the equivalent of the roof panels cost on the stock market?
  - rconti 10y ago
    Those numbers sound way off. My house in Redwood City, CA: 1873 hours of usable sunlight 1561 sqft available for panels (ain't no Cave Creek mansion!) $9000 savings. I left my electric bill at the default $100 estimate, which is close enough. They only defaulted to 3.5kw system for me, I assume based on my electric costs. 247 sqft. Maybe your costs were too low. There's no way an electric bill on a cave creek mansion is $100/mo. Their rates are lower, but the A/C will kill you. Once I moved the slider to $500/mo it estimates $89,000 savings, for example.
    - FireBeyond 10y ago
      That's a good point, I have no idea what the electricity costs are (I used a friend's address).
t3f 10y ago
"Sorry, Project Sunroof hasn't reached that address yet." I like the concept, but it has that Beta(tm) feel to it...

cbhl 10y ago

You mean vines?

deleted 10y ago
[deleted]

the8472 10y ago

For a moment I thought you were talking about these nanotech mirrors. http://news.stanford.edu/news/2014/november/radiative-cooling-mirror-112614.html http://news.stanford.edu/news/2014/november/radiative-coolin...

fweespeech 10y ago

That has to be the geekiest explanation of a tree I've seen in awhile.

GregBuchholz 10y ago
How about from a marketing perspective? Solar 'Sorb(TM) -- The revolutionary shade technology which keeps you cooler in the summer and warmer in winter. Innovative "cell" technology is at the heart of the Solar 'Sorb system. Proprietary nanotechnology utilizes clean solar energy, water and air to fill your yard with beautiful fractal-inspired spires, that not only look great, but save you money. And there is no complicated setup or programming. The Solar 'Sorb keeps track of the seasons by monitoring the length of day, and adjusts it shade profile to match. Some of the features included in each base model : Seasonally Adjusted Shade Evaporative Cooling Low Annual Maintenance Provides shelter for fauna Wind resistant Limited Lifetime Warranty The Solar 'Sorb comes in an exciting array of styles, each specifically adapted to your particular environment. And if you have a sweet tooth, you may be interested in our food bearing models which produce tasty and nutritious food packets for you and your family. You can purchase fully functioning Solar 'Sorb units at one of our many worldwide distributors, or the do-it-yourselfer can order our starter kit pods direct from the factory. StarterPods(R) unfold gradually after installation and provide shade generation precisely where you need it. Solar 'Sorb is a strong advocates for the environment, and that's why all of our products are certified "Green", and carbon neutral.
- fweespeech 10y ago
  Lol. :)
deleted 10y ago
[deleted]
deleted 10y ago
[deleted]

Florin_Andrei 10y ago

> My house has seasonally adjusted nanotechnology self-replicating shade "panels" You forgot to say "carbon-based".

acchow 10y ago

This made me think of something William McDonough said. "Imagine this design assignment: design something that makes oxygen, sequesters carbon, fixes nitrogen, distills water, accrues solar energy as fuel, makes complex sugars and food, creates microclimates, changes colors with the seasons, and self replicates. Why don't we knock that down and write on it." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IoRjz8iTVoo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IoRjz8iTVoo

ars 10y ago

I installed them on my walls. It's great, they automatically install themself on the wall with built in glue, while picking the sunniest spots, and automatically drop the shade panels in the winter to increase solar heating on the house. I have to remove them from the windows, but otherwise they are mostly maintenance free. But my MBTF was only 10 years, the first set stopped working in the middle of the summer for no reason after almost completely covering the house, and I had to install a second one (this time with 2 spares, just in case). Luckily the first set delivered the new ones to me for free. My roof faces East-West, my wall is to the South.

lathiat 10y ago

I'm not sure an all-day sun facing roof (here in Australia it's North-ish :-) is as important as you might think. My house is very narrow running North-South so I have two sets of panels facing East and West instead. Does that mean I get a perfect peak output during the middle of the day? No. But my generation comes on earlier and off later than friends with perfectly aligned systems - which without a powerwall (sadly don't have one yet) that is a benefit expanding the amount of time that I am generating usable power and saving A$0.25c/kWh instead of earning $0.06/kWh for exporting it at peak generation. (fair that in this context we're looking at potentially having a power wall too, but never the less - you lose round-trip efficiency on batteries - about 10% - it's likely to end up fully charged anyway depending on your daytime usage and thus extending your generation time might still be good). I have 3.5kW of panels (3kW inverter, the max I can get on a single phase supply) and hit about 2.75kW peak generation . I wouldn't mind adding another panel or two per string (on my particular inverter and due to having two parallel strings, it works out fine for the voltages.. but this can vary a lot depending on your system specifications) </end of not totally scientific ranting> But also - seriously, the aesthetics. My suburb (Baldivis, Western Australia) has one of the top solar penetrations in the entire country at 57% of all houses (you can see here, it's 5th on the list: http://reneweconomy.com.au/australias-top-solar-states-and-suburbs-23048/ http://reneweconomy.com.au/australias-top-solar-states-and-s...) -- and while they're not exactly drop dead UGLY - it sure would be prettier with roofs like this everywhere. Particularly here we have a lot of smaller houses in orientations which mean often they end up being street facing instead of not. So yeah. Not sure how much of a greenhouse effect your roof is going to end up with though, that will be interesting. (here, we have predominantly tile or tin roofing - this shingle like stuff is much less common here than other parts of the world from what I've gathered)

spectrum1234 10y ago

West would work as well. In many cases its better.