> They also made me install --no bullshit-- 64000 lbs of concrete footings and design the array and structure for 200 mile per hour winds.
Wait, what? Can you elaborate on why this was necessary? Thank you also for the useful data.
Wait, what? Can you elaborate on why this was necessary? Thank you also for the useful data.
Once the plan checker got his mind set to these dimensions it was over. There was no way to convince him to apply any kind of logic to it. He quoted stuff like the 200 mile per our wind rating (also ridiculous) we had to certify the structure for. I even hired a nationwide civil engineering firm to try to apply pressure for a change. No. he would not allow us to proceed unless we went with his requirements.
It went beyond that, they issued insane fire rating requirements for the entire thing. My guess is that the project went $50K over budget because of these guys. Which means it will never pay for itself...ever. I would have done a million times better if I burned half the cash and put the rest on Bitcoin (which, at the time, would have felt like burning it).
So, it is a beautiful system but it was a complete waste of time and money. It made me wonder about the overall realities of solar in practice. If I knew then what I know now I would have never moved one finger to install solar.
BTW, I have neighbors with solar regrets for different reasons. One has to wonder.
A friend of mine is an architect. He told me the footings they had me pour would allow me to build a four story building on the same site.
As a libertarian/classical liberal this experience fed further confirmation of to my lack of interest for big government running everything. I can't even imagine the same level of surreal bullshit applied to, say, healthcare.