Revolutions In Solar Technology

As you might be aware, as many other things that involve being Ian Applegate include cartooning and inventing, I am by trade a Solar Electrician.
It's one of those brand new 21st Century kinds of jobs.

As a Solar Electrician, I build solar electrical systems. I basically travel around the state in a really awesome truck and hook up power utility production stations, often in remote places and usually on peoples' roofs.

In doing this, and being the Alien from outer space that I am, I have discovered a few minor oversights in the construction of such solar electrical systems.

I here propose these following revolutions in solar technology, as a way to properly introduce the technology to the general public. These ideas address all major issues related to safety and inadequecies the industry has yet to provide to both homeowners and installers.

1. Introduce RELAY Control Switches

One of the biggest problems with solar is the fact that the solar power is often coming from an elevated location, like a roof for example.
In fact, they're always on the roof. They're not in the bathroom.

As conductors coming from the roof are concerned, they can't be shut off by any conventional disconnect.
You need a RELAY.

2. Invent and Design Interlocken Carbon Fiber Rails and Panels

The plan is simple. I am going to find a carbon fiber manufacturer and approach this individual with a patented invention. This patented invention is going to be available to that manufacturer under the supposition that the panel manufacturer "Evergreen" (who absolutely wrecked my stock investments with that Lehman Brothers nonsense) will be on board with developing a fiberglass or carbon fiber frame to work with the Interlocken carbon fiber rails.

The idea is to produce a system that involves absolutely NO metal on the roof. It will be provided as a possible option to Evergreen customers. It would sort of be like making the decision between having a fiberglass ladder, or an aluminum one. There's just no reason that we have such an incredible amount of aluminum and other metals on the roof.

Installers and Inspectors are going through this great huge battle, everyday, debating and arguing about solar grounding methods.
It's nonsense. I asked at a work meeting today, "If the rails and the panels were fiberglass or carbon graphite or anything nonconductive, what would you need to ground?" The master electricians in the room, who are not dummies (I know the answer is "nothing," too), all looked at eachother and said, "Nothing." Of course.

So the installer saves on the cost of grounding, which is both Extremely labor intensive (grounding can add days to a project), as well as materials-costly (grounding usually involves a bare #6 copper wire, minimum, touching every part of the system).

It's a waste of money. So here's my plan.

I have designed a carbon-fiber rack mount system that utilizes minimal hardware and provides for a very basic installation. It's insanely easy to put together. Installers will freak out and say "Why the hell weren't we doing it that way before?"

Homeowners are going to say, "No way, there is no way you're putting all of that metal on our roof."

Evergreen secures a patent for using the "no grounded" system for solar electrical equipment in the United States. They take over a greater portion of the Sunpower panel market, because they are legally the only ones capable of installing this safer product. Sunpower fights back and tries to persue legal action but they cannot. Evergreen panels get more efficient.

I want the best solar systems in the world to come from the United States. Particularly from this one Massachusetts company.

That's at least my hope.

My other hopes are that this is the way the project begins-

I know someone who has access to machinery that makes carbon fiber building materials.
He has also worked with carbon graphite practically his whole life.

He makes a deal with evergreen to manufacture 400 panel frames and rails for those panels.
it's being offered as a special deal to customers of one particular installer, as a test-run deal.

The test runs become publicized. The publicity justifies Evergreen going with a full-blown deal to almost go exclusively "No grounding." The systems are installed more safely across the united states and people will wonder why the hell anyone ever decided to go with aluminum.

It's the field, geniuses.
Go out into that field.

ian

PS - can't tell you what the 3rd is. That one is too easy to steal.