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A sad solar story: How NOT to install your PV system

The solar installation at the home of Thomas David Kehoe was done poorly according to Kehoe. He is showing that the panels are shaded by trees much of the day. Photo by Cliff Grasmick.

Boulder resident Thomas David Kehoe’s green dream turned into an eco-nightmare when his solar installer put up his photovoltaic panels in the shade, on a roof that couldn’t take the load and attached to old wiring that couldn’t handle the extra current.

From the Daily Camera:

Thomas David Kehoe’s home on 31st Street in Boulder is not a destination on Saturday’s Tour of Solar and Green Homes. Maybe it should be.

The tour, sponsored by the Center for ReSource Conservation, kicks off Solar Week in Boulder County. Saturday, people can tour one or more of the 14 homes CRC has on its list, all great examples of how solar power and green building strategies can cut energy costs.

Kehoe’s home is not a shining example, however. Instead, it’s a solar installation gone wrong, an example of what not to do when installing photovoltaic panels at your home. It’s a cautionary tale of old house meets inexperienced contractor.

“I’m one of those annoyingly green Boulder people,” said Kehoe, who owns Casa Futura Technologies, a company that makes electronic devices that treat speech disorders. “I’ve done everything I can to make my home energy efficient. My house is as green as a 1961 tract house can be. So putting solar on the roof was part of my goal to reduce my carbon footprint even further.”

Kehoe had a 2,000-watt solar photovoltaic system installed on the roof of his house in February 2007. The project misfired in several ways, and Kehoe’s home-energy data backs that up.

Read the full story at DailyCamera.com or find out how to avoid the same mistakes by participating in Solar Week, which kicks off Saturday in Boulder.

More posts about solar technology at BigGreenBoulder.com:

Stimulus bucks finally heat up solar in Boulder

Solar-assisted coal plant coming to Colorado

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