Installing solar panels

[jackcathy1]

Does anybody have any good ideas or sources for installing solar panels on a roof ?
Thanks
Jack McC

[12vman]

You might get in on this (http://www.wind-sun.com/ForumVB/showthread.php?t=1282) conversation. Great information site..

[Rancher]

There is a lot of information out there on solar panels, solar energy, etc. One good source, and one I used, was Colorado State University. The College has an "experimental" area called "Solar Village at Fort Collins and it is used to continually update information.
On our ranch I built a new home in 1990 using solar energy for my primary heat source. The 3000
sq ft home is very comfortable using 14 solar panels plus solar windows and a tromble wall of 24 tons for heat. The house is wired for solar electricity, if I ever decide to convert from REA. However, the economics of electric power show that REA power is cheaper than solar electricity in our area at present. I do have a diesel generator backup for the times when REA power is temporarily off but it is still not economical to generate solar electricity in our area compared to REA. On our ranch, at over 7,000 ft altitude in Colorado, my total electric bill for the whole ranch never exceeds $35 per month. We have no propane or other heat cost. I use a wood burning stove in the shop and cut wood on our own ranch. I use about a cord of wood per winter in the shop.
Since I have 14 solar panels, they are not on the roof. Each measures 4 ft wide by 8 feet high and are placed at ground level on the south side of the house. I have a 1000 gallon insulated water tank in the basement for a "heat bank" to circulate hot water into the baseboard heaters and the hot water faucets in the house. The combination of hot water, sun energy on the Tromble wall and good insulation, with the proper house design made the solar energy design very acceptable and comfortable with very little maintenance. The whole system, properly designed, keeps the water at a temperature of 140 to 160 degrees F., year round, controled by thermostates, two in-line 15 watt pumps, and valves.