Solar Power
Clean, Efficient and Environmentally Friendly...But Not Simple
Before you get started
As with any project that modifies your property, you must get permits to perform the work. Actually, you only need permits if you are doing work or making changes that rise to a certain level of complexity. Certainly, installing my solar project was going to require permits. It wasn't until my contractor went to apply for permits that I found that I also needed zoning approval. Unlike construction and electrical permits, zoning requirements are not so straight forward. They involve interpretation. There is no central authority for resolving problems. Oh yeah, every step of the way involves an attorney. In the interest of keeping this account positive, I won't dwell on the permit process. Let me just say, that from the time we first applied for permits, until we received them, it was a little over nine months.
This is a picture of the area where we are placing the solar panels. The fence you see on the left encloses our pool. Our house and garage are located to the left and behind the camera.
This is a view of the same area after the footings have been drilled. It's not easy to see, but there are four rows of footings each consisting of eight holes.
This picture is down the northern most row of footings. If you look closely in the first hole you can see the end of my four foot level just sticking out of the hole. Each of these footings is 42" deep and with 32 in total, the array should be quite well anchored.
