Hi, I am an occasional reader of this forum.

We are in the middle of planning an addition,

(which will give us a part of the house NOT in the SHADE. :-)

I would really like to put up solar panels -

PV or Solar hot water, etc...

Does anyone have any suggestions/experience?

If I am successful, I might want to do this as a business.

Some questions come to mind.

1. Half of the roof will be (I live at 41 latitude, so that's the target slope),

but facing East South East (compass heading is 60).

Is that likely to work? Is it worth putting panels

on the other half (WNW) to catch some afternoon rays?

2. Has anyone does this? - i.e., done the install

themselves, or been the General Contractor for the

panels? My thought was to give the builder

the brackets and a drawing and say, here! -

let the brackets be installed before the flashing.

I might even "subcontract" with him to put the panels

on (but Tom, Huck and Becky may want to help instead:-)

I have done electrical work, with permits, at my house;

I don't yet know if State law limits solar wiring.

3. My thought was to get a bigger-than-needed inverter,

so I can add other energy sources to the mix in the

future - wind, toddler energy, exercycle....

Thanks

Seth