apparently, the brilliant plan by the current administration, let go by the GOP, is let the chinese win the renewables war...

CA and insurance have not been friends in CA for a while. CA offered shitty earthquake insurance and the insurance companies all bailed. PGE causes several massive fires due to not doing maintenance and they get a free pass and it's homeowners who lose.

CO has been looking at drought, climate change, fire seasons, and a super majority of Democrats has started doing legislation that actually favors consumers/voters. it's not perfect but we have had a few wins for the average person.

even as a kid, yes, I'm lold and lived through those odd/even gas days in the 70's

when I was a kid in the freaking 70s I wondered why we didn't invest more in solar and wind

WE COULD BE LEADING THE WORLD IN RENEWABLE TECHNOLOGY BY NOW.

but nooooooooooo.............

the GOP is owned, lock, stock, and barrel by big oil and large corporations. they want to deregulate, monopolize, and squeeze consumers to pay for huge data centers and use lots of oil and coal to power electrical grids.

FUD about renewable power is all part of the attempt to expand the US addiction to fossil fuels and shareholder profits over environmental concerns.

Gizmodo: Republican Operatives Are Astroturfing Opposition to Solar Power

A new report looks at a well-connected nonprofit that has been helping grassroots groups across the country fight local solar projects—with misinformation.

Republican Operatives Are Astroturfing Opposition to Solar Power

A new report looks at a well-connected nonprofit that has been helping grassroots groups across the country fight local solar projects—with misinformation.

Gizmodo (gizmodo.com)

But do the panels repel sparks better than asphalt roofs? They're designed to take a certain amount of heat, but of course if the house goes up in flames they will be destroyed.

The utility companies have a legitimate worry about the huge costs of building and maintaining the grid. In hot, sunny areas the panels help cut down peak load on sunny days, saving utilities from having to build for those peaks.

Payback time on panels (due to cost of electricity) in California has been about 5 years recently, it was 2 years for a bit. Probably will decrease with all the power companies jacking up rates, UNLESS, all the solar surcharges and whatnot they are putting into play counteract those savings. (huge push by the established utilities to NOT have people install solar panels, because they are worried about their profits and paying for infrastructure).

How do solar panels on roofs fare when there's a fire? They're pretty expensive, and if they are always getting ruined by fire or weather you'd never get your money back. Maybe these hide-away folding panels would survive better.

Just a moment...

(eepower.com)

#solarenergy

wood shingles have been illegal for a while but it's new "encouraging" insurance to pay for replacement.

but climate change has meant more drought, more fires, more/bigger hail. i was able to get the highest rating roof.

lake tahoe has been doing flammables clearance rules for a while. i'm expecting us to starting getting more laws in CO related to lawns (water use), bushes/trees (fire), fences (fire). right now, it's HOA specific; we need laws so all the HOA convenants get consistent.

none of this risk is getting better.

colorado is trying to address this in state law, encouraging roofs that are more fire resistant and hail resistant. i got a cedar shake shingle roof replaced with a top rated coated metal roof with the insurance company picking up most of it and also lowering my insurance bill noticably.

ERROR: The request could not be satisfied

(governorsoffice.colorado.gov)

So if you had a thick wooden fence, would that be okay?

But then again, would defensible space matter all that much of a super charged wall of flames blow torched your house?