Solar Panels Rise Pole by Pole, Followed by Gasps of ‘Eyesore’

[jtuck004]

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/28/science/earth/28solar.html?_r=2&pagewanted=print

It generates half their power right there on the pole, feeds back into the grid, so they could use smaller amounts of coal or nuclear power. A nearby town doesn't have a problem with the esthetics, but here "Some residents consider the overhanging panels “ugly” and “hideous” and worry aloud about the effect on property values".

Now someone has stolen a panel from a pole, and an attorney is reported to have said "I'm not saying what happened"

But seriously, they are worried about how things look up on these poles next to the wires?

They should manufacture these with a big green dollar sign built behind the glass. You could tell people it's a money machine, prints money into their electrical account. Leave that whole electrical discussion out of the picture.

[Warren DeMontague]

1. Jesus fucking christ.

That's the lamest thing I've seen all week.

[mrbscott19]

2. I understand their point

It's very ugly and affects a large amount of people since they are put on poles all over town. If it was just 1 street or something, whatever suck it up, but thats not the case. 1 larger grid instead of panels here and there all over town would be a better solution I think.

[jtuck004]

5. I suspect they did this because they already own the right-of-way on

the poles, and don't have to scout for and buy 170 acres (charging the ratepayers even more), and transport the power back to where it will be used, losing some along the way.

This also distributes the work, so the breakage of, say, 1 larger inverter doesn't take down power for the whole grid.

I respect their right to an opinion, but do they really behold their creosote-soaked telephone poles, gray transformers, and oily-looking wires as such a work of art that these panels ruin the effect?

If revenue continues to fall along with housing values and jobs that a family can live on continue to evaporate, they may find their resistance was a little short-sighted.

[emmadoggy]

14. Agree.

"do they really behold their creosote-soaked telephone poles, gray transformers, and oily-looking wires as such a work of art that these panels ruin the effect? "

I was going to say the same thing. As if the rest of that gunk isn't ugly? It's simply that we are all USED to seeing those things and don't even notice them anymore. Eventually, they'll get used to the panels too. And as someone downthread mentioned - maybe someday they could be upgraded to something more aesthetically pleasing.

[robinlynne]

16. Every highway in germany is lined with solar panels, many many more

than in this picture. wall to wall solar panels. and they created a stimulus, so that all the farms are putting up solar panels. (If you buy and put up solar panels you get back twice the going rate for all the eletricity you create for the first ten years (might be more than ten years. dont remember. ) . they're almost at 20% solar. That's all it took to fill the country with solar panels, some privately owned,and on public highways publicly owned. all connected to the grid. . If electricity currently costs 50 cents a kilowatt, you put up solar panels and you receive 1.00 per kilowatt from the govt. It's so simple, and so genius.

[Jim Lane]

8. I don't think they're ugly.

I'd be happy if the company installed them on my street. Every time I saw one, I'd think of the coal that wasn't being burned or the nuke plant that wasn't being built.

There are five large wind turbines in Atlantic City -- in an urban area, unlike most wind farms, which are out in remote areas. The Borgata Hotel and Casino has reported that many guests specifically ask for a room on the side facing the turbines, because they like to see them.

[saras]

3. Damn silly

If they're going to bitch about that, I want to bitch about street light poles getting bigger and bigger, cell towers being put up everywhere, wireless internet boxes hanging off the ends of a lot of street lights, and the GODDAMN SQUIRRELS that won't quit running up and down the wires. And fireplugs not only look stupid, but attract dog piss - let's get rid of them all.

[JDPriestly]

4. The panels look good on rooftops.

[ixion]

7. Indeed. Better than shingles in my opinion...

but then, I'm not a knuckle-dragging basement dweller, either. ;)

[JDPriestly]

10. Mine too. They look better than shingles.

And I suspect you do not have to replace them as often.

[ixion]

6. These people equate solar with environmentalism, and environmentalism with hippy

hence the 'gasp'. :eyes:

[jtuck004]

11. Yea, I think that is more to the point. It would not surprise me if the "esthetics"

argument is just a euphemism for a hard-right winger to 'cause trouble, because I have trouble seeing 2.5 x 5 foot panels as troublesome, that far up off the ground.

22 miles from the Indian Point Nuclear Power Plant. Babies, you think it's ugly now, if that nuke plant ever goes belly up, you may wish you had done what you could to reduce its size.

Talk about shooting yourself in the foot. It would seem to be in their best interest to create other sources of power that leave the pollution of manufacturing in another country, the panels built in China, reduce their need for more dangerous sources like coal or nuclear.

Cool network of panels - they communicate with central servers that can monitor and control them - through the electrical lines they are distributing power on.

[ixion]

12. Exactly. Like power poles and lines, tallboys and sub-stations are so freakin' beautiful

which they're not, of course. They're an eyesore, and a constant reminder of someone's dependency on 'the grid.'

I got off the grid four months ago, and while I've had to adapt my lifestyle to using less electricity, I'm happy to be off.

[kristopher]

13. REsearch shows you are like the vast majority of people.

We like being in control of such an important part of our survival. It is another big plus on the social benefit side of distributed generation.

[Fledermaus]

9. Its a cool idea if it works, esthetic's is part of the equation in some neighborhoods.

If it works, they could spend the money to re engineer the looks.

[robinlynne]

15. I think they are BEAUTIFUL!

[PamW]

17. UGLY, UGLY, UGLY...

They should manufacture these with a big green dollar sign built behind the glass. You could tell people it's a money machine,
------------------------------------

Keep the money. If I wanted to live in the industrial part of town,
then I would have built my home in the industrial area.

I live in a residential area. I expect it to look like a residential area
and not have those ugly solar panels on the street. I don't care how
much or how cheaply they make electricity.

If I have to pay more money for my electricity to keep those UGLY, UGLY, UGLY
panels off my street; then so be it.

PamW

[Terry in Austin]

18. Oh, like a freeway overpass isn't an eyesore

Sheesh!