3 years ago I told my uncle his solar panel idea was crazy, now he's powering half the block

Back in July 2021, my uncle Bob showed me this diagram for putting solar panels on the south side of his garage at an angle. I laughed and said it would never work since his house is in Seattle where it rains 9 months out of the year. Fast forward to last month, and he's got 16 panels feeding power back to the grid. His electric bill went from $140 a month to $12, and three neighbors on his street asked him to help set up their own systems. I guess the wild theory about Seattle being sunny enough for solar was actually right. Has anyone else had a family member prove them totally wrong about something like this?

3 comments

3 Comments

calebc4028d ago

I guess the wild theory about Seattle being sunny enough for solar was actually right" - dude REALLY made you eat those words, huh? That's awesome for him though.

the_brian28d ago

Man, you gotta hand it to him for sticking with it through that Seattle weather. Out of curiosity, has he done anything special with the panel angle or setup to make them work when it's overcast most of the year? Always figured solar up there was more of a gamble than a sure thing.

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sanchez.mary28d ago

Figured out he mounted them almost flat to catch that low winter sun... less angle than the standard tilt you'd see down south. Told me he also cleaned the panels way more often cause the pollen and moss buildup kills what little light they get up there. Crazy thing is, he's getting like 60% capacity on overcast days, which is way better than I thought was possible... guess I was the one who needed schooling on that one.