Renewable energy is coming our way

Today's post is a combination of my "View from the Office Window" series and a recent experience watching solar energy panels installed on the south-facing side of the detached garage at home.

The photo leading off the post shows the installers from Solar Dollar Energy of Raleigh in mid-project; the supporting rails have been afixed to the roof, and they are progressing toward putting in all the panels. The project began on June 13, and as of today, Tuesday, the 19th, all the panels are in, and we are supposedly activated.

Our electric utility, Duke Energy, has not installed its dual meter or officially put us on their energy credit account just yet. That should come in the next day or so (Note added on July 2: Duke installed the new dual meter on June 28, the date our monthly electric bill officially started benefiting from the panels' energy generation).

The pictures in this post were taken with a combination of my Canon 6D camera (equipped with a Tamron 28-300mm f/3.5-6.3 Di VC PZD lens and the camera on my iPhone X.

Above and next three below: Early stages of the installation, when workers installed the panel-supporting rails. The metal flashing-like pieces were slipped under the roofing tile in each spot. In the second photo below, you can see the crew member loosening the one tile where a metal piece would go.

Above: Solar panels are stacked near the ladder, ready to be carried up to the roof. 

Above and below: Long-range and closeups of the installation work as seen from the window in my office. Late on below, I'll present a closeup of one of those blooms on the flowered tree you see on the left.

Above: The finished roof of panels in a photo taken at the end of the work day Monday. A swing set for the grandkids to enjoy while visiting is mostly out of the picture on the left. 

More shots taken from the office window. In order, from above to the next two below: The bloom from the tree next to my office, a shot of some patio stones (part of a separate project to rebuild the deck on the back of the house) and a view of the new fence we put along the lot line behind the swing set.