Greg's Horrible Waste of Internet Bandwidth

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Photovoltaics Installation FAQs

Photovoltaics Installation FAQs 8/1/24 Update Most of the below info is still valid, however 16 years on I have yet to recover my initial installation costs. The installed cost of the 4.1kW system was $18,109 (2008 dollars); as of this date, the system has generated $13,029 (not adjusted for inflation) tracking monthly output and per-kW monthly rates. So why it is that a system that was sold as paying for itself within 10 years has not? Well, there are several factors: In 2007, it was estimated that energy rates would increase 5% annually (it had been trending 8-10% for the prior 10 years). That didn't happen. Instead, this little thing called "fracking" got discovered and our energy costs actually decreased for many years (the "green push" is changing that trend). In 2007, it was estimated that PV owners would get somewhere in the range of 5-7c/kWh generated for their Renewable Energy Credits -- RECs. These were credits that other electrical customers would pay

On "Accusumps"

(This is another blog in a series of thoughts/ideas that I commonly see, created as a placeholder for future reference so I don't have to re-write it each time. I totally understand the limited audience and for such a post, but I invite feedback from those who have interest in this arcane subject...) -------------------------------------------------- This was posted in response to someone inquiring about PDM control, pressure sensors, switches, valves to manage an Accusump in his race car... You're making this wicked too complicated...and significantly failure-prone. An Accusump (AS) is a passive hydraulic/mechanical oil pressure accumulator (thus, "Accu"sump). Its purpose* is to provide oil flow when the pickup tube in your engine becomes unported due to side loads oil "slosh" or flow away from it. First, note that an AS is a "BandAid" for a design flaw in your road race engine. That design flaw is the unporting of the oil pickup. The ultimate res

Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, Bottled in Bond

This is simply a blog post for myself, so I can remember what the terms mean. I do get asked occasionally...prosit! Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, Bottled in Bond Whiskey - "An alcoholic distillate from a fermented mash of grain produced at less than 190 proof in such a manner that the distillate produces the taste, aroma, and characteristics generally attributed to whikey, stored in oak containers and bottled at not less than 80 proof, and also includes mixtures of such distillates for which no specific standards of identify are prescribed." Bourbon - "Whisky produced at not exceeding 160 proof from a fermented mash of not less than 51 percent corn and stored at not more than 125 proof in charred new oak containers, and also includes mixtures of such whiskies of the same type." Therefore, Bourbon is a specific type of whiskey. Straight - "Whiskies conforming to the standard prescribed in the definitions of Bourbon whiskey which have been stored in some

On the One Lap of America 1997

Greg's and Rick's Excellent One Lap of America Adventure, 1997 Editorial note: this was written soon after completing the 1997 One Lap of America, as a series of emails to an audience of National Motorists Association members, state chapter coordinators, and activists. Recall that this is very shortly after the repeal of the 55 mph National Mandatory Highway Speed Limit, so not only was I relating my experiences of the event but also my impressions of how the country "was dealing with" the prospect of "thousands of deaths" that many opponents predicted (incorrectly, history records). Regardless, enjoy the write-up, it was fun do pass along! - Greg Well, having just returned from running the 1997 One Lap of America (and finally recovering) I can speak to the attitudes towards speed limits in at least 15 states. Most are pretty cool. The One Lap was designed to (ostensibly) run at legal speeds; our route book had specific routes and times. Even though this was

On That Time I Drove the #30 Momo Porsche 962...

Someone recently asked me, "what's the fastest race car you've ever driven?" I had to think about that one for a minute. I tend to favor slower cars ("smarter to make a slow car go fast, than vice versa") but the STL and STU cars were pretty speedy. As was some Mustangs and such. But no, I'd have to say that "the fastest race car that I have ever driven" was a Porsche 962. Wait... a 962?? Of course there's a story! San Antonio. love that town. It's one of my fav bigger cities with beautiful geography (love the Texas Hill Country), southwest culture, the Riverwalk (and its associated civil engineering; ever wonder why the San Antonio River doesn't ever flood the Riverwalk ?). Architecture, music, and of course the food. I think my first time there was during high school when our band took a tour down there and I fell in love with the place right away. IMSA liked the town, too. In 1985, the City of San Antonio approved its IMSA Nissa

On the Runoffs Drivers Probation -- from 1992

At the 1992 SCCA Runoffs I was poised to take home a National Championship. Instead, I took home a third-place podium finish...and a 6-race driving probation. You can read JJ Gertler's write-up of the event itself here: https://kakashiracing.com/1992_runoffs_wrap.htm While many would be ecstatic at a Runoffs podium finish, 1992 was a burr under my saddle as this was my race to lose -- and I did. That event, and its ignominous conclusion, pretty much ended my racing "career" and I stepped away from SCCA and motorsports (for a while). After the accolades, photos, wine, and post-race impound was done I got "invited" to join the Chief Steward, Sue Rothel, for "a talk" about that collision two laps from the end. I don't remember the details of the conversation but I came away with surrendering my license in exchange for a probation letter requiring me to appear before subsequent chief stewards for six National races (later adjusted to include Regionals)