http://www.solarlab.org/
Neat Solar Design Organization
http://www.precisionsolarcontrols.com/index.php
A traffic sign controls company that replaces solar with deisel, TX
http://www.solarpowerconference.com/
A conference dedicated to Solar in long Beach, CA
Solar Organizations to Join
Solar Energy Industries Association
Solar Electric Power Association
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Things to do around Phoenix
SCOTTSDALE
Buffalo Museum of AmericaMcCormick-Stillman Railroad Park
Frank Lloyd Wright's Winter Retreat
Fifth Avenue
Scottsdale Historical Museum
Monument Valley
Mountain View Park
Glendale
That's not to say that Glendale is bad, but I find that the most stable and propsperous areas of Glendale are farther out in recently developed areas such as Arrowhead. The older, more established areas of Glendale are in transition and offer less stability than the northern part of the city.
Scottsdale
•Scottsdale is really the best place to go for public education. Scottsdale is one of the most overall attractive big cities that I have ever seen!! In fact, I have never seen a city the size of Scottsdale have such an amazing feel to it. Clean, clean, clean! It is also amazing that a city with almost 250K people in its limits can have such a high standard of living at the same time. The Old Town area of Scottsdale is gaining more and more interest, and of course the city has endless things to do being an international tourist "hot spot" for years. You do pay to live there, but it is well worth it. They keep saying good things about Surprise, which will be interesting to see what happens. I wouldn't invest in it just yet though.
•You may also want to look into moving to Scottsdale, it's not that far from Camelback Mountain and there are some good hiking and biking trails there.
•You may also want to look into moving to Scottsdale, it's not that far from Camelback Mountain and there are some good hiking and biking trails there.
More on Tempe
• The Gilbert area has lots of homes within your price range (250+), and so does the south Tempe area, although some of the homes in that price range may be older in Tempe.
• Want to live East of the office so that you drive to and from work away from the sun
• My favorite is Tempe Town Lake with local art, lots of trails, water activities, buisness parks, shopping, etc. Tempe does tend to have some not so nice parts. But these are older areas, not ghetto. The city also has some beautiful master planned communities. When I think Tempe though I think location. It is right in the middle of all the action in the metro area, and you have very easy access to everything. I have heard that schools overall are good, but it really just goes school by school.
• Personally, I would choose Tempe -- primarly because it is more centrally located, with good access to several freeways, the airport, and the light rail line under construction. It's also a place with interesting restaurants, recreation, scenery, and cultural attractions all within its borders. Perhaps the biggest benefit of Tempe is that there are nice neighborhoods that are not far removed on the edges of the community. The Lakes area, just south of Baseline Road, for example, is an attractive suburban neighborhood within a short drive of downtown Tempe.
• Want to live East of the office so that you drive to and from work away from the sun
• My favorite is Tempe Town Lake with local art, lots of trails, water activities, buisness parks, shopping, etc. Tempe does tend to have some not so nice parts. But these are older areas, not ghetto. The city also has some beautiful master planned communities. When I think Tempe though I think location. It is right in the middle of all the action in the metro area, and you have very easy access to everything. I have heard that schools overall are good, but it really just goes school by school.
• Personally, I would choose Tempe -- primarly because it is more centrally located, with good access to several freeways, the airport, and the light rail line under construction. It's also a place with interesting restaurants, recreation, scenery, and cultural attractions all within its borders. Perhaps the biggest benefit of Tempe is that there are nice neighborhoods that are not far removed on the edges of the community. The Lakes area, just south of Baseline Road, for example, is an attractive suburban neighborhood within a short drive of downtown Tempe.
Extracts about Tempe Arizona
•Want to live East of the office so that you drive to and from work away from the sun
•Tempe is where ASU is so it's straight up college town. Mill Avenueis in Tempe and that's where we go to party. College is on one sideand city is on the other.
•Tempe city is ghetto and Tempe High Schoolis super ghetto. They tried to bus in other kids to improve theschool but it's kind of a disaster. I don't know how long you plan on being there and if the kids are going to go to school. You could set up shop in tempe and stage there to look for other districts.
•You really want to be in districts with good schools.Corona Del Sol, Mountain Pointe, Desert Vista are all the goodschools.
•If you like countryside go with Gilbert. if you like upscale high lifeliving like SouthPark, then you'll like Scottsdale. Tempe is verycentral for staging. Make sure you check to figure out which is the bad part and which is the good part of Tempe. You want to be in the Ahwatukee and Foothills region. Maricopa is the county but there is also Maricopacity and Mesa. The city sprawl is blowing up so you can find plenty of places. It's hard to recognize the place everytime we go back because the highway system is growing so much. I do love the airport by the way.
•My thoughts on Phoenix? I have wanted to end up in Phoenix since I was16 years old. I've always liked the city. There is so much to do andthe weather is great. I don't care about the heat, I love thesunshine. Also, there's lots of talk about Phoenix becoming thesports capital of the country so that will be exciting. If we don'tmake it out there soon, we'll most likely retire from the Army and end up there.
Solar Panel Types
Tried and True Monocrystalline...
For many years monocrystalline solar modules have been the mainstay of the solar market. Those iridescent blue faced panels you have been seeing on rooftops are probably of this type of panels. They have distinct rounded individual solar cells visible from all angles stacked in very uniform rows. This type is produced from a single silicon ingot or crystal. Manufacturing costs are very high because of this process making them the most expensive solar modules on the market. They are, however the most space efficient type of solar panel making them the correct choice when space is at a premium. Monocrystalline cells have a life expectancy far exceeding 25 years, probably over 50 years. The only real problem with this type of cell is it's fragile nature making it a requirement that it be mounted in a very rigid frame.
Polycrystalline...
Polycrystalline modules are manufactured from a block of multi-crystalline silicon. They are usually square and have a varied, almost mosaic-like appearance. Only slightly less efficient than monocrystalline modules they are cheaper to manufacture and thus cost less money. You can expect the same great lifespan as monocrystalline cells too.
Thin Film...
Recently a new product was introduced into the market that could provide some much needed answers for solar power users. Amorphous silicon PV or thin film technology could make rigid solar panels obsolete if some better research is done. Thin film panels are produced by applying silicon material on glass or stainless steel, or more commonly between two pieces of flexible laminate material. Solid or rigid thin film panels are in use by flexible laminated thin film panels are more popular.
For many years monocrystalline solar modules have been the mainstay of the solar market. Those iridescent blue faced panels you have been seeing on rooftops are probably of this type of panels. They have distinct rounded individual solar cells visible from all angles stacked in very uniform rows. This type is produced from a single silicon ingot or crystal. Manufacturing costs are very high because of this process making them the most expensive solar modules on the market. They are, however the most space efficient type of solar panel making them the correct choice when space is at a premium. Monocrystalline cells have a life expectancy far exceeding 25 years, probably over 50 years. The only real problem with this type of cell is it's fragile nature making it a requirement that it be mounted in a very rigid frame.
Polycrystalline...
Polycrystalline modules are manufactured from a block of multi-crystalline silicon. They are usually square and have a varied, almost mosaic-like appearance. Only slightly less efficient than monocrystalline modules they are cheaper to manufacture and thus cost less money. You can expect the same great lifespan as monocrystalline cells too.
Thin Film...
Recently a new product was introduced into the market that could provide some much needed answers for solar power users. Amorphous silicon PV or thin film technology could make rigid solar panels obsolete if some better research is done. Thin film panels are produced by applying silicon material on glass or stainless steel, or more commonly between two pieces of flexible laminate material. Solid or rigid thin film panels are in use by flexible laminated thin film panels are more popular.
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