Solar Equipment-Typical St Louis Home-CAD Designs

Installing a Renewable Energy Solar System
 in St Louis Missouri 

CAD Examples and Components Needed for a Typical Roof Mount Solar System
 provided by Scotty-Scotts Contracting, St Louis Renewable Energy

CAD Diagram-Exterior View of Materials Needed

Typical Solar System

CAD Diagram-Interior View of Materials
Needed-Typical Solar System

Components that make up a typical solar system

Inverters A solar inverter, or PV inverter, converts the 'Suns Rays' variable direct current (DC) output of a photovoltaic(PV) solar panel into a utility frequency alternating current (AC) that can be fed into a commercial electrical grid or used by a local, off-grid electrical network [home]. It is a critical component in a photovoltaic system, allowing the use of ordinary commercial appliances. Solar inverters have special functions adapted for use with photovoltaic arrays, including maximum power point tracking and anti-islanding protection.

Solar Panels A solar panel (also solar module, photovoltaic module or photovoltaic panel) is a packaged, connected assembly of photovoltaic cells. The solar panel can be used as a component of a larger photovoltaic system to generate and supply electricity in commercial and residential applications. Each panel is rated by its DC output power under standard test conditions, and typically ranges from 100 to 320 watts. The efficiency of a panel determines the area of a panel given the same rated output - an 8% efficient 230 watt panel will have twice the area of a 16% efficient 230 watt panel. Because a single solar panel can produce only a limited amount of power, most installations contain multiple panels. A photovoltaic system typically includes an array of solar panels, an inverter, and sometimes a battery and or solar tracker and interconnection wiring.

Smart Meter Monitoring and meteringThe metering must be able to accumulate energy units in both directions or two meters must be used. Many meters accumulate bidirectionally, some systems use two meters, but a unidirectional meter (with detent) will not accumulate energy from any resultant feed into the grid.[13] In some countries, for installations over 30kWp a frequency and a voltage monitor with disconnection of all phases is required. This is done to prevent supplying excess power to the grid, in the unusual case where more solar power is being generated than can be accommodated by the utility, and can not either be exported or stored. Grid operators historically have needed to provide transmission lines and generation capacity. Now they need to also provide storage. This is normally hydro-storage, but other means of storage are used. Initially storage was used so that baseload generators could operate at full output. With variable renewable energy, storage is needed to allow power generation whenever it is available, and consumption whenever it is needed. The two variables a grid operator have are storing electricity for when it is needed, or transmitting it to where it is needed. If both of those fail, installations over 30kWp can automatically shut done, although in practice all inverters maintain voltage regulation and stop supplying power if the load is inadequate. Grid operators have the option of curtailing excess generation from large systems, although this is more commonly done with wind power than solar power, and results in a substantial loss of revenue. Inverters have the unique option of supplying reactive power which can be advantageous in matching load requirements.

Thank you for stopping by St Louis Renewable Energy. Feel free to comment in the section below or contact Scotts Contracting- St Louis Home Improvement Projects and Energy Reducing Needs Get Your Green Building Tips and Resources at St Louis Renewable Energy Green Blog

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St Louis Water Issue: Raw Deal-Warning-Veolia

• Because Veolia is not the kind of company St. Louis, or any other city, should trust with its water. Its record is thick with environmental problems and costly violations, damage and repairs. Reading accounts of Veolia's misdeeds reads like an encyclopedia of expensive mistakes.

• the City of St. Louis is being sold a raw deal on its water and residents in St. Charles and St. Louis will be forced to buy it unless we stop it. Consider: the region will face higher costs and risk lower quality of the water supply if the City approves a key contract on Wednesday, Jan. 16th.  

According to a story broken by the Riverfront Times, St. Louis city lawyers have been negotiating a $250,000 contract with a foreign company, Veolia Water North America, for advice on cutting costs in the City's Water Division- St. Louis' public drinking water system which also supplies St. Charles.  

Donate Now Become A Member Volunteer Follow us on:    Like Us on Facebook      Follow Us  on Twitter  WARNING: Don't Buy It The City of St. Louis is being sold a raw deal on its water and residents in St. Charles and St. Louis will be forced to buy it unless we stop it. Consider: the region will face higher costs and risk lower quality of the water supply if the City approves a key contract on Wednesday, Jan. 16th.   If you help, we can stop it. Make a call,come to the meeting Wednesday, get involved. Water is critical. It is the  ice in our freezer, the water in our coffee, our soup, our infant formula, our beer, our shower, our bath, our laundry, our sprinkler, our baptismal, and our bodies.    According to a story broken by the Riverfront Times, St. Louis city lawyers have been negotiating a $250,000 contract with a foreign company, Veolia Water North America, for advice on cutting costs in the City's Water Division- St. Louis' public drinking water system which also supplies St. Charles.       Why is this an environmental issue? Why is this a consumer issue?  Because Veolia is not the kind of company St. Louis, or any other city, should trust with its water. Its record is thick with environmental problems and costly violations, damage and repairs. Reading accounts of Veolia's misdeeds reads like an encyclopedia of expensive mistakes. The St. Louis Board of Estimate and Apportionment (E&A) is reportedly considering the contract Wednesday afternoon, Jan. 16th, at its 2 p.m. meeting at City Hall at 1200 Market St. at Tucker in St. Louis.   If you live in St. Louis or St. Charles, you drink the water and you pay for it. About 60% of St. Charles water is from the City of St. Louis. Please take action. You can help dump Veolia: Speak up: Call and ask that the Veolia contract be dumped - for good and forever. Comptroller Darlene Green: 314-622-4389  Lewis Reed: 314-622-4114 Show up: At the Board of Estimate and Apportionment meeting Wednesday, January 16, and stand up for clean water. (1200 N. Tucker- Meet at 1 p.m. in the rotunda for preparation or come to the meeting at 2 p.m. Please RSVP to klogansmith(at)moenviron.org) Pen up: Write a letter to the editor (letters@post-dispatch.com) Step it up: Grow the effort by 'liking' the grassroots coalition that is uniting to save our water. See the St. Louis Dump Veolia Facebook page.  Dump Veolia - Save Money, Save Our Water Veolia Water is a major subsidiary of Veolia Environment, a private, for-profit, French multi-national corporation based in Paris with operations reaching around the globe and the largest water privatization business in the world. The company operates sewage treatment plants, drinking water plants, landfills, hazardous waste incinerators, and transportation systems.  Veolia seeks lucrative contracts with governments, usually to operate public facilities. From these facilities it aims to cut costs, deliver services and still take profits back to France and its investors. Does it sound too good to be true? In reports by news organizations like the Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, and Reuters and nonprofit organizations including -  Water for All, Polaris Institute, Global Exchange,  Novato Friends of Locally Operated Wastewater, Public Citizen, Public Water Works, and Food & Water Watch (here, here, here, here, here), you will encounter over and over again three general reasons for environmental and contract performance problems in water and other facilities operated by Veolia and the subsidiaries it controls): Inadequate staffing Other cost cutting measures (inadequate testing, treatment and maintenance) Illegal dumping and processing of toxic material Problems range from service outages, to illegal sewage discharges, foul odor, poor water quality, safety hazards, explosions, neglected equipment, and lower water quality. Communities have begun dumping Veolia because of costly problems. Even Paris dumped them in 2009.  Join St. Louis Dump Veolia's efforts! Keep Veolia out of the St. Louis City water supply Here are a few examples of Veolia's record for you.    Indianapolis Even though Veolia cited its work in Indianapolis as a successful model to guide its work in St. Louis, the contract in Indianapolis was terminated by city because of low water quality, falsified water quality report, staff cutbacks, cutbacks in water testing, water treatment and maintenance. In its proposal to the St. Louis Water Division, Veolia extensively references its work in Indianapolis as a successful model that could inform Veolia's guidance in St. Louis. If Indianapolis is any indication of Veolia's practices, then St. Louis would do well to steer clear. Veolia claims that the contract was completed and "focused on building a collaborative environment with all of the project stakeholders (union, government and the community)." In fact the company's 20-year contract with Indianapolis was terminated by the city less than halfway through, by which time the following had ensued: In a study of 100 large U.S. cities, Environmental Working Group ranked Indianapolis drinking water quality #90 (i.e. 11th-worst overall). St. Louis ranks #9 -- among the best in the country. In 2005, a federal grand jury subpoenaed four Veolia Indianapolis employees as part of an investigation into allegations that the utility falsified water quality reports. The probe began amid accusations by Indianapolis council members that the company had cut back on staffing, water testing, treatment chemicals and maintenance. In 2010, with infrastructure needs mounting and Veolia demanding more than the city could afford, Indianapolis canceled the contract more than 10 years early, for which they were forced to pay Veolia an additional $29 million. The nonprofit Citizens Energy Group took over, positioned to save the city more money than multinational Veolia was ever able to. If Veolia gives Indianapolis as an example of a success story, what could a failure possibly look like? New Orleans Veolia acquired a wastewater contract in New Orleans in the 1990's under its old name, US Filter. In 2001 and 2002, the plant released raw sewage into the river a total of 50 times, often violating water quality standards and resulting in more than $107,000 in fines. An audit concluded that "Observation of these plants' activities, as well as the serious problems reported above, indicate a reduced concern for operations and maintenance by the contractor." The city's Sewerage and Water Board Director and staff made numerous, repeated and documented complaints about Veolia reducing staff to inadequate levels, neglecting preventive maintenance, failing to notify city officials of environmental violations, and other problems. Veolia had a long track record of failing to communicate with New Orleans in connection with the contract. In 2002, the board rejected Veolia's bid for a new water/wastewater contract following public outrage. Sauget, IL-Hazardous Waste Incinerator In Sauget, IL, right across the river from St. Louis, a Veolia subsidiary operated a hazardous waste incinerator for over 10 years without a clean air permit. As of 2008, the facility had been fined more than $3 million," mostly related to small explosions and releasing toxic chemicals, including carcinogenic dioxins, into the air. There's more from California, Massachusetts, Texas, Georgia, Delaware, Belgium, Gabon, and Australia...You can dig deeper at the links above. Thanks for taking action! Please help spread the word. Kathleen Logan Smith, Executive Director

Missouri Coalition for the Environment | 6267 Delmar Blvd., Ste. 2E | St. Louis | MO | 63130

Video Building a Curved Exterior Wall

Building a Curved Wall on a Budget

Curved Wall:Designed and Built by Scotts Contracting

Client Needs:

1. Additional Support for the 2nd to 3rd Floor Staircase
2. Exterior Storage Space

Goals:

•  This is a Beautiful Older Home in the Central West End area of St Louis.  Any additions or modifications must be historically correct and blend in with the surroundings.  

Build Notes:

• Who doesn't need more Storage Area?  By Enclosing the Area and Installing a Door a small area for storage was created!

• When this home was Originally built in the Late 1800's there were No Support Posts under the Stair Case.  Prior to Building the Curved Wall for Additional Support the Client Installed the "Green Painted Support Post / Beam"  Since the Lumber was still use-able the Posts were re-positioned for the addition of the Curved Wall Metal Framing

• Radius Arc- In this application: Use the Curve of the Existing Structure.
• Metal Tracks have bendable tabs- Once track is in Position bend the tabs to hold the track in shape until the track is attached impermanently 

• Exterior Drywall was screwed to the Metal Studs after 2" Vertical Relief Cuts were made in the Sheet Rock.

• 30# Roofing Felt and Stucco Mesh

• Stucco with Fiber Re-Inforcement

Completed Project Looks Original to the Structure while
Meeting Goals and Needs of Client!!!

Scotts Contracting is available for your Design Build Projects in the St Louis Area.  Let the In-House Design Staff design your next Building Improvement Project.

Thank you for stopping by St Louis Renewable Energy. Feel free to comment in the section below or contact Scotts Contracting- St Louis Home Improvement Projects and Energy Reducing Needs Get Your Green Building Tips and Resources at St Louis Renewable Energy Green Blog

Video Diagram-Heat Loss or Gain-Energy Saving-Green Build

  Simple Video Diagrams with Examples of Stopping and Reducing Heat Loss for Todays Buildings

Thank you for stopping by St Louis Renewable Energy. Feel free to comment in the section below or contact Scotts Contracting- St Louis Home Improvement Projects and Energy Reducing Needs Get Your Green Building Tips and Resources at St Louis Renewable Energy Green Blog

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Benton Rehab Flooring-Custom Floor Patch

Although it is not impossible to find Lumber to match a floor built in the late 1800s.  The Owner of the Property decided to Jazz it up and incorporate a design into the floor.

Part 14-Custom Flooring Patch Hardwood Floor Repair-Benton Rehab

• Original Flooring Material-Douglas Fir

• Wood Flooring Patch in a varied pattern made from:Up-Cycled flooring materials and Lumber from past jobs consisting of: Red Oak, Redwood, Walnut, and White Oak.

Benton Rehab-Flooring Patch 

The flooring will be finished with a clear poly urethane coating that will blend the color of the floor with the design on the Apartment.  Douglas fir has a redish tint that we matched to the Interior Tuck-pointing giving the Investment Property an: 

OLD WESTERN - OLD SOUTH ST LOUIS ARCHITECTURE- DECOR AND FEEL INTO A MODERN DAY APARTMENT- BENTON GUT REHAB

Part 1: History

Part 2: Stone Foundation Repair

Part 3: Tuckpointing the Brick Walls pt 1

Part 4: Tuckpointing the Brick Walls pt 2

Part 5: What were they thinking?

Part 6: Paint Pro Tip #35

Part 7: Repairing Water Damage-Exterior Wall

Part 8: 1st Floor Weatherization

Part 9: See the Difference a Little White Paint Makes

Part 10: Interior Framing-Plumbing-Laundry Room

Part 11: Kitchen Framing Tip #36-Benton Rehab Project

Part 12: Water Main Repair- Benton Rehab

Part 13: Benton Rehab Project Drywall Installation and Tip: Number 1172

Part 14: Custom Flooring Patch Hardwood Floor Repair-Benton Rehab

Thank you for stopping by St Louis Renewable Energy. Feel free to comment in the section below or contact Scotts Contracting- St Louis Home Improvement Projects and Energy Reducing Needs Get Your Green Building Tips and Resources at St Louis Renewable Energy Green Blog

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From: EcoWatch Top News of the Day

Interesting news about the Unified front to continue the fight against Global Warming and Climate Change:  Coal, Fracking, XL Pipeline, Climate Change, President Obama, Clean Water, Monsanto Genetically modified Seeds, US Farmers,

Tuesday, January 8, 2013 Top News of the Day Protests Ignite Nationwide Targeting TransCanada's Keystone XL Tar Sands Blockade We stand together as representatives of a desperate generation who have been forced into this position by the reckless and immoral behavior of fossil fuel corporations such as Transcanada. Our political leaders have failed... Yamuna Waterkeeper Works with Citizen Scientists to Protect Local Waterways Yamuna Waterkeeper  Water, Water Everywhere, Not a Drop to Drink! How truly these lines depict the present scenario in India... Family Farmers Continue Fight in Landmark Lawsuit Against Monsanto Food Democracy Now! "We don't want their seed. We don't want their gene-spliced technology. We don't want their trespass onto our farms. We don't want their contamination of... Nearly 70 Groups Write Letter Imploring Obama to Rise Up and Be Strong Climate Leader Natural Resources Defense Council Climate leadership in this time of crisis means not only moving ahead with clean energy, but also tackling the dirty. As the letter points out...   Meet Chip Northrup—An Articulate and Energetic Opponent of Fracking Ellen Cantarow The only thing driving this is politics at this point. Much more so than any need to prospect for gas. Cuomo is being pushed into permitting shale gas wells when such... 80+ Groups Challenge Gov. Cuomo to Lead on Climate Change and Protect His State from Fracking EcoWatch "While we welcome your determination to lead on climate change, we are greatly concerned by indications that... EcoWatch in partnership with Waterkeeper Alliance services more than 1,000 grassroots environmental organizations and activists worldwide through its online news service EcoWatch.org.

Ways to make your bathroom greener

TheShelvingStore.com offers a wide selection of shelves, shelving units, wire shelving units, and much more to help you get and stay organized.

How much time do we spend in the bathroom each day? The mornings are probably the most busy bathroom times in any house, followed closely by right before bed. But do you know the burden your bathroom can put on your house's overall carbon footprint?

By Diane Kuehl

Most people probably don't think about it, but the fact of the matter is that the bathroom is an incredibly wasteful place. Between lighting and water usage by the various plumbing fixtures, we're wasting with every second we're in the bathroom.
Here are a few ways you can help to "greenify" the bathrooms in your home – you'll thank me later.

LIGHTS

Lighting is one of the easiest ways to help reduce your carbon footprint. In fact, it's one of those that is probably already done in other areas of your home if you are green-inclined.

LED and CFL bulbs (see link for a lot more information on LED and CFL bulbs) can actually reduce your energy output 5 to 10 times, if you change from your traditional light bulb. And with how much time you spend with the lights on in the bathroom, this is definitely going to help you go a little bit more green. But don't forget – this is a great option for the whole house, as well.

There are no extra steps in installing LED or CFL light bulbs, so it's an easy switch. Just be sure to turn off the lights before installing.

FAUCET

Faucets may not seem like a huge burden to your water bill or your carbon footprint, but look at it like this: faucets use about 2.5 gallons of water per minute. Now, think about how much you use a faucet in your home each day. Now multiply that by the number of people living in your house.

It adds up, doesn't it?

There are high-efficiency faucets that use 1.5 gallons of water per minute, which will help reduce the toll on your hot water heater. (By the way, did you know that hot water heaters are the single biggest part of our home's carbon footprint?)
You can also invest in a water-saving aerator, flow restrictor, or some type of water filtration unit to help reduce the amount of water your use with each turn of the faucet.

SHOWERHEAD

Showers account for about 20 percent of the total water used in our homes each day. This number can go up depending on how often your shower, for how long, and what type of showerhead you use.

But let's be honest – you probably haven't thought about water consumption now that you've got that massive showerhead that massages as it cleans, have you?
Here's a thought: The typical shower uses about 2.5 gallons of water per minute. If you take a 30 minute shower, like me, then you are using 75 gallons of water per shower. Now, imagine that you've got four other people taking 30 minute showers in your house. That's 375 gallons of water per day in shower use. For those keeping score at home, that's a lot of water.

Ultra-low-flow showerheads use less than two gallons of water per minute, which will effectively cut 70 percent of your water usage for a single day.

TOILET

How often do you flush the toilet? Hopefully often enough… Toilets account for about 30 percent of the water usage in our homes, which means it is quite the water hog – the biggest one in our homes.

Each flush can use up to six gallons of water. So, let's assume you flush about 25 times per day. That's 150 gallons of water per day.

But, with high-efficiency toilets and other eco-friendly toilets becoming more and more popular, you've got plenty of options.

Dual Flush Toilets: Dual flush toilets operate around the premise that it takes a lot less water to flush liquid waste (no. 1, as my kids say). So, these toilets give you the option of flushing for either liquid or solid waste. This can reduce your water usage by half with each flush.

Composting Toilet: If you like outhouses, you'll love composting toilets. These toilets (typically) don't use any water and store the waste in a tank. Don't worry, though. The waste is mixed with vegetable matter, sawdust, coconut coir, and peat moss to help with processing and that putrid waste smell. Some models even have a vent.

High-efficiency Toilets: These toilets are the ones labeled WaterSense at your local home improvement store. They use 1.3 gallons of water per flush. The EPA also says that it helps save about 4,000 gallons of water per home per year. That's a lot.
Because green technology has caught up with today's current style trends, it's easy to find fixtures that fit your particular bathroom décor. So don't worry, you can be stylish and green all at the same time.

So go do it. Your home (and your wallet and the environment) depends on it.

Diane Kuehl is a home improvement professional and owner of DIY Mother. She lives in Springfield, Illinois with her husband and two kids.

Guest Post provided by Scotty-

Scotts Contracting,St Louis Renewable Energy

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