u/Cultural-Ad4953

I occasionally hear about unethical or bad installers. I wanted to stop and say that there are some great people to work with as well. My job earlier this year went very well, and all commitments were honored.

But its more than that. I decided to roof or pergola over my deck this fall and then add more panels. I wanted to discuss the project with my "solar guy". His first comment was to clarify that I shouldnt do this project if all i wanted was more panels, because it didnt make financial sense. I explained that we wanted the cover and the panels were just a bonus. I think its great that he was looking out for me first and getting business second.

Edit: Since others put their installer in replies, I'm going to give you my installer..... TerraSol in Chadds Ford, PA.

Taken from my local Nextdoor group, in reply to a complaint about the high cost of a recent electric bill:

Solar won't help either. You have to put in an auxiliary system to cover the 60-70% it doesn't produce energy.

Its just bizarre that people just make crap up.

I was today years old when I realized that AAA has chargers and average charger pricing by state just like they have gas prices: https://gasprices.aaa.com/ev-charging-prices/

With the eclipse today, anyone have any interesting production graphs to show? It was only 13% at maximum where I live, so nothing particularly noticeable.

2025... 55 mile roundtrip to work, mostly highway. No climate use, 10.656 kWh used. This was an amazingly efficient trip!

I have a Starlink Residential Max plan with a Standard 4 receiver which I will keep until the end of October when camping season is over, then I'll put it in standby until April. Separately, I have a Mini that I got as a free rental-they processed it on the last day that it was offered in June. I have it sitting at home as a backup in case my internet ever went out. It's on standby currently. It's my understanding that they would want it back if I put the Residential Plan on standby. I am starting to consider what I should do in November:

1. Put the 4 on standby, return the mini, consider buying a mini in April

2. Ask to buyout the mini right before I put the 4 on standby. I honestly don't know what a buyout might cost.

3. Ask to buyout the mini right after I put the 4 on standby. Again, not sure about the cost.

4. Just wait for them to contact me and see if they offer me a buyout on the mini.

5. Is there a chance they don't even bother to ask for the mini back when I put the 4 on standby? Could I tell them that it's temporary and ask for grace?

I have a 19 kW system with no solar only option and two EVs. Just my wife and I living in the house. We have lived in our house for 25 years, and I think we might have lost power for more than 8 hours once ever. Electric tariff is simple, with no time of use option, just a winter and summer rate. Perhaps the only unique thing is a $1.50 per kW demand charge based on the highest draw of the month. There's no rationale for me ​to add batteries except maybe for bragging rights, correct? Which would be a horrible reason, btw.

There used to a restaurant by the airport right on the ramp from 141 S to 13 S. It's called The Legend. What was it called in the 1990s?

July 28, 2026NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 26V487000

Window Glass Trim Pieces May Detach

Detached trim pieces can create a road hazard, increasing the risk of a crash.

NHTSA ID Number: 26V487000

Manufacturer Ford Motor Company

Components STRUCTURE

Potential Number of Units Affected: 86543

Summary

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2023-2025 Mustang Mach E vehicles. The rear side quarter window glass trim may be improperly secured, which can allow it to detach.

Remedy

Dealers will inspect and replace the quarter window glass assemblies, as necessary, free of charge. Interim letters, notifying owners of the safety risk, are expected to be mailed September 10, 2026. Additional letters will be sent once the remedy is available. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 26S56. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will be searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning September 7, 2026.

As far as I can tell, display of % of battery state of charge is the display standard, instead of kWh remaining. Are there any vehicles that will natively display remaining kWh, either as a separate display field somewhere else on the screen or via toggle. I know that with a scanner you can get it and display it in your data, but I'm thinking about is as part of the UI. I also realize it's an easy calculation % SOC X usable battery size = kWh remaining. For someone who tracks their efficiency in distance per kWh, it would be nice to have accessible.

Is there a technical or practical reason why we wouldn't want it shown, or is it just that we're all used to %'s from phones and fractions from ICE fuel gauges?

Would you want to have easy access to this data?

Looks like there may be a bi-directional charging solution coming from Enphase. I sure hope Ford gets on board for MME'S.

https://enphase.com/ev-chargers/bidirectional

Editing: adding additional factors

Just out of curiosity, I'm trying to understand the factors that impact solar production. If I'm comparing day to day, month to month, what variability there is in my production, I think these are the variables. In general, I have this list in order of largest vs smallest component of variability. Am I missing any?

1-Length of day. Increases from around December 21st through June 21st, Decreases from June 21st through December 31st.

2-Angle of sun. Increases from around December 21st through June 21st, Decreases from June 21st through December 31st.

3-Seasonal changes in cloud cover.

4-Amount and type of clouds, smoke and pollen on any given day.

5-Changes in foliage on any trees that shade the panels

6-Where any shaded area (chimney, tree, etc) is relative to sun position, which changes through the year

7-Ambient air temperature and wind speed, with a lower temperature and greater wind speed providing more watts and a higher temperature providing fewer watts

8-Any obstructions directly on the panel....more dirt and dust if it's been drier, snow cover in the winter,, pollen

9-Age of the panel, with performance slowly decreasing over time

10-Albedo-reflection from surfaces below (bi-facial panels only)

11-Maximum energy allowed by the inverter/microinverter

When we consider an existing array, only 2, 5, 6 and 8 are in any way controllable by a homeowner (adjust angle, remove trees or other shaded areas, clean panels). 9 is controllable but not as easily (can replace panels).

What upgrades would you like to see from Ford for existing Mach-E's, and which would you pay for?

I would pay for-V2H, better BlueCruise, more range

I would like, but wouldn't pay for a preconditioning button, faster charging

For the record, I dont think we will ever get these things, but we can always dream....lol

I've always loved the song Cruiser, and despite being nearly 5 minutes, it felt like it was one of those songs that could have simply gone on for much longer. That whole build as well, Ben's voice getting louder and more powerful with every verse. It's one of my long list of favorite Cars songs.

I'm thinking about adding a bi-facial solar pergola to an existing 18.8 kW system. My consumption justifies it, the place where I would be putting it faces to the Southeast. I see kits online for the structure-are those worth the money, or is it generally just easier to have it built to spec and add the panels? How common are solar pergolas?

Any advice, success stories, horror stories?

I've had my 2025 MME premium awd extended for 13 months. I have 33K miles on it. I do occasionally charge it to 100%, before longer trips. It's my goal to drive this car for at least 200K miles and 8 years, but if I can get even more out of it I will.

I have an extended service plan which will cover the battery for an additional 100K miles over the warranty.

The way I understand it, more frequent charges to 100% could lower battery state of health.

With all this said, is there an argument to be made in favor of more frequent 100% charges, which would increase the possibility of me getting a new battery from Ford or Assurant? Getting a brand new battery at 190K seems like an awesome idea. Any concerns that it would void the warranty?