BillP

Absolutely will buy a Beretta, but will wait until they say "TN" on the side, not "MD".  Whether I need one or not, will have one.

We live in north Hamilton County in a somewhat rural subdivision. A lady in the neighborhood got a new laser sight for her pistol and wanted to try it out at dusk.  Someone called the police and multiple cars showed up at her house.  The deputies found out what was going on.  Then they told her to keep shooting while they were there.  Apparently they wanted to demonstrate to whoever made the phone call that shooting was OK here.

Yes seez52, they certainly can be ground mounted.  That is the preferred way to do it if you have the room on the ground.  Saves money, easier, no worry on re-roof someday.  I'm age 73 and did my own roof work, but probably should not have done it.  I wish I had the ground space for them.    On insurance question:  It depends upon your insurance company.  Mine charged extra because the value of my house went up with the system installed; brother's did not go up. I had hopes that solar panels would continue to go down in price, but I have lost hope for that.  I'm afraid they have reached bottom on price.   

You can take a look at what my brother's system is producing right now at: https://enlighten.enphaseenergy.com/public/systems/x9pB113233 It includes a photo of his roof.  We installed this system last fall and it has produced 4.2 MWH so far, during the worst solor months of the year.    If you would like to calculate what a system would produce at your house, go to: www.nrel.gov/rredc/pvwatts/ I suggest you use "Version 1" of the calculator.  You input your possible system design and  location.  It will give you what you will produce pretty accurately, if you put in the correct percent efficiency.  It defaults to 77%, but a well installed Enphase microinverter system, on  a 5/12 roof, facing south, will give about a 95% efficiency. My battery backup system is about 67% efficient.   For "nerdy engineer types" this calculator is fun.  For electricity value, put in what you pay per watt, plus $.09, as that is what you will be paid if in the TVA area.  We get the $.12 premium over the rate as our contracts were signed last year.  So currently $.214 for me.   We installed the Sharp 240 watt panels made in Memphis, but I don't think Sharp produces them there anymore.    If you have more questions, let me know as I have paid dearly for my practical solar power education!  Had to skip some gun purchases I really wanted to make because money was tied up in solar. 

The 8400 watt system cost about $20,000 for a DIY install.  Brother is a PE, and EE with 35 years work in electrical distribution.  He did hire roofers to do mounts on the roof.  From the $20,000 investment, he got a grant of $1000 from TVA and a 30% ($6000) refund from the IRS, for a net cost of $13,000. ABSOLUTELY, you can not get a payback on these systems without sucking on the government teet!    Solar power can not sustain without subsidy, paid by government and other electric rate payers.  The system is producing at the rate of $2950 per year, with the $0.12 per kwh premium that TVA distributors payed on contracts made last year.  Now it is $0.09 premium.  So, about a 4 1/2 year payback, counting no interest.  The TVA program includes the premium for only 10 years, then you get only credit at the normal retail rate.  But the system should produce for about 30 years.  His sytem is highly efficient, using the Enphase microinverter.  95% of the power produced by his 36 panels flows out to the electric system.  My system has batteries, so if the electricity goes off, I continue to have power.  But payback on my system, unless you put value on that backup power, is basicly, never.  Batteries cut the efficiency too much, and they won't live over about 5 years before replacement.  More later.

I installed a system with battery backup.  That was a mistake because it cuts efficency too much.  At the same time we installed a 8400 watt system on my brother's house, which faces the ideal 180 degrees.  Even this winter, with sun low, he is getting about $30.00 a month more than what his water and electic bill is.  Up to 50 KWH per day in the winter.  His system uses the Enphase microconverter.  It is a great system with a pretty quick payback.  He will pay no utility bill for the next 10 years plus get a check for about $1300 at the end of each year from the local utility.    We both installed our system while the TVA contract pays a $.12 premium plus the retail price of electricity. EPB Chattanooga is paying me $0.214 per KWH for what my system produces.  TVA has now reduced that to a $.09 premium in addition to the retail price.  Go to TVA.gov and read the (rather long) rules for the deal.  Limited to 10 KW system on a home currently. TVA will pay you (through local utility) $1000 upon completion of your system, then you can subtract 30% of the full cost of the system from your income tax.   Not worth doing unless you do it by the rules to qualify for these paybacks.  

Tennessee Code Title 58, Chapter 1, Part l-104(d) states: "(d) The militia shall consist of all able-bodied male citizens who are residents of this state and between eighteen (18) and forty-five (45) years of age and who are not members of the army or navy as hereinabove defined, and who may not otherwise be exempted by the laws of this state or the United States. " How could any future Supreme Court interpret the Second Amendment in any way that could deny Tennesseans age 18 to 45 the right to bear arms? If this has been covered here before, I failed to find it with a search. Bill

The interview below describes the Battle of Athens, Tennessee, from the point of view of an insider, and leader. And it helps explain some background on how the battle came to happen. It's a long read and I recommend it to you not as entertainment, but as education. http://web.utk.edu/~csws/interviews/white.pdf