solar porn

SOLAR PORN

The fiction "The Border" guest article posted earlier.
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Okay, I simply am forced by circumstances, lack of self control and the urge to talk about myself to discuss the new solar panel I just got. I know we just talked about solar as a post-apocalypse business. Today we can talk about the actual panels. Just beware that no matter how much I gush and blather, this is a Chinese product. Not that I automatically assume all Chinese merchandise is junk. They can make acceptable quality products. You just have to beware of the butt pirate whore corporate scumbags that contract for the lowest wholesale cost product and offer the lowest quality Chinese products. And you can’t always judge a book by its printer. I’ve run into just as much German crap as I have Chinese. I’m sure I already told you the following story, but it bears repeating because I really am going to have a hard time fluffing this piece up. After the service I entered my Hippie phase. Long hair ( over the ears and just past the collar ) and a beard. I even was able to buy an affordable VW microbus and almost turned it into a home ( the plan was to enter the National Guard for part time income, then camp out of the bus the rest of the month ) but met wife #2 and before you knew it she was preggo. The bus was okay ( until California outlawed lead gas and it killed the engine ), but future manufactured Kraut items were crap. I quickly tired of the constant hair combing after each gust of wind, plus that damn beard itched, so I went into my current Perfect Hair Mode of crew cut and clean shaven other than a flavor saver. However, having the beard got me lazy about shaving so I bought an electric razor. A German, a Braun. Supposedly the best made. A $90 purchase, and we’re talking about late Eighties dollars here. Within the first week, the bitch broke in mid-use and carved a chunk out of my face. Pissed, I hucked it across the trailer and it exploded ( I didn’t try to return it ).

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The next German hunk of crap was a new VW car ( I’ve never bought a new car, it was from said wife ). Okay, I can accept the old VW gasket leaks. You’re getting great mileage and they are idiot user friendly. But in a new, expensive car? Unacceptable. Plus, going downhill around corners, the horn honked itself. Perhaps every late Eighties car was mostly crap, but to this day I’m leery of any new VW, and I won’t consider a Subaru ( the two I had bought used never made it to a hundred grand- one blew up driving and the other just petered out several parts at a time ). I don’t believe Honda ever interrupted their quality during down periods, so I won’t excuse others. My point is that just because it is Chinese doesn’t automatically make it crap, just as being German doesn’t automatically mean it is quality. Yes, Chinese goods are a gamble. Of the three thin film panels I’ve had, Chinese naturally, two are still going strong after three years but one crapped out after less than a year. You must always decide for yourself if the risk is worth the price savings. With my newest panel, I thought the risk was worth it.

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When I bought my thin film panels ( 15 watt each ) four years ago ( if I’m not mistaken, Rawles mentioned a sale on buying three of them ), they weren’t a bad bargain. If I recall correctly it was about $100 each after shipping ( if I wasn’t at work I could look up in my old checkbook to be sure, but probably close enough ). I had a private mailbox that was located right across the street from my trailer park, and it almost killed me lugging the things home. They are heavy. Very recently, the company Instapark began offering $60 15 watt panels. More important than the price, these are mono panels rather than thin film ( the difference is that mono lasts 30 years and the thin film only seven ). And, please sit down and prepare yourself, these are really friggin light. They weigh almost nothing. No wonder the panel was shipped with no extra postage required ( and, it only took two business days to arrive here ). So, a panel that lasts four times as long as a thin film, at three quarters the price, and about a quarter of the weight and a third of the size. If these aren’t Chinese crap ( curiously, the panel had no mention of where it was made, Amazon didn’t say, and the company web site is mute- but we can safely assume it is Chinese ). Only time will tell. The Amazon reviews seem to be from panel novices. After all, they were surprised that the panel didn’t deliver all its advertised wattage ( no solar panel does- for instance, my old 15 watt panels are generally good for 12 watts in full sun ). So, even if they didn’t like the enclosed controller ( “looks flimsy” ), I don’t know if that means it isn’t any good. Even if it sucks, no big deal. You can buy a controller for $15 and you can hook up to 75 watts worth of panels to it. There aren’t any mounting brackets, so you will have to work around that.

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But come on, guys. A $60, postage paid mono solar panel! This is the best its ever been. And, I might point out, these are the least affordable panel. Their higher watt panels are a better bargain per watt ( although, in my book, it is far better to buy numerous more expensive panels and have one fail and have back-ups than to buy one panel with no back-ups ). Solar has never been cheaper, lighter or such an affordable power option ( another great thing about numerous smaller watt panels is you can buy them as you can afford them, rather than having to come up with it all at once ). Granted, this is an unknown Chinese product. It is definitely buyer beware. If it doesn’t break, this is a heck of a great deal.

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My e-mail is jimd303@netzero.com
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Anyone can submit a guest article. No minimum word length, no writing skill necessary ( just get the idea across ). You retain copyright ( this must be your original writing ) and I’ll just use the once. I’ve yet to turn down an article, just don’t use the N Bomb or libel another that can sue me. Send by e-mail ( please, label as “guest article” so I can find it easily later ). Payment will be your removal from my enemies list.
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By the by, all my writing is copyrighted. For the obtuse out there.
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