Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

Pappu and Feku went to a condolence assembly someday after an aged particular person died.

After going to the condolence assembly, a lady got here to Pappu and hugged him and began crying.

Feku saved watching this incident for some time.

Then later, after calling the woman close to by gesture, he stated that these aged folks appeared to be the identical to me as Pappu.

Boy: What do you want the most effective in me?

Girl: People change over time however you don't change.

Boy: How's that?

Girl: When I met you have been nonetheless unemployed and nonetheless unemployed.

Half the lifetime of clever ladies is that of husband

In 'search'

And half life ..

Husband's 'search' seems

Plumber: Sir, the faucet is fastened

Labor cost elevated to 800 rupees ..

Engineer: Hey, I don't even have this 1 hour charge!

Plumber: Sir, after I was an engineer, I didn't both!

Continued here:
Dangerous jokes: Plumber: Sir, the faucet obtained fastened, the labor cost went as much as Rs 800. Engineer: Hey, I don't even have that a lot charge...

By: Mary Schuermann Kuhlman, Public News Service IN

INDIANAPOLIS Next time you turn on the faucet for a drink of water, researchers suggest letting the water run for a bit before filling the glass.

A year-longinvestigationfound the water quality in homes can differ in each room and change between seasons.

Researcher Andrew Whelton, an associate professor of civil engineering and environmental and ecological engineering at Purdue University, explains that the study was conducted at a three-bedroom house in West Lafayette, with a condensed plumbing system much like those in other single family homes across the country.

The chemical levels, such as levels of lead, changed pretty significantly, he relates. The water as it entered from the utility also changed within the plumbing. The pH increased from about 7.8 to about 9.2, which is a drastic increase.

Whelton says the findings question the notion that the water in a public water system is the same as the water that passes through a buildings plumbing at any time of the year.

The research was supported by the Environmental Protection Agency and conducted by Purdue, as well as the University of Memphis and Michigan State University.

Whelton says it was quite an undertaking, with more than 222,000 hours logged and 2.4 billion records collected.

We sampled that building 58 times by physically going in and collecting water from multiple locations, hot and cold water systems, and then taking that back across the street to the university and analyzing its characteristics, he states.

The study noted that different plumbing materials, a varying number of occupants and other factors could affect the water quality of a home.

And Whelton says much more research is to come.

If we are trying to predict what the risk is for exposure, we need to understand how variable buildings are so that people can design sampling approaches to go in and test building water, he points out.

Whelton recommends flushing a faucet before taking a drink to help to clear out older water that is more likely to have contaminants.

And when building a home, plumbing designs should be selected that minimize the amount of water and time that the water sits.

The Southern Maryland Chronicle is a local, small business entrusted to provide factual, unbiased reporting to the Southern Maryland Community.While we look to local businesses for advertising, we hope to keep that cost as low as possible in order to attract even the smallest of local businesses and help them get out to the public. We must also be able to pay employees(part-time and full-time), along with equipment, and website related things. We never want to make the Chronicle a pay-wall style news site.

To that end, we are looking to the community to offer donations. Whether its a one-time donation or you set up a reoccurring monthly donation. It is all appreciated. All donations at this time will be going to furthering the Chronicle through hiring individuals that have the same goals of providing fair, and unbiased news to the community. For now, donations will be going to a business PayPal account I have set-up for the Southern Maryland Chronicle, KDC Designs. All business transactions currently occur within this PayPal account. If you have any questions regarding this you can email me at davidhiggins@southernmarylandchronicle.com

Thank you for all of your support and I hope to continue bringing Southern Maryland the best news possible for a very long time. David M. Higgins II

Read more here:
Water Quality Differs Drastically in the Same Home - The Southern Maryland Chronicle

Owning a home is a great experience for many people, myself included, but homes almost always come with expensive surprises over time. Trust me: I've owned three homes so far.

Today, we take a look back at seven times I had to pay for emergency home services, or at least float the cost temporarily before getting reimbursed.

As a homeowner, I have both a sizeable emergency fund and a plan to cover some home costs in my monthly budget. With my emergency fund in a high-yield savings account at a favorite bank, I'm earning top interest rates while hoping I never need to tap into those funds in the future. But a few times, I have needed to pay for a big emergency right away. And thank goodness I had my savings ready when I did.

People tell you about your mortgage and insurance costs. They might mention landscaping and garbage-pickup costs. But how about last-minute wax ring replacement and servicing your hard water softener? Here are seven times repair and maintenance costs completely took me by surprise.

When you own a condo, you are typically responsible for repairs related specifically to your unit while the building's homeowner's association pays for shared costs. A problem with your toilet generally falls squarely into the "your problem" category.

I had old, low-quality toilets in both bathrooms when I moved into my condo. When one of them started leaking on the floor out of the base, I figured it was as good of a time as any to upgrade. I took advantage of a program from Denver Water to buy two new low-flow toilets at a discounted rate. My overall outlay for the project was $418 for two toilets, two wax rings, and other supplies.

While replacing the toilets, I found the root of the problem was a bad wax ring, a part that costs less than $10 at the local hardware store. I did the work myself, so I only had to pay for parts. However, according to Angie's List, a plumber usually charges around $125 to $260 per toilet for this kind of job.

That condo was a great place to live, but it sure had its share of plumbing problems. One day that same toilet started to gurgle when the other was flushed. I quickly realized there was some kind of block in the drain for my unit, as water that went in one drain came out another.

I called up an emergency plumber who charged $100 to show up and diagnose the problem. Ultimately, it was determined to be a building issue and not a repair I had to pay out of pocket. However, I had to float the cost of the diagnosis until the HOA reimbursed me the following month.

My house in California is far from brand new, and its age shows itself from time to time. One place that had been neglected for a while when we moved in was the water softener. After figuring out that it was hardly working at all, we had to hire a company to come out and service the unit.

It cost about $150 to have the water softener fixed. From then on, we also saw our cost of adding the specialized salt to the unit increase, as it wasn't really working before. If you've ever lived with hard water, you know just how important a working water softener is for your shower, dishwasher, and laundry to all work as expected.

In the peak of summer last year, our air conditioner started to run all day without making the house cooler. It only took a couple of days for us to make a call to a local HVAC repair company for a diagnosis.

Including parts, the worn part cost about $400 to replace. That's my biggest surprise home expense ever. Thankfully, the repair worker said the rest of our A/C is in good shape and shouldn't need work for years to come. I hope he's right!

The inspection report when we bought this home noted a few issues with the chimney. It turns out, however, that the issues he found were not the whole story. To ensure birds and raccoons didn't make their way down our chimney and into the house, we needed to make a few upgrades.

The all-in cost was around $200 for a new chimney crown and resealing the concrete block at the top of the chimney. After a brief scare about having to completely replace that concrete block, we were happy to hear they were able to keep what was there. The cost could have easily been quite a bit higher.

It wasn't long after moving into our house that the hose in the front yard started running. We hoped that the repair would be covered by our homeowner warranty we picked up when buying the house, but apparently our policy, like many, didn't cover many common situations including a leaking hose spigot attached to the house.

We ended up paying about $100 for the repair, which took the plumber less than 10 minutes. The exact same thing happened on the same spigot about a year later. That time, I watched the plumber make the repair so I would know how to do it myself in the future.

I'm very glad I did, as it only cost me about $9 for a replacement part when it broke for the third time instead of another $100 plumber bill.

Another issue that reared its ugly head shortly after moving into our current home was not so pleasant to deal with. We had rats in the attic and I happily paid an exterminator to get rid of those pests so I didn't have to.

The exterminator trapped and removed the rats, sealed up holes so they couldn't get in again, and suggested some landscaping changes to avoid future problems. We paid bills for both pest control and tree trimming that totaled a few hundred dollars. The house has been rat-free ever since.

If you rent your home, your landlord should cover regular maintenance and repairs. In fact, every single item on this list should be covered by a landlord, not you, when you rent. Homeowners, on the other hand, have to pay their own way when it comes to maintenance and repairs.

Homes are expensive. Home maintenance and repairs are expensive. That's why it's a good idea for homeowners to keep an emergency fund ready and budget for home repairs. I was able to pay for most of these expenses without touching the emergency fund, but more than once I was glad to have savings on standby.

If you own a home, always be ready for unexpected repairs. From your furnace to your dishwasher to your plumbing, things inevitably go wrong on occasion. While rats and repairs are always a hassle, with savings and a home maintenance budget on standby, you can get through those repairs without the financial stress of figuring out how to pay.

Visit link:
7 surprise costs of owning a home that made me glad I'd been saving money - Business Insider

MANKATO The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) advises haulers that Minnesota 91 from Nobles County 16 (160th Street) to the Nobles/Murray County line will be restricted to 7 tons per axle when spring weight restrictions are in place, which could begin in early March.

Construction on the 45-mile stretch of Minnesota 91 from Adrian to Russell is expected to resume when weather allows this spring and be complete in late June.

Spring load restrictions are typically placed in March and removed in May to prevent damage to highway pavement structure during the spring thaw. With Minnesota 91 still under construction, portions of the highway did not get the final surface paved, making it more susceptible to damage from heavy loads.

More information on seasonal road restrictions can be found at mndot.gov/materials/pvmtdesign/sll/index.html.

The remaining work on Minnesota 91 includes final paving, culvert lining, lighting, seeding and striping, and will take place without detouring traffic. The construction project includes bridge replacements and rural box culvert construction. Resurfacing will be completed as well as sidewalk and driveway improvements in Adrian and Lake Wilson and additional lighting at rural intersections.

Central Specialties Inc. of Alexandria was awarded the contract with a bid of $18,451,694.

See the article here:
Six miles of Minnesota 91 restricted during spring thaw | The Globe - The Globe

For Sale For Lease

Property Type Single Family Townhouse/Condo Country Homes/Acreage Mid/Hi Rise Condominium Residential Lots Multi Family

Property Type Single Family Townhouse/Condo Country Homes/Acreage Mid/Hi Rise Condominium Residential Lots Multi Family

Min. Price$5,000$10,000$15,000$20,000$25,000$30,000$35,000$40,000$45,000$50,000$55,000$60,000$65,000$70,000$75,000$80,000$85,000$90,000$95,000 $100,000$105,000$110,000$115,000$120,000$125,000$130,000$135,000$140,000$145,000$150,000$155,000$160,000$165,000$170,000$175,000$180,000$185,000$190,000 $195,000$200,000$205,000$210,000$215,000$220,000$225,000$230,000$235,000$240,000$245,000$250,000$255,000$260,000$265,000$270,000$275,000$280,000$285,000 $290,000$295,000$300,000$305,000$310,000$315,000$320,000$325,000$330,000$335,000$340,000$345,000$350,000$355,000$360,000$365,000$370,000$375,000$380,000 $385,000$390,000$395,000$400,000$450,000$500,000$550,000$600,000$650,000$700,000$750,000$800,000$850,000$900,000$950,000$1,000,000$1,100,000$1,200,000$1,300,000 $1,400,000$1,500,000$1,600,000$1,700,000$1,800,000$1,900,000$2 Mil$3 Mil$4 Mil$5 Mil$6 Mil$7 Mil$8 Mil$9 Mil$10 Mil

Min. Price100 /m150 /m200 /m250 /m300 /m350 /m400 /m450 /m500 /m550 /m600 /m650 /m700 /m750 /m800 /m850 /m900 /m950 /m1,000 /m 1,050 /m1,100 /m1,150 /m1,200 /m1,250 /m1,300 /m1,350 /m1,400 /m1,450 /m1,500 /m1,550 /m1,600 /m1,650 /m1,700 /m1,750 /m1,800 /m1,850 /m1,900 /m1,950 /m 2,000 /m2,050 /m2,100 /m2,150 /m2,200 /m2,250 /m2,300 /m2,350 /m2,400 /m2,450 /m2,500 /m2,600 /m2,700 /m2,800 /m2,900 /m3,000 /m3,500 /m4,000 /m4,500 /m 5,000 /m5,500 /m6,000 /m6,500 /m7,000 /m7,500 /m8,000 /m8,500 /m9,000 /m9,500 /m10,000 /m

Max. Price$5,000$10,000$15,000$20,000$25,000$30,000$35,000$40,000$45,000$50,000$55,000$60,000$65,000$70,000$75,000$80,000$85,000$90,000$95,000 $100,000$105,000$110,000$115,000$120,000$125,000$130,000$135,000$140,000$145,000$150,000$155,000$160,000$165,000$170,000$175,000$180,000$185,000$190,000 $195,000$200,000$205,000$210,000$215,000$220,000$225,000$230,000$235,000$240,000$245,000$250,000$255,000$260,000$265,000$270,000$275,000$280,000$285,000 $290,000$295,000$300,000$305,000$310,000$315,000$320,000$325,000$330,000$335,000$340,000$345,000$350,000$355,000$360,000$365,000$370,000$375,000$380,000 $385,000$390,000$395,000$400,000$450,000$500,000$550,000$600,000$650,000$700,000$750,000$800,000$850,000$900,000$950,000$1,000,000$1,100,000$1,200,000$1,300,000 $1,400,000$1,500,000$1,600,000$1,700,000$1,800,000$1,900,000$2 Mil$3 Mil$4 Mil$5 Mil$6 Mil$7 Mil$8 Mil$9 Mil$10 Mil

Max. Price100 /m150 /m200 /m250 /m300 /m350 /m400 /m450 /m500 /m550 /m600 /m650 /m700 /m750 /m800 /m850 /m900 /m950 /m1,000 /m 1,050 /m1,100 /m1,150 /m1,200 /m1,250 /m1,300 /m1,350 /m1,400 /m1,450 /m1,500 /m1,550 /m1,600 /m1,650 /m1,700 /m1,750 /m1,800 /m1,850 /m1,900 /m1,950 /m 2,000 /m2,050 /m2,100 /m2,150 /m2,200 /m2,250 /m2,300 /m2,350 /m2,400 /m2,450 /m2,500 /m2,600 /m2,700 /m2,800 /m2,900 /m3,000 /m3,500 /m4,000 /m4,500 /m 5,000 /m5,500 /m6,000 /m6,500 /m7,000 /m7,500 /m8,000 /m8,500 /m9,000 /m9,500 /m10,000 /m

Min. Beds 1 Bed 2 Beds 3 Beds 4 Beds 5 Beds 6 Beds 7 Beds 8 Beds 9 Beds

Min. Baths 1 Bath 2 Baths 3 Baths 4 Baths 5 Baths 6 Baths 7 Baths 8 Baths 9 Baths

See original here:
Whats all that work on Michigan? - Midland Reporter-Telegram

To determine the curb appeal of your house, try paying attention when you first drive up or walk around the block and walk up to the front door.

When is curb appeal important?

Everyone likes coming home to a well-maintained house and yard. But, if you are planning to sell your home, it is imperative that it leaves a good (or better) first impression. While it is a sellers market, it is also a competitive one. Positive or negative impressions are made at the first glance.

Important tip: Always check with you HOA before you are too far into the planning stages. HOAs often limit color and product choices and many require projects be submitted for approval.

Question: How do I determine the curb appeal of my home?

Answer: To determine your curb appeal try paying attention when you first drive up or walk around the block and walk up to the front door. Do you get a welcome home, come in and relax feeling or, an anxious this place needs work reaction?

If your reaction is less than great, it may be time to take action.

Q: How do I create curb appeal that says, it would be great to live here?

Pavers can make a lasting impression with little to no maintenance. Installed properly, they make an even and safe entry into the house. Add a little contour curve for interest and you have created an inviting pathway.

A: Start with the front path: Are you able to get to the front door easily, is there a clear path? If not, consider adding a walkway with a couple of planters along the way. Pavers can make a lasting impression with little to no maintenance. Installed properly, they make an even and safe entry into the house. Add a little contour curve for interest and you have created an inviting pathway.

Here is the original post:
Rosie on the House: Make your home a head turner - Arizona Daily Star

Thousands Explore Career Fields At JA Inspire Event

OCEAN CITY Mock emergency rooms. Cosmetology stations. Virtual reality labs. Masonry demonstrations.These displays, and many more, filled the exhibit hall of the Roland E. Powell Convention Center as thousands of eighth-grade students took part in a career exploration event designed to engage and inspire.On Feb. 27, Junior Achievement of the Eastern Shore held its Read more

BERLIN Members of Buckingham Elementary Schools PTA are hoping to expand the schools art program with the addition of a kiln.Parents of Buckingham Elementary School (BES) students are in the midst of a year-long effort to raise the roughly $6,000 needed to buy a kiln for the Berlin school. Two March events, a talent Read more

OCEAN CITY With city crews steam-rolling through planned street repaving projects this offseason, an opportunity has arisen to continue to push forward and knock out a significant area this spring in advance of the coming season.During a larger discussion this week about widening the sidewalks in the ocean block between 118th Street and 130th Read more

OCEAN CITY Resort officials renewed the debate this week about encouraging more year-round residents through relaxing fees associated with new construction or creating other incentives including potential property tax relief.For the last year or so, the Mayor and Council have heard concerns from property owners and potential homebuilders about the rising cost of developing Read more

Follow this link:
02/27/2020 | Repaving Efforts In OC Running Ahead Schedule; Mild Weather Keeps Projects Moving | News Ocean City MD - The Dispatch

Its hard to pinpoint what I saw first as we approached the new Calgary Central Library in Alberta, Canada. Was it the buildings light fracturing hexagonal facade? The Light Rail Transit line disappearing into its heart? Or was it the two drinking bird motion-sculptures near the main entrance?

(Yes, a drinking birdas in, that famous toy bird you may have sitting on your office desk right now, whose head bobs up and down in perpetual motion.)

This 240,000 square foot ($245 million CDN) building designed to LEED Gold standard by architectural firms Snhetta and DIALOG, is a beautiful space designed to bring Albertas multicultural and multigenerational diversity together in one place. This is the latest selection for our monthly series, The Worlds Most Beautiful Libraries.

Beast Travel Digest

Get the entire world in your inbox.

While visiting Calgary many things stood out to me. Near the top of that list is that it is a clean citya very clean citywhich is partially why despite the cold it is considered the world's fifth most liveable city. Another is that it is a city reflecting inward on itself, by which I mean most of its newest constructionlike Bow Tower or Jamieson Placeare glass icons. That glass is beautiful and it makes sensewith over 2,400 hours of sunshine annually, Calgary is one of Canadas sunniest cities.

So maybe I shouldnt have been as surprised as I was when I first laid eyes on Calgarys Central Library, but even in this brilliant context, everything about the library told me its different. From its curved, ship-like form, to its lively glass hexagonal facings reminiscent of a mosaicthe library plays with light like no other structure in the city. That modular facade scatters the sunlight as you move towards it, bending along the surface and reflecting back the blues of the sky.

If you like shiny thingsand I tend tothen youll be drawn to it like a moth to a flame.

Additionally, there are gaps included in the facadefull hexagonal facings mixed with partial pieces create openings that provide a window into the heart of the library at night, when the light reverses course, from flowing into the building to having it become a glowing and inviting source.

Eager to get inside, I bounced up its sloping terraced steps to the main entrance, only to be stopped again by the sight of a stunning and massive wood-paneled archway, made of western red wood cedar from nearby British Columbia. The curved arch, my hosts tell me, is designed to reflect a local natural cloud phenomenon called a Chinook Arch, a unique weather pattern that only appears in a few areas across the globe, which in this case is the slopes of the Rocky Mountains from Montana to Alberta. The Chinook Arch is a rising sharp western wind that flows over a long mountainous barrier, dropping on the lee side of the range, forming a wide, half circle arc that can be seen for hundreds of miles. Chinook is a native word for snow eater, due to its warm gusting winds, which can reach over 60 MPH.

The archway not only connects the building to the terrain and weather of the region, it also literally connects Calgary in all directions.

According to Craig Dykers, a principal architect and founding partner with Snhetta, this is partly possible because of a unique architectural challenge: the train had to stay.

The limitation of having a train run through the site opened many doors to unusual geometry, Dykers tells me, we had to follow the train line below us.

The Light Rail Train divided the city, cutting off the downtown and the currently growing and trendy East Village neighborhood, where the library now sits. To preserve the rail line that runs in a half-circle under the library, architects lifted the library upward, which then created an opportunity for a thoroughfare uniting both parts of the city.

Once I was finally on the insidethere it was again: the large curves and arcs. The building is curved. The arch is curved. On the inside, the stairways and floors ebb and flow in curves. This is a building that abhors straight lines. Bright white floors and walls lined with soft wood panels twist upward toward The Oculus, a massive eye-shaped skylight that floods each floor with light.

As we learned more about First Nations culture, Dykers tells me, we saw similar shapes in their art and the way they express the spaces they build.

The interior is somewhat like a great lodge, he adds, like the indigenous longhouse structures found in the region and toward the West Coast. The form lifts upward and leads your eye toward the light. These characteristics are also found in historical building traditions in the west, as we might find in buildings like the Pantheon.

According to Dykers, the modern library is one that should not only reflect the regionlike the Chinook Arch or the great lodgeit should be a space designed to provide an opportunity for people to meet.

Many contemporary libraries were built on the models that were developed either in the Middle Ages or the Renaissance, says Dykers. Libraries go back 2000 years or more to the ancients in the Mediterraneanthe Greeks and the Romans, and Greek libraries, he notes, were really very lively placesplaces where people came to talk and discuss. They even had food in them.

And this is the library that Calgary now has.

On the inside, it is clear that thiswith its street-level cafe, interior coffee bar, and 2,400 square foot performance hallis a place for activity, conversing, and creating. Each floor of the library brings out that older model in its own way.

The Jocelyn Louise Anderson Childrens Library on floor 1M, for example, is a 12,200 square foot room with beautiful high ceilings and places for children to play, climb, and blow off energy before collapsing to read a book or have one read to them. I stumbled over the many mounds of shoes discarded by kids everywhere.

Or level three, a wide-open space provides the Teen Centre, where I saw high schoolers reading, playing board games, and gaming on large screens. This floor is home to a lot of tech, housing video conferencing facilities, audio and video production studios, and even a learning center to help immigrants get settled and acclimate.

But if youre the kind of person who just needs some calm reading space, then never feartheres room for you as well. As you make your way upward in the library it gets quieter.

On the fourth floor, for example, the TD Great Reading Room is an oval space with wrap-around wood-paneling, and oak tables for reading from the librarys 450,000 volumes in their collection. It is a quiet and warm room where the glow of the skylight is diffused through wood panels. This floor houses the Indigenous Languages Resource Centre and The Elder's Guidance Circle, where you can speak to Indigenous Elders or come to hear stories and experience ceremonies.

The floor is an interesting architectural meeting point, where both sides of the buildings curvature connect at what some refer to as a ships prow. From this vantage point, you can overlook the train as it passes below. This might have been my favorite space. The orb-like ceiling lights hovered like stars and the high floor to ceiling windows lets the daylight stream through the hexagonal panels and engulf you. Paralleling the orbs above, the floor itself is divided into round carpeted sections where three chairs face a small table, making it easy to break-up this larger space up into small groups.

But more than the rooms, it seemed like every corner and wall held some form of artistic message.

Several Indigenous Placemaking installations mark the regions original connection to First Nationsthe library sits on Treaty 7 First Nations territory. Among the installations, for example are Roland Rollinmuds colorful painting Survival Harvest (Past), found on the Welcome Wall of Level 1, which depicts the history of First Nations in Canada as stewards of the land. On floor 1M, is Lionel Peyachews installation of Education is the New Buffaloa steel North American Bison, which is constructed out of language text from local Indigenous groups. The point: buffalo was once necessary for survival, but today education now has that role.

On level three, a wall features Christian Moellers mosaic piece made of colorful book spines that, when you step back, reveal a goldfish eye watching you. Moeller is also behind the two drinking bird pieces, known as TRIOthe third was yet to be installed.

It is easy to understand why this is seen as the largest cultural project in Calgary since the 1988 Olympics.

All of this diversity brought me back to the librarys shining mosaic outside. Canada is a mosaic, not a melting pot, is the phrase that often distinguishes the cultural aspirations of Canada and the United States. It is that dream of a mosaic that seemed like a beautiful metaphor for Calgarys Library.

Dykers tells me that the idea of Canada is a mosaic was not on their minds when they designed the facade. It is intended, he says, to be playful and to distinguish the building from everything else around it.

Were happy when people have even their own associations that we didnt intend, Dykers tells me, it means that people are connecting to it and in different ways. And it is true, other people see snowflakes in the facade or books.

Saying goodbye to Calgary Central Library and my drinking bird friends, its clear to me that this light infused, curve obsessed hub is designed to be an open, beautiful space for everyone.

And perhaps nothing says that more when First Nations representatives came to consecrate the library, Dykers tells me, they gave him what he felt was one of the highest compliments, saying that the library feels at home in its place.

See original here:
Calgary Central Library is One of the World's Most Beautiful Libraries - The Daily Beast

A Putt from the Green!! This 4 bedroom, 4 bath home is perfectly positioned on the #5 green of the Dakota Dunes Golf Course!! Make your entrance into a dramatic 2 story foyer and enjoy over 3,500 square foot of finished living space and extend your living to the covered outdoor deck with sweeping views of the course. This Colonial style homes main floor offers wonderful family living space with a convenient formal living room, dining room, family room, kitchen, half bath and laundry. The 2nd floor has 4 bedroom, and 2 bath with the master bedroom suite complete with whirlpool tub and walk-in closet. The lower level completes the home with a spacious family room, den with great closet, large bath with steam shower, wine cellar and storage. With maple wood floors, tile bathroom floors, fireplace, eat-in kitchen, breakfast bar, formal dining, granite counters, stainless appliances, main floor laundry, steam shower, wine cellar and more, this home has a lot to offer, all in a relaxing surrounding, tucked away on a quiet cul-de-sac. What a prime Location at a great price!! Dont get caught in the sand trap, call to see this house today!!!!

View Listing

Read more:
Open Houses This Week in the Sioux City Area - Sioux City Journal

Those who did show up to PV Expo in Tokyo this week were greeted by infrared cameras and were kindly told to put on face masks, only to find a largely empty trade show floor, as coronavirus fears prompted many industry participants to take a pass on Japans leading energy exhibition this year.

It was an unfortunate situation for exhibitors, organizers, and stakeholders in Japans renewables business, because 2020 could be another 7 GW to 7.5 GW year in terms of annual installations, according to RTS Corp., a Tokyo-based research outfit.

On Tuesday, the day before the show, the Cabinet of Japan held a press conference outlining the governments plan to build a more resilient national power system. Weeks-long power outages in Hokkaido and Chiba prefecture have forced politicians to draw up a disaster resilience plan.

We are aiming to establish a resilient and sustainable electricity supply system in view of the intensification of disasters that has changed the energy environment, Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Hiroshi Kajiyama said.

The government endorses the value of distributed solar+storage. Additionally, the cabinet has tabled a bill regarding the feed-in premium, which is set to replace the feed-in tariff. To date, electricity companies are being forced to buy solar power at rates set by the FIT, which has been worryingly expensive. The country holds the world record when it comes to end-user power prices.

In response to this, Japan has started to hold competitive tender rounds with undisclosed ceiling prices for utility-scale PV projects. The fifth round was designed to allocate 416 MW of capacity, but ended up only awarding 27 projects with a cumulative capacity of 39.8 MW. With the feed-in premium, solar plant owners would receive a premium on current market prices to refinance their assets, but the government has yet to determine the exact details so they can be signed off by parliament. Japans political elites aim to get it done by April 22, but overall the plan appeared to be welcomed on the trade show floor.

Dominik Grtzner, representative director of mounting system supplier S-Rack, said that enough projects have been developed and tendered over the last few rounds to keep the industry bustling for a while. But RTS Corp. claims that utility-scale PV projects in Japan actually have a low commissioning rate of just 35%. Of the 21.9 GW of approved projects above 2 MW in size, just 7.2 GW have actually been commissioned to date.

Empty booths

The hall for PV suppliers at PV Expo was particularly empty this week, as exhibitors from China mostly decided to skip out on the annual show. This meant that PV Expo 2020 did not provide an initial glimpse of new module tech that will be rolled out this year, as expected. Thats unfortunate, as Japans New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) has managed to produce a 30x30cm perovskite module with an efficiency rating of 16.09%. That said, Japanese PV module heavyweights such as Panasonic and Sharp stayed clear of the trade show floor this year, anyway.

There were some developments in terms of products at the show, with Trina Solar announcing a 500 W bifacial module, for example. Beyond that, Japanese conglomerate Marubeni had a number of big announcements to make this week related to the acquisition of Taiwanese solar developer Chenya Energy. However, it didnt get the chance to share the news at the show, as its booth was completely empty.

On the inverter side, Sungrow showed up with an AC-coupled solution, the ST159KWH-50HV, as well as a DC-coupled offering: the ST751KWH-D350+SG49K5J for C&I-scale containerized storage. The devices come in three-hour versions, as the company claims that under current C&I solar market conditions in Japan, such systems are the most economically viable option.

Sungrow introduced the product to the Japanese market in 2019 and has already sold about 30 MW. The Chinese inverter manufacturer is now targeting the C&I storage retrofitting market, which it sees as particularly promising. It also offers a Japan-licensed version of its 100 kW string inverter. In addition, Sungrow currently has a 5 kW inverter in the licensing process on the residential side. Once cleared, the company hopes to capture about 10% of the traditionally hard-to-access Japanese market.

The company also appears close to finalizing a 100 MW supply deal with Japans GS Yuasa. The agreement involves PV and storage solutions alike and could provide a significant boost for the companys business in the country. Thus far, Sungrow has supplied about 50 MWh of storage in Japan, and it has been involved in a few single-digit, megawatt-scale landmark projects throughout the archipelago.

Current health concerns aside, PV Expo is part of a group show World Smart Energy Week that includes a Battery Expo and Fuel Cell Expo. The latter two were somewhat better attended, with more exhibitors in the halls. The reason could be that visitors and exhibitors from Europe and North America attended in greater numbers than their Chinese counterparts. Of course, the PV industry especially the manufacturing business relies heavily on Chinese suppliers, as shown by the empty booths at PV Expo.

But the higher attendance at the other parts of the show can also be attributed to the fact that Japan has a very strong hydrogen and battery sector. The country currently hosts a significant amount of residential hydrogen capacity and a potpourri of companies from all over the world have come to join the party.

Image: pv magazine

One of those companies is Enapter, which showcased a modular electrolyzer approach in Tokyo this week. The device uses a new method in the electrolyzer process known as REM. The technology makes the device smaller and more efficient, and the hydrogen product more pure than rival PEM technology, which is the most widely used option at the moment.

Enapter says its electrolyzer can produce 1 cubic meter of hydrogen at 4.4 kWh. Sebastian-Justus Schmidt, the founder of the company, put the future into perspective: Japans Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry issued a hydrogen strategy by which it wants to achieve 1 cubic meter of hydrogen production at 4.3 kWh by 2030. So we are 10 years ahead, so to speak, he said.

Despite the unusual circumstances at this years PV Expo, spirits were high on the trade show floor and analysts expect the Japanese market to continue to flourish. In short, the relative lack of exhibitors and visitors at the show this year largely came down to health-related concerns, and did not reflect market sentiment.

Read the original post:
Coronavirus concerns overshadow PV Expo in Tokyo - pv magazine International