@HDE226868 Are you saying that the flexible panels would be installed in their "bent" position? If so, how is that different that having 3 rigid panels pointing slightly different angles? No matter where the sun is, it's not directly pointing at some of the panel area.
I image that the real answer to that question is that flexible panels aren't as efficient.
@HDE226868 I think flexible panels are very new. Few advantages are weighs less. Therefore, they are more attractive for installation. Also for Hybrid Automobiles, the solar panel can be installed on the roof to capture energy. The panel might be cheaper too. No proof.
Also technically might not be efficient but from a business stand point there might be more application. Architects might like the flexible solar panel because it flexible when it comes to incorporating the solar panels to the desgn
How does the community feel about posting questions that we already know the answer to? I know that SE allows this. I am thinking that there are a few questions that I get asked regularly by people outside of the profession. That probably means that they are questions that other people might find useful here.
I'm not even talking about immediately answering the question.
@HDE226868 I noticed that you edited the allotrope question. Did you have to wait to do this? I saw the question when it first appeared, and I wanted to make some edits. I couldn't do anything though. The "edit" link was grayed out.
@hazzey When did this happen? I suggested mine ~15 minutes after the question came over here. If you were after that, then your edit suggestion would have been blocked because another edit was pending approval. If not . . . that's odd.
@hazzey I don't think that should be a problem, but I'm not positive.
By the way, I like your answer to my pipeline question. I'm just going to wait a while to see what else comes along, but it covers everything I wanted.
@HDE226868 That may have been the issue. I can't see the time that you suggested the edit, just when it was approved. It seems like you might have gotten in before I was trying. I ended up commenting instead
@HDE226868 I'm glad that you liked the answer. I'm surprised that there haven't been more alternative answers on it. This must be a slow weekend.
Does anyone think that mechanical-engineering is being applied too widely? It's now on about 1/4 of our questions, and I don't think all of those that have the tag warrant it.
@hazzey It's fine: the system even makes it easy for you. But it's harder than it looks: answering is easy; it's the asking part that's hard. Even if self-answered, the question has to be a good question on its own merits; and to contain enough specific information to be answerable by someone else.
@HDE226868 If you take the broad view that there are only 3 main branches of engineering (electrical, mechanical, and civil), this isn't such a bad ratio. I would mostly be worried if the questions already had 5 tags and mechanical-engineering could be replaced with something better.
@GlenH7 Thanks for the reword, that was actually closer to what I was intending to say, unforetunately I was away for the weekend without internet
user41796
21:58
@HDE226868 yes, creeping up a bit much. I happened to reject one edit where aero was already applied to the question.
user41796
@hazzey Self answered questions are definitely welcome, but as EnergyNumbers pointed out - the question still needs to be a good question.
user41796
Some poor souls have "asked" and answered their own low quality questions on Progs. I suspect they weren't happy with the quick closure they received. But they were off-topic and not worth migrating to another site.
user41796
@HDE226868 - it's too early to start calling trends, but Friday definitely appears to be a down day for pots on the site. Yesterday was actually at the week's average for posts. Overall traffic is still quite scattered - no discernible patterns.
