Go Green, Go for Solar Energy!

21. Aug, 2010 • Categories: Solar Education • by Mitos Suson

There are many advantages to having solar energy and other renewable energy sources supply power to our equipment at home and at work. Let’s take a look at the pros of having solar power.

Advantages:

  • Solar Energy is Free – it is more accessible and totally free to everyone that wants to collect the energy of the sun. Once your solar panels or solar thermal collectors are set up, you will be harvesting free energy – you can drastically reduce your electric bills. Who doesn’t want to eliminate their electric bills?
  • Solar Energy is Abundant – the sun is the most renewable source of energy. It constantly provides us heat and energy needed every day, even when the weather is horrible. Solar power is the source of all of our energy. Even the oil we use was organically created by the sun.  Solar is also the best option for places with no means of electricity. Though solar power is not viable at night, systems can be designed to store the energy from the day time in batteries for use at night.
  • Solar Energy is Cost Effective – it provides cost effective solutions to our global energy problems. It requires less maintenance and has a lifespan comparable to other fossil sources of energy.  If you strip away all incentives installing a solar energy system costs about the same per megawatt to install as coal, oil, and natural gas power plants.  Most solar energy systems will last 30 years which is comparable to the 40 year life span of a fossil fuel plant.
  • Solar Energy is Clean – When we hear  “Solar Energy”, what comes on our mind is green. It is more environmentally friendly. This source of energy is suitable to preserve our ecology. It won’t produce pollution or noise. It does not emit green house gases, nor does the acquisition of it harm ecosystems through spills or dredging. This is probably one of the leading advantages of solar power.

As you can see, there are lot of advantages for using solar power. More often than not, our energy consumption has been quickly increasing. So let’s move toward creating a greener environment, heading towards our goal of making every building produce it’s own energy!

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Pocono Raceway: New, The World’s Largest Sports Facility Solar Farm

10. Aug, 2010 • Categories: Solar News • by Mitos Suson

The Pocono Raceway, the host of two annual NASCAR Cup Series summer events is off to the races with Solar in Pennsylvania. The Pocono Raceway Solar Project installed by enXco, is unique in that it will be the only sports facility in the world to generate clean renewable energy on site, which will more than offset its annual electricity consumptions. The solar farm is being constructed on land that used to be parking lots that are no longer used due to a reconfiguration of some other parking lots on Raceway property.  The solar energy installation “is so large that is visible from outer space”.

The NASCAR solar installation beats the previous world’s largest solar powered sports facility, the Taiwan Solar Stadium, by over 1.8MW and includes 40,000 solar photovoltaic panels on 25 acres of land. All the sports were either locally made or sourced within the states, with the panels coming from Ohio, the wood from Oregon, and the steel from California.

The new solar panel system will become the primary electric energy source for the race track and will also benefit the local power grid. With the deregulation of Pennsylvania’s electric utility laws allowing more flexibility on power purchases, the track found there is no better time to upgrade their facility with a solar installation.  According to the calculations of enXco, the solar power plant will cut carbon dioxide levels by 3,100 metric tons each year and produce enough energy to power 1,000 homes in addition to the Pocono Raceway This project demonstrates real sustainability and proves that any business that truly wants to go green can do it.

Brandon Igdalsky , Pocono Raceway President said, “Being in one of the most beautiful parts of the country, we felt that we needed to help preserve it and this was one way that we could do it, while helping the community around us. The project will last for 40 years, and that’s a lot of time for that thing to be sitting there and making power. If we can do our little part not only for what we need, but also for the environment and society as a whole, it’s a win-win-win.” It really would really be helpful to the Pocono residents.

NASCAR is committed to becoming a leader in environmental responsibility by reducing our impact and serving as a testing ground for innovate new approaches for sustainability.” Brian France NASCAR CEO said in a statement. Knowing that solar energy is one of the most environmentally friendly renewable energy sources, and using more solar energy would bring great environmental benefits.  It would significantly improve environmental condition of our planet in its struggle with excessive carbon emissions and all sorts of environmental pollution. And that’s what the Pocono Raceway together with NASCAR is doing to save our planet.

According to the most recent independent research conducted by Experian Simmons National Consumer Survey, three out of four NASCAR fans (77 percent) believe that everyone has a personal obligation to be environmentally responsible, compared to 75 percent of the overall U.S. population. Sixty-five percent say companies should help consumers become more environmentally responsible compared to 64 percent of the overall U.S. population.

The survey also finds that more than 80 percent of NASCAR fan households recycle, up 12 percent over the past five years, and about 40 percent of NASCAR fan households use energy-efficient light bulbs, more than double from five years ago.

Now is the best time to follow in the footsteps of NASCAR and the Pocono Motor Raceway and get your own solar installation.  Solar works in Pennsylvania too, just ask Brandon Igdalsky and Brian France.  Contact Sun Directed today for all your Pennsylvania Solar Installation needs.

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Choices of Solar Installers or Contractors? Buy Local…

07. Aug, 2010 • Categories: Incentives, Solar Education, Solar News • by Mitos Suson

The popularity for Solar energy has been growing increasingly the last couple of years. It has affected a wider range in the community as it’s reputation increases. The reasons when choosing solar installers can be sometimes misleading because different contractors engages in this type of industry and they do have different strategies and tactics in this field.

Have you ever heard of “buy local”? This maxim is not only limited to different types of goods and services, but also applies to your choices of solar installers and contractors as well. Generally, “buying local” is beneficial to the community and the government itself, in regards to the inflation of job opportunities, taxes and income.

I will describe the major types of installer and contractors to help you understand the necessity of buying our locally owned products and availing of the services of our fellow citizens.

The Solar Panel Manufacturers main business is manufacturing solar panel. They are more suitable to larger projects because they mainly manufacture and provide panels, which translates to eliminating the middle man and thus, reduce cost. They also bid on utility scale-photovoltaic projects.

National Panel Installers operates across the county in various states. Their main headquarters is in California and they manage the largest volumes of installations annually;

Regional or Locally-owned Solar Installers focuses on the local area, usually assigned to them by the state.

Other Contractors are the biggest group of solar contractors. Aside from installing solar panels, they are also engaged in constructions and other fields like electricity installation.

From my descriptions above, you will now understand the reasons why it is advantageous for us to rely mainly on local contractors.

1. Local contractors are more familiar with the weather conditions and can design and adapt features customized for the local environment;

2. APV installer that is base in your area can provide the best service. They are familiar with the regulated transactions of electricity codes, which can speed up the process of installations, and minimize design errors.

3. Buying local will be helpful in increasing the economic statistics of your region. It adds three times more money to the states income thus, resulting in a stronger foundation for the state;

4. Locally owned contractors are inclined to make local purchases in the state, which means less congestion and transportation – related emissions;

5. Local jobs are provided by small business. Simultaneously, they support the green environmental issues as well;

Lastly, small businesses will assist you in maximizing your incentives for the solar projects. They are more conscious of different rebates, tax credits, exemptions, loan programs, SRECS, etc.

So are you now convinced to “buy local”? I know I am.

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Sun Directed is sponsoring “The Science of Climate Change and Potential Impacts on PA”

15. Jul, 2010 • Categories: Energy Efficiency, Solar News • by Michael Shadow

Sun Directed is proudly sponsoring this CBICC event Tuesday July 20th from 11:45 to 1:15 at the Penn Stater Conference Center at 215 Innovation Blvd.  Come find out what the latest news and research is saying about climate change.  Sun Directed feels that Solar Energy is one of the many things we can do to help protect our environment and help preserve our earth for our future generations.

Speaker: Raymond Najjar Ph.D., Associate Professor of Oceanography, Department of Meteorology, The Pennsylvania State University

Topic:  The Science of Climate Change and Potential Impacts on Pennsylvania

Dr. Najjar will review the scientific evidence supporting a human impact on our climate.  The evidence includes data documenting historical changes in temperatures and other attributes of our climate system, and the match between the observed trends and the changes predicted by theoretical climate models in response to increasing greenhouse gas concentrations.  He also will review the changes projected by those models in the future under various scenarios of future greenhouse gas emissions, including impacts that might be expected in Pennsylvania.  Dr. Najjar works closely with Professor Mike Mann on his research on global warming.

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Why are there incentives for solar?

10. Jul, 2010 • Categories: Energy Efficiency, Incentives, Solar Education • by Michael Shadow

Did you know that one of the reasons for the government incentives for solar is because it cost a lot of money to upgrade our electrical grid and to meet the rising demand for electricity one of the easiest solutions is distributed generation, or many small local generation “plants”.  Solar is just that.  When you install solar on your home or business you are providing power for your property and your neighbors when you are producing more than you are using.  This lessens the demand on the power grid.  Here is some more information about solar and the grid was recently published on CNN.

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The Investor’s Lament

27. Apr, 2010 • Categories: Uncategorized • by Michael Shadow

The windfalls that I should have bought
Were lost because I over thought;
I thought of this, I thought of that
I could have sworn I smelled a rat;

And while I thought things over twice
Another grabbed them at the price.
It seems I always hesitate
And make my mind up much too late;
A very cautious man am I
And that is why I never buy.

When others culled those sprawling farms
And welcomed contracts with open arms;
I chose to think and while I thought
They bought the deals I could have got!

The golden chances I had then
Are lost and will not come again!
Today I cannot be enticed
For everything’s so overpriced.

At times a teardrop drowns my eye
For opportunities I had but did not buy;
And now life’s saddest words I pen……
“If only I’d invested Then!”

-Unknown Author

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Bellefonte Borough becoming a role model!

08. Apr, 2010 • Categories: Energy Efficiency, Geothermal, Incentives, Net Metering, Performance, Renewable Energy Credits, Solar Education, Solar News, Solar Photovoltaics (electric) • by Michael Shadow

Bellefonte Borough is considering Solar along with other renewable energy sources to help offset their electric costs. Talk about cutting edge, Bellefonte Borough has already done a tremendous job at reducing their electric costs and implementing energy efficiency. From 2005 to 2009 they reduced their annual electric consumption by 18%, that’s enough to power 129 average size American homes. Thank you Bellefonte Borough for being proactive visionaries!

Borough Manager Ralph Stewart was invited to Washington DC where he presented the Borough’s blueprint for avoiding more than $245,000 in energy costs following the implementation of a utility bill analysis provided by SEDA-COG’s Energy Resource Center. Because of what the Borough has done other municipalities are looking to Bellefonte to see how they too can develop a plan to reduce their energy use.

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April is National Solar Quote Month

01. Apr, 2010 • Categories: Solar News • by Michael Shadow

We are participating in “April is National Solar Quote Month“  We are working with our suppliers to negotiate lower prices on materials ordered this month so we can pass the savings on to you.  Because of this we are quoting prices at $0.20 less per installed watt this month.  That’s a $2000 savings on a 10k system. That combined with the fantastic state grant and federal tax incentives means now is the best time to install solar!  Contact us to Get Solar Electric Installed Now!

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Keeping your solar panels out of the shadows

20. Mar, 2010 • Categories: Solar Education • by Michael Shadow

Solar inter row shadingWhen designing a solar system we use the latest tools to assist us in providing the optimum solar design for our customers.

Shading plays a very important role in the design of a solar system.  If it is not considered your system could be producing much less electricity than it could be if it was properly designed.  Even the slightest bit of shading can dramatically impact the performance of a solar array.

In this photo we were verifying the distance between the arrays so that we were sure that the front row of panels would not be shading the back row in the winter time.  After a number of trig calculations we verified that this setup was optimal and our professional installation team could continue laying out the rails.  Normally the rows would have to be about 6 feet farther apart but because the back row is about 2 feet higher we were able to use less yard space for this particular system.

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Bloombox?

21. Feb, 2010 • Categories: Energy Efficiency, Solar News • by Michael Shadow

What does everyone think about the announcement of the Bloombox?  CBS showcased it on 60 minutes the other night.  I hope it works and does what they say it will do.  I would be very interested in testing one in my back yard.  What are your thoughts on the new dream renewable energy device?

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