Those of us who live to get outside of the confines of the cubical, it’s pretty much a given that autumn’s the best time of year to be on the trail. My feet arch aching this time of year to put some distance and get off-grid. My portable solar charger is a big part of each of my escapes. [continue reading…]

We are seeing a growing trend of customers who are asking about going off-grid with solar and battery backup for their home in the city. Until just a few years ago when the decay of our countries infrastructure and dysfunctional Congress, they would have been a small fraction of the off-grid solar community. [continue reading…]

Hunting with portable solar chargers and camping is an activity that goes hand in hand and is gaining popularity. Centuries ago, hunters often had no choice but to camp out until they were able to bring food home for their families. Nowadays, people enjoy solar hunting and camping with portable solar chargers because it gives them a chance to feel independent and enjoy the outdoors. I don’t do much hunting these days and the hunting I did participate in last year was orchestrated by a professional guide, but this seems to me the way to go. [continue reading…]

Now here something you do not see everyday. Pre-engineered ground mount solar that exemplifies how innovative ideas can use a proven system and re-smith it in an entirely new way. This is a picture I took traveling to a home job site near Los Angeles. This ground mount solar array is traveling south on highway 99 heading to the customer’s home. Though we were heading for the same destination, we left from different locations and I really did not expect to come across the delivery driver on the way to the job site.

This is a great concept that allows any homeowner to have affordable easy power. These ground mount solar systems start with racks made from G-90 galvanized steel, dipped in zinc for extreme durability and synonymous with strength and toughness. SunPods are an innovative modern way of delivering traditional solar systems in an entirely new way.

The NE is no stranger to emergency power blackouts, especially this year. Normally utility power will go down during storms a couple of times a year but recently, it is a all too common fact of life. Long ago we bought a noisy portable gas generator to keep our refrigerator cold and run our well and sump pumps during an outage. We even put in a transfer switch to run those circuits in the house to make things easier. Recently we started looking at home solar generators to replace our noisy gas generator.

During Hurricane Irene we were out of power for four days and since we were away the first two days of the storm we lost most of the refrigerated items. Some of our neighbors have propane gas powered whole-house generators that come on automatically. They are noisy too. [continue reading…]

Grid Alternatives is a non-profit that trains and leads teams of volunteers installing solar panels on low-income families homes throughout California. YingLi Solar Company or Yingli Green Energy, is one of the world’s largest vertically integrated photovoltaic (PV (which is a fancy word for solar)) manufacturers, which markets its products under the brand “Yingli Solar,” announced today that its U.S. subsidiary, Yingli Green Energy Americas, Inc. (“Yingli Americas”), is the Presenting Sponsor of Solarthon, nonprofit solar installer GRID Alternatives’ annual fundraiser that brings together hundreds of people, teams, solar job trainee installers, and corporate participants to install multiple home solar energy systems in one day for low-income homeowners. [continue reading…]

Last night when I got home from work I turned on the evening news and was immediately confronted with the story that will dominate our headlines for days no doubt about the fate of the Solyndra Solar Company. The news channel could not wait to jump on the struggles of this American solar companies fate because they took stimulus money and this is proof positive of the failure of subsiding renewable energy. [continue reading…]

Consider this, you are one of the lucky few that are shopping for a home and you locate one with solar panels offsetting the electric bill and one without which one would you choose? Choosing a solar home over a non-solar home is a no-brainer for most folks. Though there are many studies out there, you do not need a PhD to figure that one out that a solar home stabilizes your future expenses. [continue reading…]

Utility companies fit somewhere in my mind between wall street bankers, government oil company subsidies and the boogeyman. Because I sell off-grid solar everyday more than anyone I understand the price and complexity of engineering a system, but there are many cases where the pleasure outweighs the pain.

Before we take a closer look at he pro’s and con’s of off-grid solar, let’s understand the different types. The three basic categories of solar electricity systems available today are: [continue reading…]

For a homeowner who would prefer to do-it-yourself (DIY) going solar can be a little scary. Most mainline solar companies offer the equipment that the homeowner can purchase but do little to offer the balance of services that it takes to complete the process of adding solar to a home.

In the past few years, home solar kits have become more popular replacing the traditional solar installation in many cases. These solar kits are simple, environmental friendly and economical. Solar installed on your home will guard against inflation by cutting down or eliminating your electric bills.