Planning to install a solar thermal domestic hot water system? Because Do-it-Yourself kits come with much of the pre-wiring and easy plumbing connections you can install these kits as easy as 123. Solar hot water collectors used for year-round domestic hot water should face true south and be tilted up from the horizontal at an angle equal to the latitude of the site plus 15 degrees. For example, for Denver, Colorado, 40 degrees latitude plus 15 degrees equals 55 degrees from horizontal. A south-facing surface tilted at an angle equal to latitude will actually collect maximum sunlight year-round. Where aesthetics are a factor, many people choose to mount collectors at the roof angle.
[continue reading…]This is the kind of home emergency backup power us solar folks can really get-on-board with. Check out this powerful 4400 watt AC battery backup system enclosed in an outdoor rated cabinet. This plug-n-play system is the ultimate in home emergency power. This emergency battery backup system starts with a pure sine wave AC inverter. Pure sine wave inverters mean the power is the same as you us at home when you plug in any household item. [continue reading…]
Power pundits, government agencies, ivory tower gray beards, and oil companies have told us for years that home and off-grid solar and wind energy sources are the “Power of the Future.” Well, I’m telling you that solar is the power of today. For thousands of us, home and cabin solar energy has powered many, many yesterdays. [continue reading…]
At Blue Pacific Solar our outdoor enthusiasts test every type of portable solar kit on the market. Try taking a product to the bottom of the Grand Canyon for a week on trails where you do not see another soul for 5 days at a time if you really want to see if a product works.
Nomad 7 solar panel and Guide 10 rechargeable battery pack will keep the grass from growing under your feet and you on the move. The lightweight portable solar charger kit will power up your small electronics or let you power them from the Guide 10 power pack.
The Nomad 7 watt portable solar panel is made of Mono-crystalline solar with a 5 Volt USB output port as well as a 12V DC output port. Weighing in at less than one pound, you will find it will stow away in your pack or case at only 6″ X 9″ X 1″. The Nomad 7 Adventure Kit is a durable portable solar charger and has been tested and certified by FCC and CE. Comes with a 1 year manufactures warranty.
[continue reading…]The practical application of solar thermal was first introduced by the Swiss in 1767, but heating water with a patented solar water heating collector did not happen until 1891 in America. The man largely given credit for this countries popular residential application of solar thermal was Clarence Kemp who invented a solar collector and sold it through his Baltimore appliance factory outlet.
[continue reading…]Humping the Grand Canyon with a full pack is no walk in the part but it pales in comparison to what our troops go through in Afghanistan every day. A company of U.S. Marines recently conducted a remarkable three-week patrol through southern Afghanistan, replacing hundreds of pounds of spare batteries in their packs with portable solar panels the size of place mats to power their battle gear.
[continue reading…]Solar installers and the renewable energy industry have technically met the challenge of grid parity in many geographical locations and yet there is still hesitancy in the uptake of this renewable resource. Despite the advances solar technology the manufacturing process can often be expensive enough to make the margin of return and profit too much of a risk for some looking into the industry. [continue reading…]
Emergency solar generator kits are a real godsend for many homeowners during these unsettling times. Critical temporary power can quickly restore power to refrigerators and TV news outages. You don’t have to be a survivalist to read the headlines and see that devastation caused by natural disasters can bring down utility lines for days. [continue reading…]
If you’ve read any do-it-yourself books on solar installation, you probably know a little about how solar installers should orient panels. Keep them facing true south. Make sure you’ve got the correct tilt, or adjustable seasonal tilt, and no shading, not even partial shading. With This is all good general advice. But sometimes, true south orientation may not be quite as important as once believed. [continue reading…]
While escaping to the coast to a friends house in a secluded area near the Pacific, I was amazed to see how low her gas bill was. Why? She has a hot tub as well as a small lap pool that my friend keep very warm. On the hot tub, pool and her home she had installed solar thermal collectors.
When I saw how much hot water my friend was producing with such a low gas bill, I became a believer. [continue reading…]
As a renewable energy group that is immersed into the solar world, most of us spends some part of every day scanning news headlines that float past in cyberspace. I don’t know why, but it blows me away when I read a post or new solar product with a Google key word term intentionally designed to game the system and deceive browsers. [continue reading…]
The tragic disaster in Japan has captivated the country’s attention for the last two weeks but is also reminded us how quickly our lives can be changed. From someone who makes their living in the solar renewable energy industry, I could not help but reflect on how off-grid solar can help in emergency situations.
I live in California so it is not hard to imagine my town being rocked by an earthquake powerful enough to knock the town off-the-grid, stop communication and scatter enough debris to inhibit travel.
A portable solar emergency generator that can be rolled out and set up powering my refrigerator along with a few lights is a must. A solar emergency generator can also be used for a weekend camping trip allowing the guys to still catch the game on TV. [continue reading…]