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Surviving Without the Grid – Emergency Backup Power

June 16, 2013 By Laurie Neverman 9 Comments

This is a guest post by Jerry Noel. This article will address surviving without the grid, i.e., how to keep thing going when the power goes out – in Jerry words, “Preparing for When the Doo Doo Hits the Oscillating Appliance!”.

During the aftermath of super storm Sandy, many were without power for weeks. In my previous article, How Much Energy Will a Solar Electric System Produce?, I designed a system for my old house using the limited space available. I was planning on designing a grid connected system for our new house, but decided to switch due to numerous questions on the topic of back-up power. I also didn’t want to do a redundant article just yet. In my second article, Emergency Power Options for Your Home, I gave a brief overview of a battery backup system. [Read more…] about Surviving Without the Grid – Emergency Backup Power

How Much Energy Will a Solar Electric System Produce?

April 6, 2013 By Guest Leave a Comment

This is a guest post by Jerry Noel. In this article we’ll answer the question “How Much Energy Will a Solar Electric System Produce?” (projected solar electric system output) along with the anticipated short-term financial savings and long term return on investment (ROI).

In Part 1 (Solar Electric Basics), Jerry discussed the three predominant questions of solar power: cost, batteries, and “DIY”. Part two provided Emergency Power Options. Article 3 discussed three types of home solar power projects and how to mount your solar panels. Article 4, Solar Site Check, demonstrated how to analyze your location for best panel placement. Article 5 focused on designing your solar electric system, specifically, getting the most out of your available space.

How Much Energy Will a Solar Electric System Produce? [Read more…] about How Much Energy Will a Solar Electric System Produce?

Designing Your Solar Electric System

March 6, 2013 By Guest 2 Comments

This is a guest post by Jerry Noel. In this article we’ll discuss designing your solar electric system. In Part 1 (Solar Electric Basics), Jerry discussed the three predominant questions of solar power: cost, batteries, and “DIY”. Part two provided Emergency Power Options. Article 3 discussed three types of home solar power projects and how to mount your solar panels.

Now that you determined in the previous article (Solar Site Check) that we have a good location for a solar array, we have to start on the design of our system. Note: The National Electrical Code defines a “module” as a single power producing device. A “panel” is a group of modules physically connected together. Instead of referring to them as solar panels, I will use the more correct terminology of “module”. [Read more…] about Designing Your Solar Electric System

Solar Electric Basics with Jerry Noel

January 11, 2013 By Guest 10 Comments

Editor's Note (From Laurie): As some of you know, I used to work in the solar energy industry, but my experience is with solar thermal (space heating and hot water). I'm pleased to tell you that a friend of mine, Jerry Noel, has agreed to share his knowledge as a Master Electrician and a NABCEP Certified solar installer. This is the first of our new series, “Solar Electric Basics with Jerry Noel“.

Solar electric, also technically known as “photovoltaics” (PV for short), is the conversion of sunlight into electricity. The predominant resource for this conversion is the silicon chip; the same kind used in computer cpus. Over the course of a series of articles, I will try to explain how a solar panel system (array) is installed, what it can produce, and approximately cost. I will also delve into many of the many FAQ’s involved with this science. [Read more…] about Solar Electric Basics with Jerry Noel