Sun to the Pool
Hello good friend, thank you for visiting!
Adding solar collectors in line with your filtering system is a great way to add heat to your pool without incurring recurring costs for fuel or electricity. Plus, the collectors are made to last at least four times longer the best propane heaters, since the Heliocol solar heat collectors are made from surgical-grade plastic which does not break down from chlorine exposure.
Please call me for more information. I can usually get you a site specific quote within a day or two. Thank you!
Solar Hot Water for OSU on Gibraltar Island
We’re starting a new job installing solar hot water for The Ohio State University on Gibraltar Island, Lake Erie. We’ll be sending out updates at different points in the project.
To Use or Not to Use Solar Micro-Inverters
Micro-inverters are readily available, as well as module level optimizers in combination with string inverters.
It is my opinion that micro-inverters mainly shine in multiple orientation sites, such as houses with east west and south facing orientations, in cases of shading, and on 10kW and smaller applications.
I think that they are best used for multiple small applications because string planning and design is basically eliminated. On large applications design becomes more complex and where it costs more to go micro on small jobs the expense goes through the roof on large applications.
Micro-inverters mounted directly under panels create a hot spot which is counter-productive.
We’ve installed Enphase micro-inverters side by side with an SMA string inverter metering them separately and there is no significant difference in performance after one year’s data collection.
The Careful Craftsman
Careful craftsmanship is important to ensure the most value out of the materials purchased.
Whether they be concrete blocks, solar panels, or windows.
I’ve witnessed some very nice products installed in such a way as to not only look bad but only about half work and sometimes fail completely.
At Inspiramental Company we place a high value on the craftsman, often spending what seems like too much time in design and thoughtful integration.
Bringing Together Farming and Solar Energy with Sheep?
A few weeks back we quoted a large solar installation where either gravel would have to be spread around the panel mounts or fabric laid down. This would keep the weeds and grass around the panels much more manageable.
While looking at the site it was suggested that sheep could be used to keep the grass trimmed. I had a good laugh at first. Then… it hit me! It really was a simple yet terrific idea that supports both agriculture and renewable energy.
What a great legacy for the farming community and education sector.
Overwhelmed by the Natural Energy Options?
Recently on the Inspiramental Facebook Page, Sam had a great conversation with a someone building a new home. They were overwhelmed with the options available for natural or renewable energy and needed some direction. We’ve posted the discourse below in the hopes that it may be valuable to others trying to make sense of the option.
Solar Heating System at Garber Residence
Robin and I are happy to have finally turned the majority of our water heating over to the sun!
We’ve accomplished this by installing solar heat collectors, circulation loops, heat exchangers, and storage tanks. Normally, one heat exchanger, one solar storage tank would suffice, but we’re interested in seeing first-hand the performance of the new poly collectors that just came to market in 2011.
New Project at Inspiramental Central
We’re starting a new project here at Inspiramental Central. We have these two tanks, a trailer load of pipe, and something that hasn’t seen the light of day since the 2010 Darke County Fair. What do you suppose we’re up to now???
Useful Solar Energy Links and Resources
I compiled a list of links for a man starting up a solar installation company in California. Realizing that many of these links could be useful to our visitors and regular readers we wanted to share this resource here on the blog. Check it out and let us know if you have questions.
Homemade DIY Solar Panels – Build Your Own And Save $?$
We get asked a lot about making solar panels.
That popular interest is probably why build your own solar panels dot org is pretty good at going viral on the internet.
