Largest solar farm in TN officially opens Thursday
The state’s large solar farm in Stanton, Tenn., will officially open with a 3 p.m. ceremony on Thursday.
The state of Tennessee and University of Tennessee are hosting the event at the 25-acre, 5-megawatt West Tennessee Solar Farm. It features about 21,000 ground-mounted photovoltaic solar panels and is estimated to provide enough energy for 500 homes and offset use of 250 tons of coal per month.
The generated electricity is distributed through purchase agreements with local utility Chickasaw Electric Cooperative and the Tennessee Valley Authority.
Next year, an information and welcome center is planned there to to house Spectrum,an educational solar exhibit. Since Interstate 40 passes nearby, officials are counting on lots of visitors stopping by and learning firsthand about solar energy.
The solar energy industry has been a rapidly growing sector of the state’s economy, with 180 for-profit companies in its solar value chain and 6,400 people employed in solar-related industries, a release about the project said.
Among those expected for the ribbon cutting are Dr. David Milhorn, executive vice president, University of Tennessee; Paul Fassbender, assistant commissioner, Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development; John Schroer, commissioner, Tennessee Department of Transportation; Franklin Smith, mayor, Haywood County; Ben Fischer, president, Signal Energy; and John Collins, president, Chickasaw Electric.
In 2009, the state allocated $62.5 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act economic stimulus funds to the Volunteer State Solar Initiative, including the West Tennessee Solar Farm and the Tennessee Solar Institute.
Working through the University of Tennessee Research Foundation, the University of Tennessee is responsible for installation and operation of the power-generation facility. Signal Energy LLC of Chattanooga designed and built the solar farm.
— Staff Reports
Somerset County Behavioral Health
The mission of the Somerset County Health Department is healthy people in healthy communities. This will be accomplished by assessing community health needs, developing appropriate policy to impact health needs, assuring that needed quality health services are available and accessible to the public.
Now they are helping the environment by having Solair install this 48kw solar array. This system is made up of 176 Schott 230 watt modules. These modules are made in New Mexico and are ARRA compliant. See Schott’s website link here. http://www.us.schott.com/photovoltaic/english/index.html
These Schott solar panels are married up to four Power One 10kw inverters to convert the DC power of the panels to the AC power of the building. These Aurora Power One inverters are up to 97.5% efficient. Please see more about Aurora Power ones at this link.
http://www.power-one.com/renewable-energy
West Farms – Harvesting Sunshine!
Harvesting Sunshine!
West Farms in Milford, Delaware has harvested various forms of crops on their land for decades now. Starting in October of 2011 the West Farms are now harvesting sunshine. That’s right. Capturing sunlight to create electricity to power their farming operations. This beautiful solar array will likely still be making power from the sun more than thirty years from now. That is an extraordinary crop! Congratulations to an incredible farming operation.
Harvesting Sunshine!
Solair “The Future”Dispoto takes Chapel Green even Greener!
The Dispoto family had Solair install this beautiful solar array on their south facing roof. Paired with Enphase micro inverters this system has outperformed all expectations. Wow what a nice looking job. Green and Beautiful!
Bowers Fire Company – 37.6kw Roof Array
On Monday, October 17th, the Bowers Fire Company officially turned on it’s solar panels that were installed by Solair. Thanks to a town resident and her husband, Bonnie and Rich Oliver, they were awarded a federal grant to totally fund the project that will cut their costs by 25%. Former Chiefs Jeff Morris and Bill Hall were responsible for overseeing the project and worked in conjunction with Town Mayor, Ron Hunsicker and Town Council. The solar panels have a 30 – 40 year life span and can produce as much as 34 kilowatts of power which will save the fire company approximately $7,000.00 per year in electric. The Town of Bowers actually received the grant but incorporated the Fire Company because they hold their monthly meetings there in the hall. Mayor Ron was quoted as saying ” We’re a very tight-knit community and the town decided to include the fire company as a sub-recipient.” Our President, Willie Trowbridge, said that we will continue to make further energy efficient improvements in the future. He also said that this is one way we can give back to the community. On hand for the ceremony were Senator Tom Carper and Congressman John Carney as well as State Representative Jack Peterman. Many of the Bowers fire Company members were there in uniform for the occasion as well. Congrats to all who helped in the efforts for Bowers Fire Company to go green!!
Roxana Volunteer Fire Company Inc. 73kw
Congratulations to Roxana VFC! This solar system will produce about 80% of their power needs. Enphase micro inverters are paired to Motech 235 watt panels. With this system Roxana can keep an eye on what each and every panel is producing separately from their web based software.
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Flexible Views
Performance information can easily be viewed “at a glance” or in detail, including graphs, totals by day/week/month/lifetime, and time-lapse videos. Enlighten can also be accessed by web-enabled mobile devices.
Automated Reports & Alerts
Enlighten’s cloud-based analytics will identify and alert owners and installers to any deviation in performance. Enlighten also enables remote troubleshooting and updates, so issues can be addressed without cost or hassle.
New 4.7KW Solar Ground Array- Newark, MD
Congratulations to the Jones family in Newark MD on their new 4.7kw Solar system installed by Solair!
Crisfield, MD. Solair Solar Installation
New 7.84 KW Residential Installation in Crisfield, MD.
The Solar Panel is Only the Beginning
Here’s a rundown of the components typically found in a solar power system and some details about each one.
Article from www.solarmash.com
There’s a lot to know when it comes to building and installing a solar power system. The components that go into a system are like the parts on a car in that they all work together for the same ultimate goal, but the quality of each component can make a big difference in performance. Additionally, having some high quality component paired with some lower quality ones can lead to diminished returns; or to follow the car analogy, spending all your money on a nice paint job and fancy tires won’t make the car go any faster. In order to make an educated decision, it’s necessary to know what all of the components do and what to look for and look out for as you choose each component. Here’s a rundown of the components typically found in a solar power system and some details about each one.
Solar Cells
The most basic part of the solar power system is the solar (or photovoltaic) cell. Put simply, these cells are made up of materials that when exposed to sunlight, create a reaction from which electricity can be harnessed. In fact, the same materials used to power a solar calculator are used in solar power systems, just on a larger scale. The type of cell used in your solar panels makes a big difference in performance. Consider that early solar cells were only 1-2% efficient, while modern cells are closer to 15-20% and high end solar cells can achieve as much as 30% efficiency. You’re not going to find the 30% efficient cells at your local installer as they’re cost prohibitive and currently only used in aeronautic and scientific applications, but this is a good sign that as the technology progresses, the costs will come down and panels will continue to improve in efficiency.
Solar Panels
The solar panels are the most identifiable part of a solar power system. This is typically the only part of the system most consumers consider and it’s also the biggest cost and most important element of the system. Solar panels come in a wide variety of size, form factor and application, making it possible to have hundreds of different applications, depending on the homeowner’s preference, budget and needs. A few standouts are solar shingles, which mount directly to the roof and take the place of traditional cedar or composite shingles, and Solyndra solar panels which are designed for flat, white roofs and as such only require a 1/2 pound anchoring ballast and no drilling or penetration of the roof surface.
Inverters
The power inverter is the second most critical component in a solar power system, it’s what takes the low voltage DC power generated from the solar panels and converts it to high voltage (110v) AC power used in our homes. You may have a similar device on a smaller scale in your car that lets you plug a laptop into your cigarette lighter. Power inverters perform a very basic task, but not all inverters are created equally. The process of converter power from one voltage to another and in this case from one polarity to another, will inevitably result in lost energy turned into heat in the process. There are two things to look for here; is the inverter made of high quality components with large heat sinks which will keep your equipment safe and is the inverter designed well so as to lose as little energy as possible as it is transformed. Using Micro Inverters instead of a standard inverter will help with heat loss, and power loss along wiring runs. Generally, Micro Inverters have higher efficiency rating than standard inverters because they create AC power at each panel.
Wiring
Wiring may seem like an insignificant part of the process, but making sure you have the right gauge and shielding on your wires will not only protect you from safety code violations and potential fire hazards, but can also make a big difference in the efficiency of your system. Every element of your solar power system that interacts with the electricity will cause some energy loss, so using unshielded or thin power cables to save money could in the end cost you a lot more because they’re not transferring 100% of the electricity from point A to point B.
Monitoring System
Most solar power owners will love the idea of being able to accurately and regularly check the status of their solar power system. Solar monitors and meters come in all sorts, from dead simple to something that looks like it belongs in the flight deck of a 777. The basic functionality that all monitoring systems will have is a readout of how much power your system is generating. This can be helpful when trying to measure your power usage or when considering expanding your system’s size. Additionally, the more complex monitoring systems offer advanced features such as remote monitoring, management and control from a web browser or smart phone.
Knowing the ins and outs of each component can be a little daunting. The good news is that a good installer will be able to properly match each piece of equipment to give you the optimal performance, but to be a good consumer, you should education yourself on these components as much as possible to ensure that you’re not being sold more than you need.
Contact a reputable Solar Installer near you to discuss your PV Solar needs.
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