Solar going out of business sale

I received an email…

Name = Richard Brown
State = California
FromEmailAddress = rbrown@totalisenergy.net
Comments = Greetings, 
Our company is in the process of exiting the solar installation business and we have excess solar panels, inverters and batteries to sell. 
All items in original packaging.
Panels:
1. LDK 245-P-24 and 250-P-24 500kw
2. LDK 280-P-24 500kw
3. LDK 285-P-24 600kw
4. Perlight 300w 500kw
5. ET solar 295w 700kw 
Inverters:
1. Delta 5kw
2. Chint 10-20kw
Batteries:
1. Prismatic Lithium ION
_________________________________________

I'm sorry to see them go out of business but, there might be some high end solar equipment at discounted prices?  Thought I would share.

Have a good one, 
Tyler

‘

Kids Solar Energy Projects

If you’re into solar power, chances are that you have, or know, children that you’d like to encourage to learn about its potential.  In keeping with this blogs theme of “do it yourself”, I thought I’d try to find some curriculum and fun solar projects suitable for kids K-12.

One of the first sites I came across was Florida Solar Energy Centers section on education.  For younger children there is a link to Energy Wiz (click on experiments) which outlines projects like making a solar oven, a solar still and electrolysis. Below is a video about the State of Florida’s Energy Whiz fair which should give you some ideas for projects you could undertake with your kids.

EnergyWhiz Olympics from Florida Solar Energy Center on Vimeo.

This site out of Canada – Green Learning has renewable energy projects like the wind turbines, hydroelectric generators and various thermal solar ovens.

Try out this page for renewable energy lesson plans from the Texas State Energy Conservation Office for additional teaching ideas.  The lesson plans are a bit dated (2005-2006) but as it turns out, the information is pretty timeless.  The sections are broken down into K-3, grades 4 & 5, 6,7,8 and 9-12.

If the kids are still at the age where coloring is fun, here is a free solar energy coloring book you can print out.  Also check out Solar Answers for Younger Kids.

This last link is from Teaching & Learning Resources from Federal Agencies – Energy.  It contains all around great information and projects as well.

Do you have any good solar activities for kids to share?

Best DIY Solar Power Project Websites – Top 5

Want to Build a Solar Something?

Are you looking for a fun, do it yourself, solar powered project?  Or, maybe you are looking out of some sort of necessity like saving money on heating bills?  Either way, I’ve compiled a list of the top 5 best solar DIY websites & a review of each.  I’ve chosen not to put them in any particular order because placement would depend on relevance to your objective.  (for example: a project to complete with the kids or looking to solar power your home in an emergency even)  At my other website, I have a list of specific DIY endeavors that I find interesting – Solar Powered DIY Projects.  Anyway, here’s the best..

Instructables – This site came online in 2006 and houses over 100,000 DIY projects.  The projects are uploaded by the community and vary widely in scope.  The vast majority of them contain excellent step by step instructions and photos.  Many contain videos and access to the maker through posts.  They’ll include a list of tools and materials required to make the object.  Some have external websites dedicated to their build.  Basically, the things shown at Instructables are typically very well documented and easy to follow.  The link provided will take you to the DIY solar channel of the site.

Build it Solar – Site started in 2005 by Gary, a retired airplane product development engineer.  Contains TONS of links to DIY solar topics & great onsite guides for solar projects.  It seems many are geared toward home energy, like solar thermal & electric.  One benefit of this site is that it contains links to many different projects where the creators may be making the same things but, approaching it in different ways.  This site contains allot of very useful information & is extensive in size.  If your looking to build or make a homemade solar anything, definitely worth a view.  Careful not to fall into a rabbit hole when visiting this one though!

Hack a Day – This site has been around for a few years that I am familiar with but, the website doesn’t give any indication as to when it was started.  I may be a bit bias in adding this to the list as many of the projects don’t contain clearly defined instructions or documentation.  However, the projects are usually very “techie” and that is right in my wheel house so I find them appealing.  There is a forum to exchange ideas / questions and the site is very active – frequently updated.

Make – Started in 2005 by Dale Dougherty.  Extensive site contains DIY makers projects, kit reviews, forums and blog.  There is also a quarterly magazine for $36 a year.  (I check mine out from the library)  Solar projects you can make are categorized into easy, moderate and difficult.  All of the things to build here are documented very well, broken into steps & presented in a very professional manner.  Certainly worth a visit.

DIY Network –  If you have cable or satellite I’m sure you have seen this channel listed in your guide.  The website has step by step guides, fluffy articles and several well produced videos of DIY solar projects.  They are mostly general overviews and do not contain extensive materials or tool lists.  However, if used as an informational resource in conjunction with a project from above it can be a very handy supplement.

Ok, there are the top 5 best solar power project websites I know of!  If you have a site that you think should be included in this list, let me know!

Open PV Project

The Open PV (Photo Voltaic) Project is a collaboration between the Government, solar industry and the general public to obtain and display useful information about solar power installations across the US.  If you put your State and zip (leave out the zip if you don’t live in a metropolitan area) it will give you the cost of their installation, manufacturer of equipment, cost per watt, etc.  There is also a pretty cool map that graphically displays installations country-wide since 2000.  It really isn’t that useful, just interesting to watch.

Step 5 – System Configuration

How the Solar Power System is Setup

OK, so you’ve buttoned up your house and it is as energy efficient as is practical and are now familiar with some of the hardware.  The next step is to decide what configuration you’ll choose for setting it all up.  There’s almost an infinite number of ways to accomplish your objective.  For the purpose of brevity, I’m going to go into just three potential solar power system setups…simple on-grid without battery backup, on grid with battery backup, and hybrid wind & solar on grid.  (I didn’t include off-grid because it is basically the same as on-grid w/ battery, just not connected to the utility company.)  I’ve included some simple wiring diagrams and videos for reference.  Later I will include a post with useful links for finding additional information and DIY solar power kits that are easy to install.

Please keep in mind that each of these can be done in different ways, and with different equipment than I show below but, they should give you enough information to get your gears turning.

Simple On Grid System:  This is the type of setup that you would use if you want to power your homes appliances and potentially sell power back to the utility company (if you make more energy than you use).  You can either save or make money with this type configuration.  Also know that there will be no batteries involved and the system will NOT provide emergency backup power regardless of it’s size!  It is technically possible to do but against regulation / law / code pretty much everywhere in the US.  I think this is do to safety concerns with ‘islanding‘ but, don’t quote me on that.  Anyway, this is a simpler and cheaper setup compared to the others.  You can also scale it up easily over time by adding more solar panels.

Below is a video discussing some specifics regarding a simple grid tied inverter.  He explains about running straight through to the utility and skipping the battery bank.

On Grid with Battery Backup:  This system can do what the one above does in addition to providing power during a power outage.  It differs in the fact that partial shade on your panels can keep all of your panels from producing power if wired in a series.  It’s more expensive but much more versatile.

The two videos below demonstrate good grid tied solar power systems with battery backup.  If you open the second video in a new window, below it (click more on description) he lists links to all of the individual parts.

Wind Turbine & Solar Grid Tied with Battery Backup:  This type of system can provide power when the sun isn’t shining.  It can also make electricity when there is no wind.  It costs more but is very reliable and will pay for itself over time.

Next, will be useful resources for each of these steps and links to do it yourself solar electric power kits.