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  *******
We are now certified to install solar electrical generation systems*******
In 2008, we went green with the installation of a 12 killowatt
solar panel (photovoltaic) system that provides the power for
all of our electrical requirements at the manufacturing plant.
By the end of 2009, we will have saved our atmosphere from dealing with
twelve tons of carbon introduction, and this only multiplies through
the years.
Steve
and Bruce at West Adirondack worked alongside a nyserda certified installer
to lay out the footprint, drill the holes, set the transit elevations,
pour the sonotube foundations (60 piers) with concrete and rerod, anchor
the treated lumber bottom plates, attach the aluminum rails to the plates,
and finally install the actual solar panels. Two separate inverters
were installed, and an underground feed was put in to connect all this
to the grid. A bi-directional meter was installed by the power company,
to indicate how much net power flows each month. A second meter keeps
track of the amount of power the solar panels have produced.
There was some doubt as to how much power can actually be produced here
in the cloudy northeast. So far, we are actually producing more power
in the winter than in the summer. Like an overheated electrical wire,
if the panels are hot (summer), they are not as efficient as when they
are cold (winter). We have seen a peak output in the winter of 90 KWH's
per day, with the sun reflecting off the snow in the field. (those days
when you get snow-blindness) Last fall, during testing, we could get
a peak output of 45 kwh's per day. Arizona may get more sun than us,
but our snow is a great reflector of photons, and our panels are much
more efficient in the cold.
The panels are elevated each season to a degree that sets them at a
ninety degree angle to the sun's rays. This maximizes the amount of
light that reaches the panels. Cloudy days will reduce the power output,
sometimes as much as 75%, but those sunny days really spin the meter.
Half of this country's electricity is produced with coal, and this type
of production pollutes the atmosphere with carbon. If we are to further
reduce our dependence on oil, much more electricity needs to be produced
using carbon-free renewable energy resources like solar, wind, and even
water power. This results in a huge reduction in our carbon footprint
as a country.
Hopefully, the current interest in green energy is not a passing fad.
It now appears that our government agencies have realized that something
has to be done about our energy sources, and these agencies have provided
the incentives to citizens to allow for less expensive installations
of these smaller solar and wind plants. Speed is essential here if we
are to install these systems in our backyards and on our rooftops, because
the price of oil is sure to go back to $4 and beyond as soon as the
economy makes a turn for the better.
We have been planning for years to either install solar or wind energy
at our place, and the economics, with the federal and state rebate programs
now in effect, allowed us to go forward with our project in 2008.
NYSERDA (New York State Energy Research and Development Authority) in
particular was very helpful.
This type of installation
goes hand-in-hand with our log home manufacturing, and it compliments
our type of business well. There is also a certain satisfaction that
goes with knowing that you are no longer polluting our earth, and you
have eliminated your electric bill forever.
Here are some pictures of our solar panels at different stages of the
project.........
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