Solar Electric

The PV system on the left is a sample of a three kilowatt grid-tied system to represent fulfilling the electrical
needs of the average Hawaiian home. The average Hawaiian home uses 20 kilowatt hours a day of which 8 are consumed by water heating.

BATTERIES

MK Battery - Sealed Absorbed Glass Mat

I.B.E. - “Industrial Quality” Deep Cycle

Interstate Batteries

BATTERY CHARGERS

I.B.E. - “Industrial Quality

IOTA Engineering

CONTROLLERS & ENCLOSURES

Outback Power Systems - Flexware enclosures and accessories.

Midnite Solar - E-Panel, Combiners and batt. enclosures

Morningstar - PWM Controllers

Specialty Concepts - Shunt and Series Controllers
Xantrex - "C" Series Controllers

Blue Sky Energy Inc. - MPPT Controllers

DC TO AC INVERTERS

Outback Power Systems

SMA Inverters-Sunny Boy
Xantrex - SW PLUS, DR, GT
Go Power! Electric - Pure or Modified Sine Wave
Samlex America - Pure or Modified Sine Wave

DC WATER PUMPS

Flojet - Diaphragm Marine Grade

Flowlight - Positive Displacement

DIGITAL METERING

Amprobe DMM & Amp Meters

DC Analog Meters

E-METER Battery Condition Monitor

ENERGY EFFICIENT LIGHTING

Thin-Lite® - DC Fluorescent

Light It Technology – DC Compact Fluorescent

ELF – DC Compact Fluorescent Fixtures

LVL – Edison Base DC Halogen Bulbs

MOUNTING STRUCTURES

Zomeworks Trackers - Passive

Sunearth Inc.

   CompRail™ PV Mounting Hardware

    Anodized Aluminum Solar Strut™

    Anodized Aluminum Angle & Channel
    custom made for any installation.

PHOTOVOLTAIC MODULES

Solarworld

Kyocera Solar

REFRIGERATORS & FREEZERS

Servel by Dometic - LP gas

Sunfrost - High Efficiency DC

WIND POWER SYSTEMS

Southwest Windpower Air-X-Marine -400 Watts

There are two basic solar electric systems. The first is a stand-alone system where the energy produced by solar electric panels (or photovoltaic, PV for short) is regulated by a controller and stored in batteries. The electricity is then used as needed to power direct current (D/C) lights and other equipment. It may also be used by changing the charge from D/C to normal, household A/C by using an inverter. Standard appliances and other electrical accessories can use this power. In general, though, solar electricity is not used to heat water, cook, or run air conditioning because these loads use so much energy. The other type of system is a grid-tied system with no batteries. The grid-tied system reduces your electric bill by feeding the unused portion of the electricity produced by your system back into the electric grid. In addition to stand-alone and grid-tied systems, there are many combinations of the two types which are called hybrid systems.

The size and cost of a solar electric system is determined by how much energy is required by the system's users. It is very important to accurately determine the expected energy usage. This can be done by either estimating off your current electric bill, or by listing all appliances and their electrical needs with an estimate of how much they will be used. Professional assistance with the system design will insure the most efficient and cost-effective power system while making sure that all components are compatible. To be safe, solar electric systems must be designed to meet local electric code requirements and must be installed by knowledgeable and trained professionals.

Remote Home Power	Water Pumping, Irrigation	Uninterruptible Power	Data Acquisition
Electric Fences	Boats & Ships	Battery Charging	Lighting
Satellite Receivers	Gate Openers	Navigational Aids	Security
Refrigeration	Radio Repeaters	Monitoring & Testing