Seattle's Solar Ally

Hands-on Solar Training!

2009-10-13T11:04:00.000-07:00

I attended the Solar Water Heating hands on training through SEI a while ago and had to post about it. It was such a great time. For all of you solar geeks out there, I actually met Chuck Marken, Ian Woofenden and Ben Root! HA! They imparted some serious knowledge, and we all had fun learning it.

The course began with classroom presentation and theory. The next day we went out for a solar tour of Guemes Island. There are tons of renewable energy (RE) projects on this tiny island. Probably has nothing to do with the fact that Ian lives there.

For the hands on portion of the course, we installed a 30-tube Apricus solar thermal collector on a 20' shipping container! The property owner (kickass guy!) will be building a house soon and is setting up mobile workshops/living spaces to make the job as comfortable as possible. We were guided during the hands on class by RE contractor The solar system consisted of the Apricus collector w/ customized heat dump, SuperStor Ultra stainless steel storage tank, Apricus controller and pumpstation, and a propane fired backup water heater.

Through this training and my own studies I have gained the experience needed to size and install solar water heaters. I encourage all of you to take these SEI classes NOW! (they always fill up early...even the online classes). To date, I have taken 4 SEI courses. They are the original RE educators and were the only ones doing it when I first began exploring solar power.

Enjoy the pictures!

Seattle's Own...Solar Ultrasound

2008-12-16T09:19:00.000-08:00

A client of ours would like us to design a solar energy system for their home. Either Solar Water Heating or Photovoltaic. We went a step further and showed them what the systems would look like. Here is a sample of what our new visualization crew can do. This is a free service for Solar Epiphany customers. Consider it your new solar baby ultrasound.

Next Project Up...

2008-10-21T09:05:00.000-07:00

10/12 pitch metal roof...in November, nuff said. This will be a challenging roof. We're using the S-5! standing seam metal roof clamps to secure the array. You'll soon see 12, 200 watt Sanyo modules gracing the roof of this structure....stay tuned!

New 30% Residential Solar Incentive for 2009!

2008-10-14T13:05:00.000-07:00

If you are looking for a positive spin to the so called "bailout bill", here it is. Inserted into the legislation was an 8 year extension of the renewable energy tax credit and.....ready?......a removal of the $2,000 cap on the residential tax credit for photovoltaic systems. This means that when you invest in a (PV) solar energy system for your home, the feds give you a 30% (of total system cost) tax credit at the end of the year. For Seattle, this means you are 10years closer to financial payback. This credit is good for both solar electric (PV) and solar water heating systems. Here is a direct link to the legislation so you can read up on it. Type "solar" into the "find" box in order to make your research easier.

Solar Epiphany is now doing site surveys and pre-installation work for 09'. Feel free to give us a call!

Electrons, Even in the Rain

2008-10-03T20:38:00.001-07:00

The system passed final inspection and SCL installed the production meter today. It has been raining pretty good for the last couple of days. Still, the system was producing SOME electricity. Red Cup had a great write up in the westseattleblog as well as a 2.5 minute spot on King 5 News. The community support has been great, people are excited about the array. We are excited to see the performance of the tracking system. I think we will be installing a data collection system for the array sometime soon.

See you tomorrow at Red Cup for the ASES National Tour...

Inspection Challenges

2008-10-01T21:25:00.000-07:00

The DPD Electrical Inspector (EI) was new to pv systems. We had to do some educating in order to get everyone on the same page, but in the end, it has worked out. The inspector did, however, request that the tracker motor wiring be totally seperate from the pv wiring (hence the secnd j-box in the photo) Solid Electrical Construction was able to accomadate that request today. Now, we are awaiting final approval tomorrow, 10/2.

Just in time for the ASES tour!!

Solid Electrical Installation (and Construction)

2008-10-01T20:59:00.000-07:00

Solar Epiphany chose Solid Electrical Construction as the commercial electric installer for the job. They have a local reputation for good work and are great guys.

All EMT installation means that the wiring system will have the same long life as the solar panels.

2008-10-01T20:53:00.000-07:00

Red Cups Owner, Tricia, helps out with the forklift! HAHA. The install was a breeze with this tool.
Here it is: Seattle's first flat-roof-mounted PV tracking array....nice.

Panels and Carousel Transport

2008-10-01T20:50:00.000-07:00

The solar panels and racking were easily fit onto this flatbed. We put together a simple, custom crating that made the job easier.

Inverter Mounted

2008-10-01T20:45:00.001-07:00

Red Cup wanted the inverter to be visible so that customers can see how much electricity the system is producing. We picked a good spot near the entrance...kind of blends in well with the artwork doesn't it?

Red Cup Espresso will be part of the ASES Annual Solar Tour!!

2008-09-03T09:52:00.000-07:00

We just got the confirmation letter from Meg Gluckman. We are looking forward to showing off the first flat roof mounted tracker in Seattle. Come by Red Cup Espresso on October 4th to see the system up close.

Interconnection Paperwork Sent In

2008-09-03T09:41:00.001-07:00

Last week we sent in the interconnection paperwork to Seattle City Light. The entire packet consists of:

Interconnection Application and Agreement

Application for Electrical Service

One-Line System Diagram

Inverter Spec Sheet

and Check for $147

The $147 will be recouped by the first year of production incentive (est. to be ~$165)

One-of-a-kind System Design...

2008-08-22T08:48:00.000-07:00

Solar Epiphany put together two system options for Red Cup.
The first is a traditional flat roof mounted system using UniRac's Rapid Rac. This option mounts the modules at a fixed 10 degree tilt. Using our solar production estimates, this system should produce ~1150 kWh's a year. (1360kWh's X .85 misc. losses). This amount doesn't quite reach Red Cup's 30% offset goal.

The second system is a more visible and productive installation. It consists of a locally produced (Issaquah,WA) JX Crystals flat roof mounted tracker. The tracker follows the sun throughout the day in order to maximize solar output. If installed, it will be the first of its kind in Seattle. It is estimated to produce ~1400 kWh's of clean energy per year. (1797 kWh's X .85 - 127 kWh's due to inter-row shading during the low sun season). This represents an increase of around 17%.

Red Cup chose the JX Crystals installation because of its uniqueness and added production. We are looking forward to this exciting install..Stay Tuned!

Good Weather for Ducts!!

2008-08-19T23:03:00.000-07:00

Sunday, before the rains, we removed two of the ducts from the roof in order to make way for the array. PV arrays need about 100 sq. ft. of area for each kW installed. For this roof, with all the obstructions and setback requirements, we're planning on around 300 sq. ft. We are planning an exciting installation for Red Cup. This system will be one-of-a-kind for Western Washington...stay tuned for the system design post coming soon.

First Things First

2008-08-15T13:31:00.001-07:00

Solar Epiphany's Detailed Site Survey, a.k.a. feasibility study, is the most important preliminary step of a solar installation. During this process, we collect all of the necessary data about the site to ensure a quality install. It also gives us a chance to help define the priorities of our customers and answer all their solar questions. Our site surveyor determines the best placement for the collectors and components based on a 50 point checklist, takes shading analysis readings with a Solmetric SunEye, and maps out the available area. We charge a fee of $100 for this service (refunded with system purchase).
During Red Cup's Detailed Site Survey (DSS), we determined that Red Cup would like to offset 30% of their electricity with a visible installation that they could show off to the West Seattle Junction community. Since the shop didn't have adequate room for a storage tank the option of a solar water heating system was shelved until a later remodel of the shop. We decided on a roof-mounted PV array. You can see from the photo that old HVAC equipment clutters up the roof pretty good and poses some mounting challenges. We will be removing some of this equipment for the install.

As an added bonus to our customers, Solar Epiphany offers the professional energy efficiency (EE) services of Greenovations . They are a great local company that specializes in finding the areas of your home or business that need energy improvement. EE should always be the first step in going solar. Their comprehensive EE evaluation is well worth the $199 investment. We'll share some of their recommendations later on. Cheers!

Our First Project!

2008-08-15T13:27:00.000-07:00

Solar Epiphany is working with fellow West Seattle independent, Red Cup Espresso, to create Seattle's first hybrid coffee shop. We'll show off the whole process right here on the project blog. We are hoping this installation will be part of the Seattle ASES Annual Solar Tour in October.

Solar Epiphany's Project Zone!

2008-08-06T12:59:00.000-07:00

Thanks for stopping by! This blog will bring you along for the ride as we design and install solar systems around the Seattle area. Feel free to ask questions and get involved! Stay tuned.