Uni-Solar shingles on HGTV Oct. 12

Last July the Home & Garden Television (HGTV) channel's "I Want That" program featured a Uni-Solar shingle installation in Southern California. This photovoltaic system was actually installed by the homeowner himself. Response to the program has been phenomenal and, although there is a six-month backorder on solar shingles, several families have gotten on a waiting list. A rerun of this particular "I Want It" will air again Wednesday, Oct. 12 at 8:30 p.m. (EDT). You might check your local listings for episode HIWT-203...

Last Saturday 40 individuals and families visited Uni-Solar's residential solar shingle installation during the annual San Diego Solar Homes Tour. Most people were pleased with how well the solar shingle array blended with the standard composite shingles around it. Twelve visitors requested estimates for their homes. The installation is the same one featured in this blog on July 16, "Powered by Uni-Solar Shingles." Check it out if you haven't already...

Solar energy research and consulting company Solarbuzz Inc. says the world saw 927 megawatts worth of new photovoltaic systems installed in 2004. That level marks a 62 percent increase over what came on line in 2003. The world's leaders in new system installations are Germany and Japan. But in 2004, the number of new photovoltaic system installations in the U.S. grew by 27 percent, compared to a 17 percent growth rate in 2003. (From New Mexico Business Weekly, Oct. 2, 2005)

Stock in Energy Conversion Devices (NASDAQ: ENER), parent company of Uni-Solar, grew by 34.7% for the month ending September 26. Besides Uni-Solar, ECD makes nickel metal hydride batteries for hybrid cars and is active in hydrogen cell research and development. ECD's growth was the highest of any alternative energy stock for the month and the current 52-week range is $13.25-$46.88. It would appear alternative energy stocks have arrived and are here to stay.

Electricity from the Backyard

(It's been awhile since the last posting. After a short--and fun--visit to see relatives in the Chicago area, I'm anxious to report on my first ground mounted solar project on this my 55th birthday! --SD Dave)

Roger Pollock is not your average retired Navy man. A good husband and father, he religiously invested a portion of his paycheck throughout his twenty-year service. Today, his navy pension and income from wise investing plus his second career in charge of a service truck fleet allows him several "toys" as he calls them. His own fleet of vehicles includes two jetskis, a motorcycle and a hotrod Mustang he races on various amateur events. His other "toy" produces electricity.

Roger has a backyard that begged for solar. A small portion of it is enough for a patio and garden before it rises steeply to the back property line. The hill, facing almost due south is too steep for most practical use but ideal for a solar array. After doing his own research, he was impressed with Uni-Solar modules.

"It just made sense not to have a backyard full of glass panels," said Roger. "Living in a city neighborhood I chose Uni-Solar panels because they won't crack or break which made even more sense because I was putting them on the ground."

After a somewhat lengthy installation which included upgrading the electric service panel to 200 amps, the Pollack family is the first for miles around to have a ground-mounted photovoltaic system. At 5.1kW/DC it is producing about 730 kWHrs of power per month--enough to nearly zero-out the family's bill. As his children begin to leave the nest, Roger said he and his wife will probably fire up the jacuzzi a little more with the plentiful power they'll have at hand. He is also considering taking advantage of the new federal tax credit next year by installing a solar domestic hot water system.

The array itself is comprised of 80 Uni-Solar 64-watt panels on racks with substantial piers embedded in the hillside for stability against heavy wind and rain. Wiring from the array to the service panel/inverters outside the garage required trenching of some 150 feet. Roger also had a controller installed so he could monitor electrical output on his computer. He plans to landscape around the array with iceplant to both beautify the backyard and reduce dust during Southern California's long dry spells.