Alma residence solar garage roofAlma Residence

This 3420 watt grid-tie solar system is mounted on a south facing garage roof.  The array is composed of (18) 190W Canadian Solar polycrystalline modules, tied to a Fronius IG 4000 inverter.  Its orientation is almost exactly due solar-south with an array tilt of 27 degrees.  The array sits on an aluminum rail system, and is mounted to the roof with stainless steel lag bolts.  A weatherproof fused combiner box is mounted on the roof next to the array.  From there, metal conduit pierces the roof and runs through the garage to the inverter, then on to the garage AC subpanel, where the system interconnects to the utility grid.

Alma residence solar phase 2 rail-mountAlma Residence - Phase 2
 This 4300 watt grid-tie solar system is mounted on an engineered rail mount structure made of 1.5" galvanized steel pipe, which was constructed in the front yard of a residence.  This system is the second phase of solar installed at the property.  The array runs to a separate inverter, and ties in to the home's main AC distribution panel with its own 30A breaker.  The rail structures vertical members are anchored in 16”W x 38”D concrete footers, resulting in an overall system wind tolerance of 110 mph.  The solar array is composed of (20) 215W REC polycrystalline modules, tied to a Fronius IG 4000 DC/AC inverter.  The system is oriented 10 degrees west of solar-south to account for a predominant ridgeline to the east of the array.  The array tilt was set to 39 degrees (the local latitude), which is ideal for the location.  The array DC wiring enters a weatherproof combiner box mounted under the array, then through 120’ of buried PVC conduit run, and penetrates the home, where it enters the inverter (which is mounted on the wall of a spare bedroom.  The AC output runs outside under the front deck of the home in metal conduit, and penetrates the house at the main AC distribution panel.

 

400-CR4-Skystream/02-CCE-Skystream.jpgAlma Residence Skystream 3.7 Wind Turbine

This is America’s most popular small wind turbine, the Skystream 3.7 by Southwest Wind Power (based in Flagstaff, AZ).  This 2400 watt grid-tie turbine is quite unique in that it has an inclusive DC/AC power inverter built in, so the energy which comes out is household quality AC at 240V.  Its wiring is trenched in conduit for about 150’ then exits the ground and connects directly to the home’s AC distribution panel.  There is no requirement for power conditioners or external power disconnects with this system.  The foundation is 7’W x 4’D, and uses a special SmartFoundation kit made by AnemErgonics of Denver, CO.  This Skystream is mounted to a 27.5’ monotower (also by AnemErgonics), which keeps the overall height of the system under the 35’ maximum residential building height.  The tower tilts up on an integrated hinge plate (which is connected to the base), and there is no need for guy wires. The included Skyview software allows the homeowner to wirelessly monitor the turbine’s performance and diagnostics.  The Skystream 3.7 is very quiet and starts to produce energy in winds as low as 8 mph.

Mosquito Gulch residence solar rail-mountMosquito Gulch Residence

This 5160 watt grid-tie solar system is mounted on an engineered rail mount structure made of 1.5" galvanized steel pipe, which was constructed in the backyard of a residence.  The rail structures vertical members are anchored in 12”W x 48”D concrete footers, resulting in an overall system wind tolerance of 110 mph.  The solar array is composed of (24) 215W REC polycrystalline modules, tied to a Fronius IG 5100 inverter.  The system is oriented 10 degrees east of solar-south so as to benefit from the predominately clear mornings, and the array tilt was set to 32 degrees.  The array wiring enters a weatherproof combiner box mounted under the array, then enters a buried PVC conduit run which terminates at the exterior mounted inverter.  The AC output runs under the eave of the home in metal conduit to the main AC distribution panel.