Solar Power for Commercial Use - Overview
Solar Power encompasses many different areas. The common feature of them all is that they take advantage of the free energy that the sun radiates every day, even when it is cloudy. Passive solar relies on the warming rays of the sun, such as when you open the drapes and allow the sun to warm a room. The following list contains active systems that require mechanical parts.
- PV (photovoltaic) power uses collector panels to gather the sun’s energy then converts it into DC electricity. An inverter is used to change the collected DC energy into AC. Normally your business will remain grid tied and a net-use meter will be installed. In order to store this energy batteries are required. Three Phase systems are available.
- Solar Hot air systems use a dark surface to warm air that is circulated into the building. Most are self-contained units or wall systems with thermostats to control the temperature and PV panels to provide the energy necessary to run the fan.
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Solar Thermal systems have collector panels that collect solar radiation to create hot water that can be used for: domestic hot water, space heating, pool heating, industrial processes, and even cooling/air conditioning. - There are roofing and wall systems with integrated solar thermal and/or PV electric or hot air.
- While wind turbines don’t use the sun’s power the fact they use free energy from wind causes them to often be grouped into the solar power bucket. We are proud to be the authorized dealers for the Tangarie vertical wind turbines. If you have a good wind site, turbines can produce electricity at a lower cost than PV electric panels.
- Geo-Thermal and heat pumps take advantage of temperature differentials to induce a phase change and create power.
Solar energy has always been, clean, free, and abundant. It has never been the cause of a war or political manipulation. If unstable fuel prices are creating havoc in your budget process and impact your profit margins, then solar power can be the solution. In addition you will be sending a clear message to your customers regarding your company’s commitment to improving the environment. Plus, right now there are significant government incentives to help offset the purchase cost.
We are proud to be the Infloor/Thermomax authorized dealer for Southern Maine. Their true evacuated tube solar thermal collector was designed to work in northern environments. Solar power works wonderfully in Maine provided you use the right type of collectors. In addition to their residential tube, Thermomax makes a commercial tube with no “top end” limit on temperature and are an excellent fit for industrial process heat uses.
Every business has different needs and pre-existing systems to integrate with. Call us today and we explain the many options available. We are happy to perform a site survey and have our engineering team custom design a system to meet your unique needs. We will even point out efficiency upgrades available for your existing systems. With government incentives and tax breaks available many systems have a ROI of 5 years. Plus with our convenient lease financing customers normally see a positive cash flow immediately.