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A good way to learn about solar
power is to see what some of the major manufactures are talking about.
Here's some of the larger companies in the industry.
PV (photovoltaic) panels
BP Solar
acquired the Solarex facility in Frederick, MD. This is one of the few
manufacturers with a facility in the DC area.
Evergreen Solar
GE Energy
Kyocera
Solar
Mitsubishi Electric
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Solar panels at
the Pentagon |
RWE
Schott Solar provided
panels for the Pentagon's "Solar Energy Farm". As you drive by the
Pentagon, you can see how much power is being generated on a
digital sign. The system uses 276 modules rated at 315 rated, for
a total capacity of 70,000 watts (70 kilowatts). The plan is to
increase capacity to 120 kilowatts. |
Sanyo
Solar
Sharp
is developing very futuristic products. They should have translucent
panels that could be used in place of windows in the future. These
likely won't be cheap, but will be ideal for luxury homes and office
buildings that want a distinctive, eye-catching design.
They have a beautiful,
inspiring
video on their site that shows their
vision of things to come. see how many solar applications you can
spot, then watch it again and see if you missed any.
Shell Solar
Solarwatt
Solarex (now BP
Solar)
SunPower
Corporation makes some of the higher
output panels on the market. You may pay a premium, but they can be
helpful when you have a limited amount of space to work with. They
also make panels with a completely black appearance (as opposed to the
normal blue surface), which some people prefer.
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Solar laminate
from Uni-Solar. |
Uni-Solar
makes some products that are unique in the industry. One is a
flexible solar laminate. Typically, its rolled out onto a metal
roof (such as a porch roof) and kept in place with an adhesive.
They also make roofing shingles which are generate electricity.
Thee technologies don't makes as much electricity per dollar spent
as conventional panels, but give some great installation options. |
Inverters
Fronius
Outback
Sharp Electronics
SMA
They make the well known Sunny Boy line of inverters. They have
introduced a wireless monitor, called Sunnybeam, that can sit on your
desktop an monitor your PV system's performance. It can be connected
to a computer via a USB connection to display data on your computer.
How does this wireless monitor get it's power? It's got it's own
little solar cell, or course!
Xantrex
Technology
Charge controllers
Heliotrope
SunWize
Technologies
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