Parabolic dish and stirling engine system, concentrating sunlight to solar power.
Solar orchards?
That’s right, step right up and purchase your little piece of paradise much as you would your own cemetery plot. Bask in hot water from the sun’s radiation. Cover your roof with silicon. Shoot for the stars and plant a dozen massive kinetic solar trackers across your meadow and really make a splash. Solar is hitting the big time, a figurative and literal fruition.
From Hinesburg to Waitsfield, north, south, east and west, the rush to embrace alternative energy is on.
Wikipedia: “Solar energy, radiant light and heat from the sun, has been harnessed by humans since ancient times using a range of ever-evolving technologies. Solar radiation, along with secondary solar-powered resources such as wind and wave power, hydroelectricity and biomass, account for most of the available renewable energy on earth. Only a minuscule fraction of the available solar energy is used.”
BP Deepwater Horizon April 21, 2010
Millions of gallons of spilt Deepwater Horizon oil this spring and summer have brought the issue of fossil fuels, global warming and the importance of alternative energy into sharp focus and Vermonters are taking action.
Here in the Mad River Valley, solarscapes born almost overnight are transforming our scenic byway, our anti-development oasis into a high-tech crucible and a new reality in which local opposition forms against the visual blight of such high-tech colonization in an environment prized for its bucolic, undisturbed beauty. Wind farms, geothermal, hydroelectric and most beloved of all, it seems, from rooftop to tracker, here comes the sun.
If you’ve caught the fever or are just plum ready to reduce your carbon footprint, here are two of many Vermont partner companies offering Vermont solar system installation options.
Alteris Renewables The sun will never announce a rate hike. Experience. Expertise. Results.
The number one solar and wind energy installer in the Northeast for homes and businesses. Solar Electric. Alteris solar installations provide 1/3 or 1/2 of your electricity needs, though they can be scaled up to provide 100%. They collect energy through photovoltaic (PV) cells, which are made of very pure silicon. These cells are electrically linked into modules which are linked to arrays.
Alteris Solar Electric Graphics
Electricity is produced as photons of sunlight hit and penetrate the silicon, bumping electrons into a flow, in a process known as the photovoltaic effect, which produces DC (Direct Current) electricity. This DC current is passed through an inverter, which converts the electricity to Alternating Current (AC) to match the American standards of AC frequency and voltage. & No Money Down.
Alteris Solar Water
groSolar. Distributor, installer and integrator of solar energy solutions for residential and commercial installations. Founded in 1998, groSolar is the largest 100 percent U.S.-owned distributor in the solar industry, and is the fourth-larrgest installation company in North America. The company has offices and warehouses across the US, distributing solar electric and solar hot water systems from offices in VT, NJ, NY, CT, MA, MD, DE, PA, and CA. groSolar integrates components from leading solar manufacturers including Canadian Solar, Motech, Heliodyne, SMA, Fronius, and UniRac into simple solar energy solutions for customers that generate clean, reliable energy for decades. groSolar is a mission-driven company dedicated to providing high quality solar energy solutions and whole energy appreciation. groSolar’s venture capital investors include NGP Energy Technology Partners, SJF Ventures, and Calvert Social Investment Fund. Sign up for a free evaluation. groSolar’s mission: your peace of mind.
Solar Anatomy
Incentivize. In 2010, $5,275,000 in funding, made available through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and the Vermont Clean Energy Development Fund, is available to the Vermont Renewable Energy Incentive Program. This program requires the installer be a partner in the program. Here’s a list of the Renewable Energy Incentive Program Solar Hot Water & Photovoltaic Partners. DSIRE, or the Database of Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency includes a detailed summary of Vermont’s solar incentives.
Visit Vermont’s 9th Renewable Energy Conference & Expo this Thursday September 30th & Friday October 1st at the Sheraton Conference Center in Burlington, sponsored by such luminaries as NRG Systems and the much more familiar Green Mountain Power.
For more information on solar power in Vermont, to sell or purchase your own Vermont property, contact Maple Sweet Real Estate at 1.800.525.7965, info@maplesweet.com or visit www.maplesweet.com
Light Amber 