Solar Panels For Homes

In Texas, where natives say the sun shines 360 days a year, a local grocery retailer called H-E-B – Here Everything’s Better – is in the process of installing 2,500 square feet of solar panels on an Austin store and effectively removed 32,000 pounds of carbon dioxide from earth’s atmosphere for the coming year by not getting electricity from a fossil-fuel burning power plant.

The system also prevents pollutants like mercury, nitrogen oxides, sulfur oxides and even soot from getting into the air, and delivers 31,000 kilowatt hours of renewable energy a year. This is enough to power three homes.

The system should be up and running by late July, and the slight angle at which the panels are mounted optimizes the amount of sunlight they can collect and convert to energy.

H-E-B, which is not only the first store in the Texas grocery chain to go solar, but the first in Austin, is gradually reducing its footprint in other ways as well, like a rainwater collection system and recycling and reusing plastic bags. When the system, designed and installed by Meridian Solar, is complete, a kiosk inside the store will allow customers to see exactly how much the store is saving, not merely in terms of dollars but in terms of emissions as well.

The system cost about $195,000, but it’s not H-E-B’s first foray into renewable energy. The grocery retailer also has a wind turbine at its Weslaco distribution center. Some of the cost of the solar array will be offset by Austin Energy’s solar rebate program, but it’s still an expensive proposition, and one that shows American retailers and the American public are beginning to take global warming seriously.

H-E-B, which has a history of innovative approaches to energy efficiency and renewables, also recently installed freezer lights that only go on when the door is opened in all its newer stores.

Like most truly revolutionary changes in history, the switch to renewable energy is a grassroots movement, beginning in Middle America and spreading like ripples in a pond. The Obama administration has done a lot to support this change, but never let it be said that Americans have lost their innovative spirit.

Texas, which did not even place on the May, 2009 Solar Electric Power Association’s ranking of the top ten utilities in 2008, has a lot of catching-up to do. Those honors (first, second and third place) went to California, with Colorado a surprising fourth. Which is surprising, given the size of Texas and its usually sunny weather. But this, and the 68 other Austin renewable energy initiatives visible on commercial roofs, is likely to just the type of kick-start the state needs to capture its wealth of solar energy.

About the Author:

Cooler Planet is a leading solar resource for connecting consumers and commercial entities with local solar Installers. Cooler Planet’s solar energy resource page contains articles and tools about solar panels to help with your solar project.

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – Texas Grocer First To Go Solar!

letrina , dry toilet, solar panels ,corsicana tx

3 Piece Decorative Solar Light Set $13.44 This 3 piece decorative solar light set is a perfect addition to your yard and garden, and costs nothing to operate! Color-changing LED inside the transparent hummingbird, butterfly and dragonfly constantly cycles from red to green to blue once dusk falls. 1-3/4"-square solar panel hangs on each stake, and charges the built-in AA NiCd battery in direct sunlight, so once dusk comes, the light show ...

Mighty Mule FM350 Automatic Gate Opener For Light Duty Single Swing Gates $299.00 The FM350 Automatic Gate Opener is designed for swing gates weighing up to 550 lbs. or up to 16ft. long. This is an ideal gate opener for chain link, vinyl and tube gates in light wind environments. The 1-pc. design includes the control board and operator arm all in one unit, and it is very easy to install. This unit is solar compatible, which makes it ideal for rural environments.This opener requ...

Epcom 50 Watt Polycrystalline Solar Panel - 5 year warranty $99.99 EPCOM PV Panels are made using only high quality polycrystalline silicon for higher efficiency. With robust low-profile anodized aluminum frame to withstand strong winds. They can be an inexpensive way to put together a solar power generation system. They are much less costly than monocrystalline panels and simpler, but they will last the same time as a monocrystalline panel. EPCOM with warehou...

Epcom 85 Watt Polycrystalline Solar Panel - 5 year warranty EPCOM PV Panels are made using only high quality polycrystalline silicon for higher efficiency. With robust low-profile anodized aluminum frame to withstand strong winds. They can be an inexpensive way to put together a solar power generation system. They are much less costly than monocrystalline panels and simpler, but they will last the same time as a monocrystalline panel. EPCOM with warehou...

EPCOM 125 Watt Polycrystalline Solar Panel - 5 year warranty $199.99 EPCOM PV Panels are made using only high quality polycrystalline silicon for higher efficiency. With robust low-profile anodized aluminum frame to withstand strong winds. They can be an inexpensive way to put together a solar power generation system. They are much less costly than monocrystalline panels and simpler, but they will last the same time as a monocrystalline panel. EPCOM with warehou...

The Passive Solar Energy Book: A Complete Guide to Passive Solar Home, Greenhouse and Building Design $14.95 ...

Solar Revolution: The Economic Transformation of the Global Energy Industry $5.50 In Solar Revolution, fund manager and former corporate buyout specialist Travis Bradford argues--on the basis of standard business and economic forecasting models--that over the next two decades solar energy will increasingly become the best and cheapest choice for most electricity and energy applications. Solar Revolution outline...

Casio FX-300MS Plus 229-Function Scientific Calculator $5.98 2-LINE 10+2 DISPLAY SHOWS FORMULAS & RESULTS SIMULTANEOUSLYVISUALLY PERFECT ALGEBRAIC METHOD (VPAM) DISPLAYS EXAMPLE AS IT IS WRITTENFRACTION FUNCTIONHARD PLASTIC KEYSSOLAR PLUS PROTECTS MEMORY IN ALL LIGHTING CONDITIONSINCLUDES SLIDE-ON HARD CASEUPC : 079767105815Shipping Dimensions : 9.50in X 6.00in X 1.20inEstimated Shipping Weight : 0.412...

Texas Instruments TI36X Solar Scientific Calculator $28.95 Ideal for students at every level, from junior high school algebra to college calculus, the Texas Instruments TI36 packs a lot of punch in a small, inexpensive unit. This solar-powered calculator combines features for statistical analysis, Boolean logic operations, and unit conversions in one sleek package.Math students will appreciate TI36X's ability to perform fractional equations and calculate ...