This passive solar house in Portsmouth, New Hampshire has a 3.4 kilowatt Sun Power photovoltaic (PV) array mounted on a 40-degree pitched roof, and a Sun Power 3000 inverter.

The solar electric array generates most of home’s electricity during the course of the year, averaging about 380 kilowatt hours each month.

This solar power system is grid-tied with no moving parts and smart inverter technology that allows the import of electricity to the electric panel on overcast days or when electric load is high. In clear sunlit conditions the array will export energy out to the electric grid, and credit is banked under New Hampshire’s net metering program.

Using solar power at home not only produces clean energy reliably, it reduces the strain on the electrical grid during times of peak demand.  Since solar energy has no emissions, this system will eliminate an estimated 6,890 lbs of CO2 from the atmosphere each year!

We put a lot of effort into ensuring our systems will operate trouble-free in New England winters for 20+ years, which is no small feat!  Exceptional manufacturers help make this a reality.

We recently learned that one of the manufacturers we use for solar electric panels, Canadian Solar, received some of the highest rankings in PV USA (PTC) rankings.

These rankings, required by the State of California, exhaustively test module performance in laboratory settings and are required for a module to be eligible for California’s solar financial incentives.

Five of Canadian Solar’s solar module series, the CS6P- 220P, 225P, 230P, CS5P-240M and CS5A-180M obtained rankings that were near the top of all of those tested.

You can read Canadian Solar’s official statement, or see the full listing of PTC rankings and requirements.

Here are some pictures of recent installations that use Canadian Solar panels:

ReVision’s New Hampshire branch manager, Will Kessler, recently captured this piece of stop motion footage which shows you the process of a solar hot water system and solar electric system coming together on a house in Eliot, Maine!

Watch for the photovoltaic (PV) panels coming in along the top – the solar hot water system consists of the tubes below.

This system will save nearly 300,000 lbs of C02 emissions during its first 30-years of service life.

We stumbled across an incredibly useful tool that allows you to calculate the path of the sun on any given day of the year based on your latitude.

This tool, part of the The Nebraska Astronomy Applet Project (NAAP), will even give really geeky data like the sun’s altitude and azimuth, and allows you to animate the cycles of the sun!

Using the tool, we can plug in our latitude (roughly 43N here in Portland, Maine), program the day to February 15, set ourselves facing south and voila!

We have a beautiful view of what the sun is going to be doing today:

This illustrates beautifully why all we suggest for solar is a roof that is relatively unshaded from 9AM – 3PM… look at all that sun!

When we do an on-site solar evaluation, we figure out whether your house has a good orientation to capture all of this solar energy.

The solar pathfinder tool superimposes a view of the sky facing south from your house onto a guide of the sun’s arc in the sky.

Shaded areas tell us what time of day and what time of year that the sun is being blocked, so we can easily tell you whether you have ample sun or should maybe take out a tree or two.

You can also see an example of the solar potential of Maine by changing your latitude to 51 degrees N, that of Germany’s, the world leader in solar installations (see more of our discussion about Maine’s solar potential).

Look at how much lower the sun sits in the horizon!

Find this kind of thing fun? Try out the Motions of the Sun Simulator for yourself.

Also check out ClassAction, a wealth of information about the earth, sun, moon, and cosmo geared towards teaching astronomy.

For instance, they have a tool that allows you to calculate day length based on latitude and time of year.

Did you know that mid-February has as much sun as late October, and about 25% more daylight than the winter Solstice?

It only gets brighter from here!

In addition to not burning oil in over a year, this house now generates 4.4 KW of grid-tied solar power!

This past week ReVision Energy installed a 4.4 kw grid tied photovoltaic system on a customer’s home in New Durham, New Hampshire.

The solar power array, comprised of 21 Sunpower modules, uses a Sunframe rail system which eliminates gaps between the panels and leaves a beautiful finish on the rooftop.

This customer already has in place a wood boiler and a flat plate solar hot water system. The solar electric array we installed completes his full suite of renewable energy systems.

He says he burns about 4 cords of wood a year and has not used any oil in well over a year!

More Images From Our Photo Gallery:

Geoff Sparrow gives a lesson on energy savings at Mast Landing School in Freeport.
View more photos in our gallery

ReVision’s Geoff Sparrow was invited to teach a lesson on solar systems to a third grade class at Mast Landing School in Freeport.

To help illustrate how well solar works – even in winter! – we set up a single evacuated solar hot water tube outside with a temperature gauge attached to it.

We were able to show the kids the heat generated with the tube in the sunshine… 100+ degrees of heating in less than 20 minutes!

We also did an in class activity (see photo, right) that taught the differences between energy saving actions and energy wasting actions.

We always love the opportunity to get into classrooms to talk about renewable energy – kids intuitively “get it” and are eager to take an active role in preserving the planet that will be inherited by them.

If you’re interested in having someone at ReVision speak at your school or nonprofit, just contact us – we’d love to do it.

The Beachmere Inn’s solar electric system generates 5-8% of the Inn’s power needs, and solar hot water has reduced oil use by more than a third!

The Maine Innkeepers Association highlighted The Beachmere Inn in Ogunquit, a certified Maine Environmental Leader in Hospitality, in their most recent newsletter.

The Innkeepers Association also recognized that the inn has been independently family owned and operated for the past 72 years.

We featured The Beachmere Inn last May, when we noted how Beachmere took their green initiatives to the next level by installing 3 active solar hot water systems and a 5 kilowatt solar electric system

In the first two months of service, the solar hot water systems reduced oil consumption by 34%. Their solar hot water systems supply hot water for a 32-room main building and generate domestic hot water in employee housing buildings

The 5kW solar electric system covers 5-8% of the Inn’s total demand. According to their website, by mid 2009 more than 7,800 KW kilowatt hours of clean electricity have been produced by the solar array, eliminating 13,100 lbs of CO2.

Here’s a summary of the energy saving measures that The Beachmere Inn reports on their website:

• Solar Panels have been installed for Thermal Hot water for over 32 rooms as well as in our employee housing building.
• Solar Photovoltaic Panels have been installed for production of 5 – 8% of our energy needs.
• As of June 24, 2009 over 7,800 KW has been produced by solar power a savings of 13,100 Lbs. of Co2.
• Compact Fluorescent bulbs will be in used in all lighting
• Cold water laundry processes are being used to save electricity by eliminating the need to heat hot water for the laundry systems through Ozone technology.
• Energy star appliances are chosen first for any appliance replacement
• High efficiency heating & cooling units were installed in 2008 for Beachmere West
• Additional insulation was installed in the exterior walls and ceiling for better building envelope efficiency in Beachmere West.
• In 2007 we installed efficient, timed irrigation for the lawn and drip irrigation for our planting beds, in 2008 that effort has continued.
• High efficiency Low E Eagle windows are installed in Beachmere West (2008) and were used for all the window & door replacement at Beachmere South (2008) and in the Victorian (2000 – on going).
• Since 2000 we have been replacing old inefficient oil burners with Buderus boilers in the Victorian, South and West buildings.

In addition to their commitment to reducing energy and using energy from clean, renewable sources, The Beachmere Inn has a host of green administrative, cleaning, and building practices.

The Maine Environmental Leader in Hospitality distinction recognizes all of these efforts, and in fact, The Beachmere Inn has “one of the highest totals in certification scoring points.”

Sarah Diment, owner at The Beachmere Inn, feels, “It’s important to take steps towards environmental efficiencies as a smart business move. We know by becoming ‘greener’ we have a direct impact on bettering our environment. Our guests appreciate our efforts and implement some of what they see here in their homes.”

Visit the Maine DEP website to learn more about Maine’s Environmental Leader program, or call 1-800-789-9802.

Congratulations again, Beachmere!

Join us on at 6PM on Thursday, February 18 for Portsmouth’s Green Drinks, held at Two Ceres Street, Portsmouth’s eco-friendly martini bar.

ReVision will be presenting with the Seacoast Renewable Energy Initiative (SEAREI) on solar power – how the technology works, costs, and practicality for businesses and the homeowner. There will also be plenty of time for networking and asking your questions about solar!

The event is free and open to the public and there will be an expanded dinner menu with a number of special GreenDrinks eats and discounted drink offerings every week. Members of the Green Alliance can enjoy two for one eats!

Green Drinks Greater Portsmouth is part of an international movement where environmental-oriented businesspeople get together for informal networking events each month – you can learn more about the Green Drinks movement or find an event in your area. Green Drinks are also held each month in Portland, Maine.