Tag Archives: solar energy

Affordable Housing Valley Villas Solar Electric System Hamilton Montana

Valley Villas-Solar Electric Hamilton Montana Valley Villas is one of the largest solar electric systems in Montana.    It has many unique features, three separate buildings, 34 apartment units, with two laundry rooms.  SBS Solar used all SolarWorld 325 modules and Fronius inverters.

The developer and architect on the project kept their eye on efficiency.
Apartments feature:

  • Air source heat pumps for heating and cooling
  • All energy efficient appliances
  • High performance insulation in the ceiling and walls
  • LED lighting indoors and out
  • High-E windows and doors
  • All 17 lower level units also incorporate handicapped accessible design features
  • Energy efficient washers and dryers in each laundry room
  • And of course individually Net Metered photovoltaic systems to help with energy costs

This landmark installation offers efficient affordable housing units that are a model for the affordable housing industry.

Small Business Owners Invest in Energy Independence with REAP Grants

Bitterroot Brewery solar electric systemDo you own a small business in Montana (outside the city limits of Missoula)? The USDA Rural Development, REAP (Rural Energy for America Program) offers up to 25% grants for total eligible project costs, as well as loan guarantees.  Partnered with the 30% federal tax credit your savings really add up.

This program helps increase American energy independence by increasing the private sector supply of renewable energy and decreasing the demand for energy through energy efficiency improvements. Over time, these investments can also help lower the cost of energy costs for small businesses and agricultural producers.

Application Deadline: 

  • Grants of $20,000 or less: October 31, 2017 and March 31, 2018;
  • Unrestricted Grants (up to $500,000): March 31, 2017;
  • Loan Guarantees are competed continuously throughout the year.

Don’t miss this unique opportunity to invest in the long term health of your business with an investment in solar energy and energy savings.

Call Dan for a free solar consultation today 406-541-8410.

Fact: Solar panels work with light, not heat so it doesn’t matter how cold it gets outside.

Solar panels don’t work well in cold climates. Solar Myth #11 – Busted

Fact: Solar panels work with light, not heat so it doesn’t matter how cold it gets outside.

Fact: Solar panels work with light, not heat so it doesn’t matter how cold it gets outside.

Solar Myth # 11 Myth: Solar panels don’t work well in cold climates.

Fact: Solar panels work with light, not heat so it doesn’t matter how cold it gets outside. In fact, solar panels perform better in cooler temperatures than very hot temperatures.  Solar panels are built to withstand varying temperatures, and they can produce electricity from indirect light.

Montana Solar Featured when Montana Governor Vetoes Anti-Solar Legislation

Montana Solar Dog says Solar Modules are Groovy

Selway the SBS Solar Dog was very happy when Montana Gov. Steve Bullock vetoed Senate Bill (SB) 7 last week.

Frank Andorka writes in PV Magazine,Sanity prevailed in the Montana’s governor’s mansion last week as Gov. Steve Bullock vetoed a bill that would have effectively ended net-metering in the state. (Read all the details)

Solar Panels are Fragile and Easily Broken Solar Myth #10 – Busted

Solar Myth #10  Solar Panels are fragile and easily broken

Fact:  Solar Panels are durable and can resist golf ball sized hail at 100 mph..  Solar Modules are made with tempered glass like the windshield of your car.  Solar panels are solid state, no moving parts and have a 25 year production warrantee.

We shot these videos at the SolarWorld factory near Portland Or in 2014.

Solar Myth #9 – Busted

Solar Myth # 9 Manufacturing solar panels requires more energy than the solar module will produce.

According to a 2004 National Renewable Energy Laboratory study that analyzes several different panel technologies, “Producing electricity with photovoltaics (PV) emits no pollution, produces no greenhouse gases, and uses no finite fossil fuel resources.” and it takes only 1 – 4 years for the energy savings accumulated by producing electricity from solar to equal the energy cost of producing the panel.

Solar technology has improved in the years since this study was conducted, and production efficiencies have driven the “energy payback period” down even further.  Solar modules generally have a 25 year warranty and can continue to produce long after that time frame(at a slightly reduced rate) lifetime production of a solar module exceeds far embedded costs.

Solar Myth #8 – Busted

Solar Myth #8  Solar will get more efficient, so I should wait (I don’t want to buy the first VCR)

Fact: Solar is a mature technology, and there has never been a better time to install solar.  Basic solar photovoltaic technologies have been around for more than 30 years. While efficiencies have increased and costs have decreased, the basic solar electric panel is the same solar technology used in the 1960’s and 70s. The solar industry, like other electricity-generating industries, does not evolve as rapidly as the electronics industry has. (unlike computers or cellphones which experience dramatic improvements in short periods of time). When panels become more efficient, it simply means you wouldn’t need as many, because they’re better at converting. Given stable technology profile, a 30% federal tax credit (currently sun-setting in 2019) and a 500.00 per tax payer Montana State Tax Credit, solar is more affordable than ever and makes sense right now. Once installed, the panels are solid state, with no moving parts and have a 25 year warranty.

Solar Myth # 7 – Busted

Solar Myth # 7 I will have an excess of energy that will go unused and will be wasted

Fact: Nearly all modern solar panel systems are connected to the conventional electric utility grid. When this happens, your meter spins backwards and your utility company credits you for that power. This grid-tied method tends to be the most convenient for homeowners. This is ideal for us in Montana, because of our long solar days in the summer and shorter days in the winter time.  In Montana the utility company will not write you a check for excess energy that you produce.  So generally your system will be sized to accommodate your average annual usage.  (determined by your utility bill).  Each year the solar electric system generates power during peak season (summer), and you consume power during the darker, shorter days of winter.  The utility company (each one slightly different dates) resets once a year and the process begins again.

Solar Myth #6 – Busted

Solar Myth #6 Solar panels require maintenance

Fact: Solar panels are solid state, have no moving parts, do not require regular maintenance and come with a 25 year warranty. Dust and debris can collect on solar modules, but most panel owners never clean the panels and instead rely on the rain to do the job for them.  Generally when it comes to  snow our recommended action is wait for the sunshine.  In Western Montana, grid-tie, net-metered homes make a majority of their solar power in the summer months.  Winter power generation is a bonus, rather than a necessity.  The days are shorter, the sun is lower and the sky is often overcast.  This does not mean that we don’t generate any power, it just means that we generate significantly less in the months around winter solstice.  Modules are generally set at an angle that enough snow will begin to shed, temperatures permitting.  The cells are of dark colors that promote melting and with enough consecutive sunny days your modules will be generating power once again.

Solar Myth #5 – Busted

Solar Myth #5  When the utility grid goes down I will have back up power.

Fact:  When the power goes out, grid-tied systems go out too. That’s because it’s not safe to be pushing electricity back out onto the utility wires while workers may be trying to fix the problem. Your inverter (the big box near your meter that converts DC electricity created by the panels into usable AC current) recognizes that the grid is out and shuts your system off.  A possible solution is to add batteries into your solar electric system for short term back up