Solar Power and Renewable Energy
       Solar Hot Water Heating:   In the summer of 2006, we installed two Chromagen solar thermal collectors and a Reem/Richmond 80-gallon tank to provide hot water for our home.   The design is a closed-loop food grade glycol system with a high pressure pump to circulate the glycol from the solar collectors on the garage roof to the hot water tank in the basement, where the water is heated through a series of heat exchange loops in the tank.      We have been very satisfied with the system, which provides ample hot water at a constant 115 degree Fahrenheit temperature.
  Solar Photovoltaic System:   In the summer of 2006, we installed a 3 Kw photovoltaic system with a total pv peak power of 3,000 watts DC.   The system has 15 GEPVp-200 solar panels, an Outback PS2 power system with 2 outback GVFX3648 inverters, 2 MX60 charge controllers, and 8 Delta 8L166 volt batteries with 400 amp/hr. for backup storage.    Our system generates on average about 12.5 Kw of power per day, and we sell our surplus power to Duke Energy through a Small Customer Generator Rider (SCG) agreement.  We are also connected with NC GreenPower, which reimburses us beyond the Duke Energy commercial rate.   Our system has proved to be very dependable and virtually maintenance-free beyond checking the water level in the batteries, and it has worked flawlessly during a recent power blackout.
     We also have plans to install a geothermal heating and cooling system in the future.
     We are members of the Guilford Solar Collective and have been part of their annual fall solar tour in October.   Our installation has been featured in the Greensboro News & Record's home and garden section.   We are interested in promoting solar energy in North Carolina as part of a larger effort to generate clean, renewable energy.