Bringing solar to all
Marcy Marro,
Posted
08/01/2009
Earlier
this year, Akeena Solar Inc., Los Gatos, Calif., completed the
first installation of its newest Andalay AC solar panel
system. While rolling out a new product is always exciting,
installing the panels on four low-income homes built by Habitat for
Humanity of Orange County, Santa Ana, Calif., might have made the
product launch even more satisfying.
The homes are located in the Habitat for Heroes and Foundations for
Families development in San Juan Capistrano, Calif., a community of
27 homes with 14 being marketed to disabled veterans and their
families or surviving families of soldiers killed in action.
This is the first project in California to receive the
state-of-the-art solar panels under California Gov. Arnold
Schwarzenegger's California Solar Initiative, which implements the
governor's Million Solar Roofs Plan to provide clean energy, reduce
output of greenhouse gases and reduce energy costs to 1 million
low-income families.
The project is the result of a partnership between the California
Department of Community Services and Development and MS Solar
Solutions Corp., a subsidiary of New York based Morgan Stanley's
Commodities group. The first solar installation began on April 16
and used local installation crews from the Community Action
Partnership of Orange County and the Conservation Corps,
Sacramento, Calif. Every home in the community will be outfitted
with the Andalay AC solar panels.
"Habitat for Humanity and the California Department of Community
Services and Development were interested in Andalay AC primarily
because the fully integrated design of the panels makes them safer
and simpler to install than traditional panels," said Jose Tengco,
director of public affairs at Akeena Solar. "Because both groups
work with community members with varying levels of trade
experience, Andalay AC provided an easy route for those new to the
solar industry, eliminating the complexities of mounting, racking
and wiring high-voltage DC power systems on a roof. Additionally,
the sleek design and superior performance of the panels made them a
popular choice for providing clean, renewable solar energy to
American families."
"This exciting Habitat project demonstrates how the United States
can transition to clean energy and create green jobs. Because they
are safer and simpler to install, Andalay AC panels are ideally
suited for new workers [who] are trying to transition into solar or
trades people who want to expand their service offerings," said
Barry Cinnamon, CEO of Akeena Solar.
Seven Andalay AC panels are installed on each house, enough to
provide 1.4 kilowatts of power per home and reduce the homeowner's
electricity bills by more than 70 percent, Tengco said. The
installation takes less than a day, but depending on funding, the
homes could take up to three years to complete.
"For Akeena, this project validates the merits of our Andalay AC
technology. Most importantly, it successfully demonstrates that the
integrated design of AC panels makes them an ideal solution for new
entrants to the solar industry, particularly those with experience
in the roofing, construction and electric trade industries," Tengco
said. "For Habitat for Humanity and the community in general, this
project demonstrates that innovative partnerships between the state
of California, nonprofits and the private sector have great
potential to bring clean energy to hard-working, low income
families while helping to create green jobs in return."
Habitat for Heroes and Foundations for Families, San Juan
Capistrano, Calif.
Partnership: California Department of Community Services and
Development, Sacramento, and MS Solar Solutions Corp., a subsidiary
of Morgan Stanley Commodities, New York
Builder: Habitat for Humanity of Orange County, Santa Ana,
Calif.
Installers: Community Action Partnership of Orange County, Garden
Grove, Calif., and the Conservation Corps, Sacramento
Solar panels: Akeena Solar Inc., Los Gatos, Calif.
www.akeena.com