How to build your own portable solar generator
Are you looking for an eco-friendly and cost-efficient way to power your electronics? Building your own portable solar generator is a great way to do just that!
Inverters
NEC 690.12 Rapid Shutdown of PV Systems on Buildings – Part 1: Inverters
Rapid Shut Down In 2014, the National Electrical Code included a new requirement, 690.12(1) through (5). It was a short requirement – only six sentences. PV system circuits installed on or in buildings shall include a rapid shutdown function that…
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Two Ways To Get Amped, Three Ways To Get Charged
What do you get when you cross one partner’s love for coffee and baking, with the other’s can-do attitude and draw to renewable energy? A solar-powered café on wheels. The Dream Years ago, Kathy Reinert pondered how best to channel…
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Looking Back At altE’s 9th Annual Solar Installer Conference
Solar installers and vendors gathered from across the world for altE’s 9th annual Solar Conference February 24th through 26th, at the Devens Common Center in Devens, MA. The solar conference was three days of learning, networking, and earning valuable NABCEP…
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Learn Solar Basics At altE’s 9th Annual Solar Installer Conference
It’s no secret that the altE Solar Installer Conference is a destination event for, well, solar installers, from around the world. Did you know it’s also a great place to learn the basics of solar? Each year altE hosts two…
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Solar Power International 2019
Salt Lake City, Utah SPI was held in Salt Lake City for the first time this year – and it was a hit. The weather was clear, the city welcoming, and displays impressive as always. It’s a great way for…
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20 Years of altE Store – Part VIII
Inverters Through The Years Any talk about solar power tends focus on the solar panels. Today let’s examine a less visible, but equally vital component of the modern home solar power system – the inverter.
What’s the difference between 2.75kW and 275kW? Decimal points!
Designing a Large-Scale Commercial System People often ask: “What’s the difference between designing a larger commercial array versus a residential system? It’s just more panels, right?” In truth it’s a little more complicated than that. It’s an interesting exercise…
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Grid-tied Solar and the Dreaded 120% Rule
The 120% Rule and Your Main Breaker Panel’s Limitations The altE Store started designing and selling grid-tied solar systems way back around the year 2000. Back then, a typical solar system was about 5000W. Nowadays as the price of solar…
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Solar Power International 2017
Solar Power International 2017 SPI is the largest solar trade show on the planet. How did we start each day? Well, to our pleasant surprise, each day started out with a smile, as every morning (and throughout the days of the show)….
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