Category: Idaho Solar

Renewable Energy Northwest’s solar thermal installations last year:

Earth Day April 22, 2013.  On this day it is a good time to think about what have your done to take better care of the Earth.   I would like to walk through what Renewable Energy NW, LLC (RENW) has accomplished this last year:

Installed 3 dairies with solar thermal applications for heating process water for clean up. 96 Solar Thermal Panels offsetting 192,ooo pounds of carbon pollution or the equivalent of removing 96 – Honda 4 cylinder cars from the road, each year.

Home installations most of which included a 2 panel install heating the hot water and assisting comfort heating.  These solar thermal installations have provided family wage jobs and local spending for an Idaho local business.

2 – Kuna

1 – Meridian

1 – Boise

1 – Weiser

1 – New Plymouth

1 – Notus

1 – Garden Valley

1 – Coeur D Alene

School in Cascade

I want to thank all of my customers for making a choice to save money and do something to make all of our lives more sustainable.

THANKS!

We just completed a GREAT install in Nampa, ID where we installed a 2 Mystic panel system on the roof of a custom home in Nampa.    We penetrated the roof and ran the water lines in the chase areas of the second floor back to the garage.  We mounted the solar storage tank above the pressure tank for the well.  The customers are very satisfied with the clean look and performance of the system.  There are no connections from the roof to the solar storage tank in the garage.  The external lines are insulated to ~R19 levels.  The expected payback for this system should be less than 2 years.

We installed 2 controllers for the job. 1) Solar Controller to turn on the circulation pump when the panel is warmer than the solar water.  2) Heating control loop starts the circulation pump when the HEAT is called for and when we have 120 degree water in the solar storage tank.

Solar hot water for a dairy and calf barn in Idaho.

Renewable Energy NW, LLC (RENW) completed our largest installation to date for a Dairy Farm and Calf Barn in the Magic Valley in Idaho.  The installation was 48 solar thermal panels capable of creating 1.6 million BTU’s of energy on a clear winter day and over 2 million BTU’s per day in the summer time.

The installation was on roof peak which ran N and S.  We installed 12 panels on the east side of the Calf barn and 12 panels on the west side of the roof.    The panels were installed as their own system on each side of the roof.  The panels are facing south for maximum collection of the radiation.  This allows the east roof section to start up with the first line of site of the sun and then the west side when the sun progresses and hits that side of the roof.  Each 12 panel section has its own pump and solar controller to manage the collection of energy from the sun.  This same set up was also installed on the roof of the dairy barn with 24 panels total split into two sides.

The system is working well and capturing free energy from the sun.

How would you like to satisfy 20% of your typical household energy bill with the same energy it takes to power a 60 watt light bulb?  That is basically how a solar thermal system works.  You only pay for the energy required to run a .3 amp circulation pump to harvest the energy supplied from the sun in ultra-violet and infrared rays.  The Department of Energy estimates that 20% of your total energy consumed in your house goes to heating the water.

I highly recommend that you look into this concept and save yourself $ and improve your environmental impact at the same time.   I have had my system installed for 2.5 years and I enjoy a steamy hot free shower each day.  What a great way to start your day off on a positive step right out of the gate.

Please contact me for more information on how you can take the first step towards a sustainable lifestyle. carl@www.renewableenergynwllc.com

Solar water, comfort heating and hot tub heating.

RENW just finished a great install in Ada County Idaho.  We installed 2 – 20 tube solar panel systems.  One panel is designed to provide enough hot water for a family of 4.  We focus on “Affordable Solar Solutions” delivering high quality installs for affordable prices.  This install we use the extra energy from the 2nd panel to assist in comfort heating the home.  When heat is not required in the home the home owner can switch with two ball valves over to heating the hot tub.  This solution allows both panels of renewable energy to be used year round.   We have a great roof mount system that is secure and water tight.   If you are considering reducing your utility costs please give us a call for a free solar site visit.