Posted on

Cold sunny days

If you have solar PV and live in New England, you are probably making a lot of power from your solar PV system today. Where we live, it has not gotten above about 5 degrees F all day, and we have been making a lot of power. This is because PV modules are more efficient in cold weather, and have higher output.

When designing a PV system, it is imperative that the increase in output during cold weather is considered when selecting an inverter and overcurrent devices to ensure that this equipment can handle the potential increase in power. If these devices are undersized, it could cause the system to shut down when it has the potential to make significant amounts of power. Besides, what else is there to do on a cold New England day but watch your meter spin backwards?

Posted on

New company truck

We just purchased a truck for company use. This truck is 4-wheel drive, seats six, has a utility body for tools, and a ladder rack. This truck will enable us to be more productive as we help you meet your renewable energy needs.

NZRR Truck
NZRR Truck
Posted on

Ten things you can do to save energy around the house – Part Five

9. Tweak your refrigerator – turning the temperature up a few degrees in your fridge or freezer will save power; upgrading to a more efficient model will also help. Do you really need 21 cubic feet for a family of three or four? And cooling food before you put it in the fridge will also save power as it won’t have to work as hard.
10. Plan your time and space so that more of you are sharing the lights or other uses of energy. If the whole family sits in one room to read or play games, then the lights are only on in that one area. And you will get to enjoy the time you spend with each other.

Posted on

Ten things you can do to save energy around the house – Part Four

7. Turn down your thermostat – reducing the temperature in your house by a few degrees can save a significant amount of energy, whether it be a fossil fuel, wood, or electricity that warms your house. It cracks me up when people complain about being cold at 70 degrees in the winter, and being hot at 65 degrees in the summer.
8. Use power strips for all your transformers and instant-on appliances. Those “bricks” that convert line current to direct current for computers, printers, cell phone chargers, etc., use electricity even when they are not powering any devices. And appliances that come on instantly, like your TV, also use power when they are off. Using a power strip that you can switch off when you are not using the device will help reduce your electric usage.