Power Sources:
All of the above power sources can be used together or separately to power your home.
Thanks to the latest advances, Solar, wind, and hydro electric systems are more reliable and easier to manage. And now along with today's tax incentives and state subsidies, renewable energy systems are more affordable than ever.
Like nature, renewable energy systems come in many shapes and sizes. The best system for you balances the energy resources available at your location with your family-size and lifestyle.

Wind- Like Hydro, man has harnessed the power of the wind for centuries. Large wind farms are helping power America's grid already.
Wind turbines produce double the electricity from just a slight increase in wind speed, so a clear windy site is essential. Wind speed increases with height, so turbines on tall towers produce much more power with less damage from tree and building turbulence.In off grid homes, wind energy is most commonly used to supplement more reliable solar power.

Solar-Today's solar electric (PV) cells convert 15 to 20% of the sun's massive energy into DC electricity. After assembling 36 to 72 PV cells into solar modules, each module's power is rated in watts. How much energy is actually produced each day depends on the total power output of your solar array and how many hours of sunlight your site receives. Most PV panels carry 25 year warranties, are extremely reliable, and will probably last beyond our lifetimes.

Hydro- Hydro Power has been used for centuries to grind grain and pump water. Man has used Hydropower to generate electricity almost since the invention of electric lights!
If your property has a fast running stream or river, you can harness some of its energy with a small hydro turbine. A portion of the flowing water is channeled into a pipe that flows downhill to spin a turbine at the bottom. The higher the hill, and the more the water flow, the more power you can produce.

Generator- gasoline, propane, even Biodiesel powered generators produce AC electricity to recharge batteries, and temporarily power offgrid homes when the weather is bad.
Generators don't solve the problem of high fuel costs or environmental impact, so they should not be used as an alternative to a complete renewable power system. At least by buying a high quality unit, it will start easier when its cold, last longer,run quieter, cleaner, and recharge your batteries faster with less fuel.

Grid- The grid is the vast network of power lines that brings AC electricity from the large power plants to most American homes. ON grid means you can buy or sell power back to the grid. OFF Grid means you have no direct connection to the grid. A small percentage of grid power today already comes from renewable sources: mainly huge hydro projects. For your home power system, the grid can be used like a battery to store excess renewable energy produced in the day, to be used again at night.

Batteries- store DC electricity as a chemical reaction. Usually stores enough energy to run a home for about 5 days by itself. Must be recharged from other power sources.

The Power Board:
Groups and wires together the electric control and safety equipment. SolarRay's custom wired Power Boards put most of the system in "One Place, done right the first time."

The House: A lifestyle powered by renewable energy is simple: its easier, cheaper, and more environmentally friendly to save energy than to add more solar power. By making smart buying decisions, learning easy tricks for extending your resources, and having your system designed by a pro, you don't have to sacrifice all of the modern amenities you've come to love and depend on. Just think Efficiency!

Lighting: Turn lights off that aren't needed, and use efficient compact fluorescent bulbs to cut your energy use by 75%. Less efficient Halogen Bulbs still offer excellent lighting for artwork, while super efficient LED bulbs make great flash lights and night lights.

Heating & Cooling: Passive solar designed houses, gas wall heaters, and wood stoves don't need any electricity. Radiant floor heating can be efficient, but only if it is designed right! Air conditioning is not cost effective, except for high efficiency evaporative coolers.

Water Pumping: Water supply can be your most important power use. Water systems consist of rain catch cisterns with small DC pumps up to special solar powered deep well pumping systems.

Refrigeration: Propane refrigerators don't use precious electricity, but do use fuel. Converting a small deep freeze into a refrigerator can be both low cost & high efficiency. Energy Star rated models (AC or DC) can run on solar, if the system is designed for it. Freeze Ice in the winter to cut the run time of any refrigerator. Avoid any 70s vintage refrigerators in Avocado Green.the system is designed for it.

Kitchen Appliances: Hand tools rule, and many appliances like a blender or a microwave are on for just minutes a day, so they can run on solar power. Appliances with heating elements that are on for longer periods of time like toaster ovens take too much power for too long.

Household Appliances: Once again, hand tools still work well, and devices like sewing machines and vacuums just are not on enough hours a day to cause trouble. Washers and dryers are feasible if washing a few loads per week, but electric heated hot tubs are power hogs!

Electronics: I pods, Cell phones, CD players, & Laptop computers can operate easily on even small solar power systems. New LCD screen TVs use much less energy than regular TVs. Home Theaters, and desktop computers left on 24/7 will cost you a small fortune to solar power..

Power Tools: Drills, sanders, and jig saws are no problem. Even circular saws and air compressors can run on moderately priced systems for short periods of time. Bigger tools require bigger inverters. Tools like Cement Mixers that are on all day can eventually drain the batteries.

Electric Vehicles: can be charged from solar or wind power for a true zero emission vehicle. Sizes range from electric bicycles, & motorcycles to small trucks.

So,what does it all cost?

Cost depends directly on how much energy you need. How many loads you have on and how long they stay on determines your total energy use each day. Just look at your current electric bill to see how many KwH you use a day, or use our Solar Sizer to add it all up. Then, you can look at our Guaranteed Complete Systems to get an idea of cost. Once you're serious, we can prepare an itemized quote just for you. Go to our Online Catalog if you're ready to get some parts, or learn more about renewable energy with our Tech Guides.