Adair Solar

Sonnenschiff: Solar City

Nicknamed the Solar City, Sonnenschiff in Freiburg, Germany has come into the solar-powered lime light. This “net zero” community is now producing four times the amount of energy it needs to sustain itself! Solar energy is the bread and butter of this town, and it’s really turning heads in Europe–and proving the REAL power of solar energy.

According to Inhabitat Architectural magazine, Solar City isn’t JUST net-zero, it’s what they’re calling “net-positive” because it creates more energy than it takes to balance consumption back to zero–it creates a surplus supply via solar energy installations. These rooftop solar installs have turned this community of more than fifty homes and commercial spaces into a diverse little pocket that could inspire other neighborhoods across the planet.

Imagine for just a moment that the tri-city area of Phoenix, Tempe, and Mesa were to choose one neighborhood in each of these cities  to be modeled after Sonnenschiff, it could not only be a net-zero vicinity, it could also produce enough energy for a huge chunk of each city, perhaps entire cities depending on the new solar city’s size.

The word should be spread about the enormous impact net-positive communities like this Freiburg solar project have. It’s not rocket science or some new schtick in the solar industry–it’s simple, intelligent use of high-grade rooftop solar panels.

Rooftop solar panels in Phoenix would be at least as powerful as the ones in Freiburg because of the unbelievable amount of sun that shines across the Phoenix metro area.

Do you want to be a part of what could be a solar revolution? You can have your own solar rooftop installation in Phoenix and create a real win-win by saving money and lowering your carbon footprint too. Hop on board and call Adair Solar Company in Mesa for your FREE solar installation consultation. Just call (480) 827-1162 to schedule one today!

Let's clean this Mother up!

Well folks, now that we have officially started calling global warming “climate change,” we thought it might be good to mention it–and how solar energy in Phoenix and the rest of the world can have a positive impact on reducing the effects of climate change.

Reducing the size of your carbon footprint in Phoenix and the rest of the planet means great things across the globe. When you sign on for solar panels and solar water heaters in Phoenix or anywhere else in the world, you are saying, “Yes, I want to be part of the solution.”

But if you’re not as passionate about saving the planet as Adair Solar Company in Mesa is, that’s okay too. Even if you don’t ascribe to the idea of climate change in its entirety, you are still doing a good thing for your home and your family.

By reducing the cost of your monthly utilities bills, you are saving money–money you can set aside for other things, or hang on to for your nest egg. Think you can’t afford solar panels in Phoenix? Think again–with the amount of solar tax credits and solar rebates you are likely to receive from both the local and federal government, chances are you’ll pay little to nothing for your solar installation in Phoenix.

We urge you to make an appointment with one of our solar technicians today–find out for yourself what you could be saving for FREE. An Adair Solar Company agent will come to your home for a free solar consultation and show you hands-on how the installation works, where it can go, how you can save with a solar water heater, and which solar tax credits and rebates you will qualify for.

Call today–we promise, it’s completely painless! (480) 827-1162. You can also visit our contact page by clicking here. Simply fill out the form and we’ll get back to you.

Well, this was an intriguing tidbit we found in solar news this week from the American Solar Energy Society. Apparently, the Department of Energy [DOE] is now issuing a challenge regarding rooftop solar energy.

According to the US Department of Energy, “DOE is seeking applications for its Rooftop Solar Challenge. This Funding Opportunity Announcement represents a unique chance for local and regional teams to drive significant improvements in market conditions for rooftop solar photovoltaics (PV) in their communities and throughout the United States.”

We think this is great news. It could empower small local businesses in the green sector (like Adair Solar Company in Mesa!) to make a more powerful impact and reach more consumers who have a legitimate interest in installing solar panels in Phoenix and beyond.

Further, it can and will lower the cost of solar installations for the local solar companies that do rooftop solar installations in Phoenix, hence lowering the cost of solar panels for homeowners across the country.

This kind of initiative coming from our country’s government is highly significant–it means that they are taking a serious interest in solar energy and other kinds of green and renewable energy sources in our nation.

Given that we have fallen behind countries like Denmark and Switzerland in our renewable energy initiatives, it really is time to step up our game as the global “super power” we are. It just makes common sense that the world’s most powerful nation that we would (and should!) be a leader in green energy. That means that creating a rooftop solar energy challenge like the one posed by the DOE can be a powerful springboard toward such a green future for our great nation.

Tell Adair Solar Company in Mesa what you think of this challenge and whether or not you think it will make a significant difference in the amount of consumers who could benefit from this in the Valley of the Sun. We think it’s a great jump start to great things in the solar industry!

All these fans will be supporting solar energy!

If you saw the opening scenes of the movie Castaway with Tom Hanks, you’ll remember the pride the FedEx company took in delivering packages internationally in the most timely of manners. Well, the FedEx sponsored stadium where the Redskins play ball is now going solar in a new solar panels energy initiative they set up with NRG Solar.

Given that the current energy climate is screaming for more attention to be paid to the solar movement, we find it very “on time” that the Redskins home-stadium is going the route of solar renewable energy.

So here are some details about the solar panels project for the stadium: According to the Washington Times, “The Washington Redskins are installing 8,000 solar panels outside FedEx Field that will generate some of the electricity used at the stadium on game days and power it entirely at all other times.” In addition, the new solar construction will include a car park structure that will house nearly 900 vehicles with a solar-powered lid–now that’s the kind of rooftop we like to hear about!

We’d sure love to see the Arizona Cardinals play in a solar-powered stadium. What better place for a sports team to take advantage of the energy provided by the sun? We’ve got enough sunshine in the Grand Canyon State to power stadiums galore!

Adair Solar Company in Mesa strongly supports the solar energy project underway at the FedEx stadium. Good luck and Godspeed! And here’s to the concept reaching our sports clubs and stadiums here in Arizona–that means you too, Sun Devils!

Solar St. Nick!

If you lived next-door to Santa Claus and someone told you that you could use snowballs to power your home, wouldn’t you be out there in the snowbanks collecting your arsenal of snowballs? Of course you would! Just as when you tell a child that each tooth that falls out will be exchanged by the tooth fairy for cash, you could be cashing in on solar energy in Phoenix and the surrounding area.

This is not a joke, or a ploy to get your business. The bottom line is this: You will save HUNDREDS of dollars AND lower your carbon footprint with a very simple installation of solar panels and a solar water heater in Phoenix. The same goes if you live in Gilbert, Tempe, Mesa, Scottsdale, Carefree, or any other Phoenix-adjacent city.

As if the savings in electricity weren’t enough, consider this: MOST home owners who opt in for a solar water heater in Phoenix accompanied by solar panels don’t just save money on their monthly bills–they are also generally granted solar tax rebates and credits from both the local Arizona government AND the federal government. That basically means that you could pay little to nothing for your solar equipment installation in Phoenix.

What are you waiting for? With all the money you’ll save you could take a vacation to St. Nick’s place and make snow angels right in front of his house!

There are many misconceptions about solar energy in the Phoenix Metro Area. In an industry that grows faster than weeds, we can assure you, age does mean something here, not unlike a fine wine.

When it comes to hiring a solar company in Mesa or anywhere else in the Phoenix area, you need to ask [before you have a solar installer come to your home] whether or not the solar company is licensed to install solar equipment and do maintenance on solar installations in Phoenix and the surrounding area.

Just as with building a home, you need a company that is certified to do what it does. If you hire a home builder who is not a licensed contractor, you are likely asking for a world of heartache. Ensuring that the company that installs your solar water heater in Phoenix or your solar panels anywhere in the Valley of the Sun is licensed to do so will protect you as a home owner while also protecting your purchase.

We at Adair Solar Company in Phoenix ARE licensed in every way necessary to install solar equipment AND also to continue to service it if the time comes for that.

In addition, Adair Solar Company in Phoenix is also licensed in plumbing and in air conditioning maintenance, so when you hire us for any of these needs, you can be sure you’ll be getting completely above-board service and products as well.

If you’re still on the fence about solar panels in Mesa or anywhere else in the Phoenix area, give us a call so we can answer your questions! Just call (480) 827-1162. All in-home consultations are free!

Haboob! Photo Credit: Life with the Cummings

Last week there was an incredible iReport on CNN from a Phoenix local. The amazing footage showed a dust storm the likes of which even the Valley of the Sun does not see often. CNN noted that the name of such large dust storms in the Arabic language is “haboob.” Well, this was one enormous haboob!

While the video was amazing to watch, the dust storm loomed ominous–it essentially looks like a tsunami  made of dust. It engulfed buildings and mountainsides, residential areas and the metro area with ease.

This haboob situation isn’t anywhere near as serious as an actual tsunami, but it does raise so questions about basic safety and how things work. Which brings us to the main question for this blog: Does a solar panel array or rooftop solar panels in Phoenix work during or in the aftermath of a dust storm?

During the storm performance is not generally an issue as most dust storms do not tend to last a very long time. That said, there are some measures you may want to take AFTER the storm is over. Since these types of large “haboobs” happen at dusk in many instances, we ask you to please NOT attempt to check on your rooftop or other solar panel installations in Phoenix until daylight the following day.

In most cases, you will find that everything is just as it should be. The wind–and likely rain–that follow such kinds of dust storms will do the clean-up work for you. Sometimes, though, you will need to pick out bigger things that may have been left behind: leaves, twigs, and so on. If you find that your rooftop solar installations in Phoenix are really coated with a heavy layer of dust and dirt, you will likely want to rinse them off. BUT, be careful–our water supply here in the Valley is NOT usually soft water, and that means the water that beads up on your solar installation in Phoenix could potentially leave behind an unpleasant residue of hard water deposits that could make your solar panels work harder or hamper their effectiveness.

If you have an Adair Solar Company in Mesa solar installation on your home, please call us if you are concerned about the condition of your solar panel installation–whether its from a dust storm or any other reason. We’ll come out and take a look at the situation, and handle any issues for you. Call us for help! (480) 827-1162

Solar energy goes NUTS!

We’ve just been waiting with baited breath for the day we could say solar energy is going nuts. But we sure didn’t think we’d be able to say it and mean it LITERALLY! Well folks, the day has come! A pistachio farm based out of Merced, California in Tulare County has announced that it that it has successfully completed a nearly two megawatt solar array project.

We all know that California’s golden coast has been a strong backbone in the world of solar energy. What you don’t hear a lot about is the solar innovations going on in the more inland areas, where much of the land is heavily utilized for farming, agriculture, and milk production.

The pistachio producer, Setton Pistachio, is not the first agricultural enterprise in the area to go solar, but with the installation having been provided by Cenergy Power, it is surely one of the larger solar array projects to hit the area.

Setton seems to also have been an inspiration to other local produce companies and those in the agricultural industry in the San Joaquin Valley area surrounding Tulare County. In fact, a local pistachio competitor also just completed its own smaller solar array… talk about keeping up with the Jones, this is getting nuts… sorry, we had to slip in one more play on words

While Arizona doesn’t have quite the level of agricultural activity as central California, we’re proud to say that small Arizona farms and dairies are also hopping on the solar bandwagon. The more the merrier, and the brighter the future will get. Utilizing solar water heaters in Phoenix and solar water panels in Queen Creek and other more rural areas of Maricopa County will lower the cost of living. And we don’t just mean lowering the cost of energy–we mean lowering the cost of local fruits, vegetables, dairy, meats, and more for local consumers.

Way to go Setton Pistachio for going nuts with solar energy. You’re an inspiration to solar companies in Mesa, AZ and the rest of the Grand Canyon state too!

According to Mercury News in an article by Dana Hull, “New data shows that 2010 was a record year for California’s efforts to encourage homeowners and businesses to install rooftop solar panels.  Californians installed 194 megawatts of new solar electric generating equipment in 2010 — a 47 percent increase over 2009, according to a report released Tuesday about the California Solar Initiative.”

In layman’s terms for those of us who are not acquainted with megawatts and how much each one individually adds up to in terms of solar energy, two megawatts is enough solar energy to power up to 2,000 residential structures. Now you can say WOW

So aside from this being wonderful news, it shows us a lot about consumer attitudes and the choices they are making as we enter the second decade of the 21st century. What do we mean? Well, in an atmosphere where energy consuming home owners have an array of energy choices, hundreds of thousands of them in California opted for solar energy in the form of rooftop solar panels over other more traditional choices. These home owners saw the opportunity afforded them in the form of federal and state solar tax credits and rebates and decided to seize the opportunity to change how they power their homes. In so doing, they have also chosen to live greener lives, lower their carbon footprint, save money, and create more popularity for renewable energy sources.

We applaud California consumers and them for choosing green. Arizona solar panels and other solar installations in Arizona are also on the rise, and we at Adair Solar Company in Phoenix look forward to the day when solar energy is the number one choice of consumers in the Valley of the Sun.

Call Adair Solar Company in Phoenix to find out more about how you can choose solar and make the greener choice for your home and save money on your monthly energy bills too!