Products - April 2007

Solarban 70XL Glazing
Solarban’s color-neutral, commercial solar-control glass has a 2.33 Light to Solar Gain (LSG) ratio in a one-inch insulating unit; windows look like glass rather than mirrors, letting in lots of light while controlling solar heat gain better than most low-e solar-control glazing units. The potential to downsize a building’s cooling plant up to 25 percent is appealing; the potential to reduce design energy costs by three to five percent annually—even when compared to other top-notch solar glazing—is the icing on the cake. PPG; Pittsburgh, PA. www.ppg.com; phone 412-434-3131.

GridPoint Connect
The Connect Series provides everything but the solar panels for a grid-connected photovoltaic backup power system. Electronics, inverter, charge controller, recyclable batteries, and other components are combined in a single “plug-and-play” unit that makes sure the batteries are always fully charged and supplying electricity. Excess power is fed into the power grid. If the grid is down, critical loads will be handled by the solar array and batteries. An internet-based management portal provides detailed statistics that can help users understand and modify their energy consumption patterns. Fronius USA LLC-Solar Electronics Division; Santa Barbara, CA. www.gridpoint.com; phone: 805-683-2200.

SunMate Hot Air Solar Panel
The SunMate mounts vertically on the side of a home or building; it circulates cool room air through a solar absorber plate, and then sends it back inside, warmed. A thermostat turns on a small, 7-watt circulating fan in the system when the absorber plate heats up to 110 degrees Fahrenheit, and turns it back off again when that temperature gets down to 90 degrees Fahrenheit. One panel will heat up to 300 square feet, and multiple panels can be installed in parallel. The insulated, single-piece units, made with stainless steel and aluminum components and sealed solar glass, are long-lived and require almost no maintenance. Environmental Solar Systems; Methuen, MA. www.environmentalsolarsystems.com; phone 978-975-1190.

Skystream Wind Generator
The Skystream 3.7 “residential power appliance” is a self-contained electrical generation system designed specifically for homes and small businesses. The controls and inverter are built right in, and there’s no need for batteries—it connects directly to a building’s wiring, working in conjunction with conventional grid electricity. When the wind blows, the system provides quiet, direct energy to offset utility power. The distinctively shaped 12-foot rotor cuts in when breezes hit 8 mph, and can provide 40 to 90 percent or more of a home’s electric needs in areas with an average wind speed of at least 10 mph. Southwest Windpower; Flagstaff, AZ. www.skystreamenergy.com; phone 928-779-9463.