Emily and David Takahashi are committed to living a low-carbon lifestyle. In 2012 they moved into their 60-year-old, 900-square-foot Boulder, CO home. David explains, “Our aim is to be independent of the electric grid as much as possible.” Their first step was to have their home retrofitted for energy efficiency, e.g. insulating ceiling and walls… Read More
Posts Tagged: solar PV
There are four major factors that affect solar panel performance: 1) length of day, 2) angle of sunlight relative to the solar panel, 3) sunlight intensity and 4) temperature. The more hours of sunlight there are in a day, the more energy the panel produces: Energy = panel power x peak sunlight hours. The angle… Read More
Independent Power Systems recently installed a battery backup for Colorado customer, Mr. Woodson, who is motivated to ultimately get off fossil fuel-based power from Xcel Energy. Woodson has begun the process by installing a 30kWhr AGM battery and a 6800 watt inverter to couple to his 10.69kW SunPower solar system mounted on the east-west facing… Read More
December 6, 2017 · Fellows By Hannah Capshaw, CU Boulder MENV Candidate / Chief of Staff and Energy Fellow, Dream Tank As I started my graduate career at CU Boulder’s Masters of the Environment (MENV) program this past fall, I had a broad, yet shallow, range of experiences under my belt as the youngest person… Read More
Dan Siddall, broker / owner of Lyons, CO Gateway Realty recently installed a 9.47kW solar system to power the business as well as to use clean renewable energy to charge the company vehicles, a Nissan Leaf and an electric golf cart. This is truly the definition of photosynthesis—turning sunlight into fuel. Boulder-based Independent Power Systems… Read More
IPS has installed a 50kW solar system on the Boulder Nissan dealership; this plus the upcoming LED lighting retrofit, will allow Boulder Nissan to reduce their electricity usage from coal by 65%! Project UPDATE: IPS in the news!! “It’s so exciting” says a gleeful Nigel Zeid, EV (electric vehicle) specialist at the Boulder, Colorado Nissan… Read More
The Montana Renewable Energy Association (MREA) recently interviewed Independent Power Systems’ founder and CEO, Tony Boniface. In July 2016 MREA talked with Tony Boniface, owner and President of Independent Power Systems, about installing the first net metered system in Montana and how his small Bozeman business expanded to three states and several dozen employees. How… Read More
Richard Marchese contacted Independent Power Systems seeking an off-the-grid power system for his home which sits above the tiny town of Ward, Colorado at 9,500 feet on a south facing slope with a view of Colorado’s front range. A long-time on-and-off Boulderite, a self-professed sixties hippie of New Jersey origins, Richard is finally retiring to… Read More
Over the years, I have been asked whether or not PV systems emit significant levels of electromagnetic radiation or in industry parlance, electromagnetic interference or ‘EMI’. EMI is also called radio frequency interference or RFI. Many electronic devices emit some levels of electromagnetic radiation; the amount and type is regulated by the FCC (Federal Communications… Read More
Get solar on your commercial building, reduce greenhouse emissions, save money, and greatly increase the value of your building. The C-PACE (Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy) program for commercial properties has launched in Boulder county. The program will enable commercial property owners to finance up to 100% of the cost of a solar system (as… Read More