Apex Solar Power

12/14/2020

Check out our new YouTube video on our latest installation of a Discover Lithium Battery bank. This off grid client wanted to upgrade their existing lead acid batteries and inverter. Please like and subscribe as this YouTube channel is new for us. Also if you are looking for information on a specific solar installation, questions on off grid or product questions please leave a comment on the video channel and we hope to make more videos that will answer your questions. Click this link

Off grid solar installation of lithium batteries with a review of the Discover 42-48-6650 (130 Ah) battery. For more information on Discover Batteries click ...

08/07/2020

We love our unique clients and our latest job fits this description perfectly. We have been working with Roger and Martha for over two years while they worked through the maze of permits and contractors to get their beautiful off grid house built. With a round roof we were able to take advantage of capturing sun throughout the day and by using micro inverters, we account for differing module angles. In addition with such small sub arrays the use of railless standoffs made sense. This is also a AC coupled system so no charge controllers and plenty of daytime energy from the 12 micro inverters and two battery based inverters to start surge loads.

03/23/2020

When you get to incorporate a hobby into your job that’s always a good thing. Drones have become a great way to map a location and aid in getting a aerial view of the site. Recently we worked with a Telecommunications company and they used a drone to layout all the antennas, buildings, arrays and generator locations on the actual site location using a drone footage.

02/21/2020

We have been installing a number of lithium battery options over the last three years but this newest offering from Discover battery is one of the best so far. Unlike some of the other lithium batteries we have tried this one has an open communication between the inverter and the battery BMS (battery management system).This means that the BMS can change the inverter settings on the fly. This allows the battery to use most of its total capacity. In this installation we replaced an existing lead acid battery with double the capacity, smaller foot print, faster charge rate, rose the battery efficiency from about 80% to 96% and higher discharge/load amperage. Oh did I mention more than twice the life span. Of course at this point the cost is about double compared to lead acid, but we expect that to continue to come down. In addition this battery works well in both grid tie battery backup and off grid systems.

11/24/2019

With the recent utility shutdowns here in California, a reliable source of power for businesses and homes has been the topic of much conversation. One of our telecommunication clients who we have been supplying off grid systems to for many years contacted us with the request to develop a backup power supply (UPS) system for two of their sites. Each had grid power and had been using a commercial available UPS but these were failing after just a few years. We developed a robust system that should give them many years more of life then the ones they had been using, with much more off grid capacity. Doesn’t have a fancy case but gets the job done.

04/25/2019

This week we started installing a ballast array. The advantage of this style of racking is no pits are dug, no concrete is poured and the array is removable if needed. In our case the ground had a lot of rock and using an auger would have been problematic.

04/03/2019

Last month a brand new Boeing airliner was taken down by a insignificant glitch in the stall system. It’s the small things that can have big consequences that can get you. Recently we were called on to diagnose a system that was installed by another solar company that had gone out of business. What we ended up finding was one of those close calls that could have ended badly. We suspect it started when a installer forgot to tighten a single terminal screw. This lose connection created heat, which in turn melted the insulation. At some point the insulation failed and a short was created. Not enough of a contact to trip a breaker, but enough to start an arc. These electrical arcs create intense heat which melted the other wires in the box creating additional arcs of electricity. We found three burn locations and one burn through in this junction box. This box was mounted in a attic on a wood stud.

03/21/2019

Now that Solar electric has been around for a while we are starting to see failures in equipment and installation quality. As part of our service we diagnose system failures and we have learned a lot about what fails over time. Recently a home owner thought their inverter failed, turned out it was more complicated then that. When the system was installed 8 years ago the installer did not put weep holes in the junction boxes on the roof. This lead to years of condensation buildup in those boxes. Over time the indoor style wire nuts they used corroded. This corrosion caused heat, which melted the wire nut. This particular wire nut was pushed up against a grounding lug and eventually it hard shorted the system. We use gel filled outdoor rated wire nuts (you can see one in the background in the picture) to prevent just this type of occurrence. We drilled holes in the bottom of all the boxes and replaced the wire nuts and this system should be good to go for a long time.

03/14/2019

Our typically installation is never typically. One day we are swapping out an inverter, the next day we are on a commercial building roof or installing a generator to serve as a backup to a battery based solar installation. It used to be that only off grid homes would use a generator backup, but more and more we are installing generators for grid tie solar systems. As our national power grid becomes more unstable due to weather, demand and age, or as with our local utilities they turn off power during high wind events to prevent starting fires, power outages are not that uncommon any longer. Sometimes we have to get creative to get a 600 pound generator into a back yard.

12/21/2018

Today is the shortest day of the year. For a solar powered company it’s a rough time of the year. I love the sun to start with and it’s lack of insolation this time of year pushes our systems to the max. Turns out scientists have found a new link between depression and light. But wait, tomorrow will be just a tiny bit longer then today. Hurray

Research suggests the winter blues are triggered by specialized light-sensing cells in the retina that communicate directly with brain areas involved in mood.

12/15/2018

Good things are coming, we just need to keep the ship afloat long enough to have them come to pass.

Renewables are growing, but even if they could some day replace fossil fuels, there's a problem: that energy needs to be stored. Currently battery tech isn't...

11/24/2018

This week right before Thanksgiving we finished one of the largest off grid residential installations we have done . Our client wanted to be able to power not only his home and horse ranch, but their shop which will have a saw mill, wood kiln and finish wood/metal shop. This system has a 12kW array and a 110kWh battery bank. The array inverters and battery inverters are AC coupled. This will allow for 24kW of continuous output or 200 amps from the battery inverters and when the sun is out the array inverters would add another 12kW to the overall power production.