Comments on: The potential of plug-n-play solar

By: bradfox

bradfox — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 13:37:07 +0000

I think this is a great idea but it needs an override so that in the case of a power outage you can throw the main breaker isolate the home and use the panels for emergency use too. Sure it takes a little care to be safe for power workers but surely the software could be upgraded to detect an isolated circuit vs one attached to a network, as soon as the network is down and severed the panels go back on line.

By: Harold Y. Tan

Harold Y. Tan — Thu, 26 Jul 2012 17:41:30 +0000

GoGreenSolar.com has a 195W plug and play solar panel called the SunPlug. Easy to setup and installs in minutes. Scalable up to 8 panels.

By: Mouli

Mouli — Wed, 25 Jul 2012 22:49:13 +0000

We have developed a Plug N Play (nearly 1 kW) that is modular in construction. Installs in less than 2 hrs. There are installations in MN, WI, PA and NE. Our product is called SolarPod. Our mission is low cost, simple technology, highest performance (our systems beats fixed tilt systems by at least 15 to 30%) and low overhead so we can be less volatile to the boom and bust cycles of rebates. We have both grid tied and off grid Plug N Play which is modular as well.

By: Guest

Guest — Wed, 18 Jul 2012 22:29:43 +0000

Regarding Clarian. Back in the “day” (mid ’90s) when the first round of microinverters came out there was a bit of a groundswell of DIYer’s putting in small “guerrilla solar” systems just by, well, hanging them up in the sun and plugging them into the wall. However this violates a whole slew of codes and standards not to mention you can’t hook any kind of generator up to the utility without their approval. Thus while this was widely publicized in geek rags like “Home Power” magazine the pictures accompanying the “how-to” articles featured people wearing baklava masks. Because it was illegal, and maybe not so safe. Still is. Thus, the following buried at the bottom of Clarian’s web site:

“Availability
The SmartBox Solar Module is not yet available for purchase and still in development as we work to ensure that it is compliant with all applicable safety and regulatory requirements. “

By: Matt Liotta

Matt Liotta — Wed, 18 Jul 2012 12:35:40 +0000

Solar proponents often get lost in the race for efficiency. In an idea world, having the most efficient solar cell placed with the most exposure to the sun is desirable, but we don’t live in that world. If you could go buy cheap solar panels that weren’t very efficient and place them without concern for ideal exposure there would be a huge amount of deployments. Any given deployment might be tiny in terms of watts, but if millions of people installed even 100 watts of solar think of what that would mean in aggregate.

By: Pablo

Pablo — Wed, 18 Jul 2012 07:32:22 +0000

IKEA should start working on this…

By: Christopher Miles

Christopher Miles — Wed, 18 Jul 2012 06:10:53 +0000

Here is the Technology review piece- New design of modules seem like a no-brainer to install.

http://www.technologyreview.com/news/428423/new-solar-panel-designs-make-installation-cheaper/

Chris Miles
http://work-bench.org

By: Christopher Miles

Christopher Miles — Wed, 18 Jul 2012 05:57:06 +0000

Saw something like this over at Technology Review. Trina and Solon are making panels which arrive from the factory with connecting/mounting assemblies already in place.

I think the plug and play idea has a lot of merit- although the utility piece still isn’t clear – “The homeowner simply plugs the system into a PV-ready circuit and an automatic PV discovery process initiates communication between the system and the utility” That’s the part that will still need an electrician or visit from the Utility. (unless someone is building housing with those sorts of connections already)

By: Dave Mackey

Dave Mackey — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 22:18:23 +0000

1. Maximizing solar exposure shouldn’t be that hard. One could lay down a grid of “monitoring” devices (like a blanket) that would analyze sun exposure over a several day period and then make recommendations on location based on what it “experiences.”
2. It also seems a fairly simple matter to create smaller lego-like solar panels, rather than large solar panels. These could easily interlock and while the number carried up would be more numerous they could be safely moved by an individual.
3. Custom tools also seems like a silly obstacle. Either the tools could be included with the kit or they could use more standard tool interfaces.
But I think the most important thing is that it doesn’t need to be something every mom and pop can do – it just needs to be something someone without specialization can do – e.g. your average handyman or handy homeowner. An industry will spring up around it with low-cost labor.