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Largest Affordable Energy Efficient Solar Community Goes Online
(08.31.2004)
Kingston, New York, August 23, 2004 - SunWize Technologies
announced today that the first eight homes in one of the largest
affordable energy efficient solar communities in the United States have
been completed. The gated community of Grand View Estates located on the
shores of Clear Lake, CA, two hours north of San Francisco, features 90
well-appointed solar homes with the latest in energy efficiency and
affordability. Each modular home integrates energy conservation and
grid-tied solar system technology at a starting price of $230,000 and
low monthly utility bills. "Grand View Estates can set an example for
developers everywhere that solar should be installed on every new home.
This location is ideal for solar with no obstructions and a good deal of
sun most of the year," stated Dan Schoenfeld, the developer of the
community. "These homes use only the highest quality building elements
and their modular pre-fabricated design allows us to build environmental
friendly communities at an affordable price. We were fortunate to work
with some industry leaders such as SunWize Technologies and Gaia
Productions." SunWize Residential Grid-Tie Systems (GTS) are installed
on each house and Gaia Productions, Willits, CA, performed the
installation and system integration work.
The all-electric, Fuqua factory built homes from Oregon are very energy
efficient with R-40 rated insulation in the ceiling, R-33 in the floors
and R-21 in the walls. Higher R-Values indicate better thermal
performance of the insulation. All units feature energy saving low-e
(low-emissivity) windows that are coated to block heat from coming in
while allowing visible light to pass through. Appliances such as the
refrigerator, dishwasher and stove carry the Energy Star label, which
means they meet strict energy efficiency guidelines set by the EPA and
US Department of Energy. Typical utility bills for this area are $150 to
$400 per month. Mr. Schoenfeld expects many of the buyers will be young
families and retirees who will be attracted to the unique combination of
solar and energy efficiency to help reduce their utility bills by as
much as 75%.
SunWize GTS systems are prepackaged and use UL listed products. The
Grand View Estates systems were designed for developers to reduce
assembly and installation time. The 2.5 kW GTS systems include 16 Sharp
185 watt solar modules and the new Fronius IG inverter. SunWize's
exclusive interconnection scheme for modules and grounding system hides
all cables and makes installation easier. With a twenty-year power
output warranty and five-year system warranty, the systems meet NEC code
requirements and US safety standards.
One of the key components of the grid-tied solar system is the new
FRONIUS IG 3000 inverter. At 26 lbs., the FRONIUS IG inverters are less
than half the weight of competing inverters. Built-in DC and AC
disconnects eliminate the need for external disconnects in many cases,
reducing total system costs. FRONIUS IG inverters come standard with an
integrated LCD where the installer can view and record over 20
parameters pertaining to inverter and system operation. "The lightweight
design and ease of installation make the Fronius inverters very
installer-friendly," says Hardy Kuenzl, owner of Gaia Productions. The
FRONIUS IG inverters offer high efficiency, precision MPP-tracking, and
intelligent thermal management, all of which result in superior energy
output from grid-tied photovoltaic systems. Optional remote data
communications and data logging features can easily be added via
Plug-n-Play cards to transform IG inverters into a sophisticated data
acquisition system and weather station.
 About SunWize
SunWize Technologies, a solar technology company, specializes in the
design and manufacture of integrated solar power systems, and associated
project development and product distribution. The company operates a
manufacturing/distribution facility in Kingston, NY and a distribution
center in Oxnard, CA. www.sunwize.com
About Fronius
Fronius International GmbH is a world market leader in high frequency
welding technology and one of the leading photovoltaic inverter
manufacturers. Headquarters in Wels, Austria, the US Solar Electronics
Division, Fronius USA LLC, is located in Santa Barbara, CA. Fronius has
over 50 years of experience in developing innovative power conversion
technologies and employees over 1300 globally. Fronius was founded in
1945 and has developed a revolutionary inverter concept that is used for
both grid-tied as well as stand-alone solar systems. Over 80,000 Fronius
solar inverters have been installed worldwide. Fronius Solar Electronics
Division is supported through an international network of sales
partners.
For more information, please visit
www.fronius.com or send an email to
pv-us@fronius.com
Contact:
Fronius USA LLC
Solar Electronics Division
10421 Citation Drive
Suite 1100
Brighton, MI 48116
E-mail: pv-us@fronius.com
Tel: 810-220-4414
Fax:810-220-4424 |
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