You don't have room on your roof or it's facing in the wrong direction to put Solar PV panels on it? Ok, you may want to consider a shed. Put Solar PV panels on it and voila! The Power Shed is born. This great idea is the product of a company called Midwest Engineering Consultants, who specializes in the design, evaluation, maintenance and testing of electrical power systems and apparatus for utilities and large industrial clients.
I like the idea of the Power Shed because of the portability of the solution. Some people may want to install solar, but may plan on selling their home and moving within the next 5 years. This makes a big investment like solar a harder choice. Even though solar has been shown to raise the value of a home, people may prefer to take the panels with them. Some HOA's may not allow solar on your roof (which I think is stupid). In that case, just get a PowerShed and put in your back yard if that serves as a loophole.
I asked the creator of the PowerShed, Mark Turczynski, his inspiration and here is his response:
I have been thinking about the Powershed concept for 5 years now, going over things in my head and checking the web for suitable components. To this date, all residential solar PV installations are custom systems and because of that, many standard contractors or do-it-yourself homeowners were shut out. I felt that the only way solar PV was going to become mainstream was for everyone to be able to participate. Many installers today seem to make PV solar more complicated than it has to be and that seems to scare people off. I want to try to change that notion. Secondly my research indicated that there are many problems with installing these systems on the roof of a home. Besides the obvious points of poking holes in roof, restricted access for cleaning the modules, having to remove and reinstall the system to re-roof and the growing safety problem for firefighters, I found that many people who installed systems had to walk away from their investment when they were forced to move. It was kind of like selling a home with an in-ground pool; everyone likes it, but no one is willing to pay for it. To solve this problem, I felt that we had to change the ownership model of these systems from being part of the real estate to a tangible personal piece of property like a car that can move when you move so you can fully utilize the investment.
Custom systems with batteries can still be fully assembled and wired in the factory with the batteries inside the shed. Additionally, we have designs that allow customers to buy a standard grid-tie system and later add battery backup or go off-grid without throwing away and equipment already purchased.
If you're in the market for solar, take a look at the PowerShed solution. It's portability and flexibility make it a great option to consider.
Comments
Post new comment