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Solar PV + Shed = Power Shed

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.

http://www.powershed.com

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.

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Comments

Could these Powershed's or any other solar devise be used at a public high school and what would be the positive and negative effects?
Please get back to me ASAP, I need information as I'm perfroming a project An Additional note I live in east Washington,what informationcouldyougive me about snow and clutter protection and maintenance
ckmapawatt's picture
Ryan, I would contact the people who create the Power Shed, Midwest Engineering Consultants: http://www.midwestengr.com/ They are mentioned in the above post.
Yes, there is a gap vertically between the right and left panels. The panels will act as sails even with the gaps but it is the support structure and the structural construction of the building which has shear walls that allows the Powershed to survive 90mph winds.
Nice idea - but it looks quite vulnerable to the first gust of wind.
I just wanetd to clarify from a technical standpoint that the POWERSHED has been structurally designed and computer modeled to withstand 90 mph winds.
The Powershed can be installed at a school. In fact it would be very easy to install one anywhere on school grounds. The storage capacity of Powershed could be used by the maintenance staff or teachers could use it as a mini on-site field trip related to a solar power curriculum. Teaching aids and chairs for the students could also be stored there. As far as snow is concerned, it will usually melt off but if it is a heavy wet snow it may need to be removed. A squeegee and long pole can be used to easily clean it off. Other than that, there is very little maintenance required. Check the bolts yearly to make sure they are tight and apply a coat of paint on the shed every few years as needed. Check out our website www.powershed.com for more details.
@Mark: OK - so a very big gust :-) I guess the gap between the top & bottom set of panels breaks up the "giant sail" effect. Is there also a gap vertically between the left & right set ... not quite clear from the angle of the photo.

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