The 4 AllSun Trackers produce approximately 33,600 kilowatt hours of power annually - enough to cover more than 100% of Sojourns' electric usage.
Sojourns Annual Solar Energy Production: 33.6 Mwh, is equivalent to:
Sojourns Annual Solar Carbon Offset: 57,342 lbs, is equivalent to:
At Sojourns' we believe that living in harmony with one's external environment is key to maintaining a healthy internal ecosystem. The installation of our Solar Array was an important milestone in our clinic's evolution as a place of healing and harmony .
What does Photovoltaic mean?
Photovoltaic (PV) materials and devices convert sunlight into electrical energy, and PV cells are commonly known as solar cells. Photovoltaics can literally be translated as light-electricity. For more information: US Dept of Energy
How do solar panels create electricity?
Solar PV panels are made of silicon which has amazing properties. When light hits a silicon atom in a solar panel, some of the electrons circling its nucleus get knocked free. These electrons are picked up, or conducted, by very thin metal wires circling the panel. This movement of electrons through wires creates renewable energy in the form of electricity.
What are AllSun Trackers?
AllSun Trackers are solar panels mounted on poles which allow them to move. They rotate with the sun as it crosses the sky, keeping the solar panels at a perpendicular angle to the sun's rays. This maximizes the amount of sunlight reaching the panels, which in turn maximizes the amount of electricity they generate. For more information: All Earth Renewables
Where does the electricity go?
Electricity flows from the solar panels to where it is needed, like water flows through pipes in a house. When sunlight hits the solar panels on the AllSun Tracker, the electricity created moves through the solar tracker and into the wiring in your home or business. When electricity has been created at Sojourns that goes beyond the immediate demands of the clinic, that excess electricity simply flows backwards through a meter and into the electric grid, thus providing locally generated power to the rest of the community.
Sojourns' 4 AllSun Trackers daily production is monitored online - displayed in a monthly production graph, as shown below: the energy production for 2013.
Sojourns' solar produced 4,084 Kilowatt hours of electricity over the 30 days in April. 795 more Kilowatts than Sojourns needed. The excess energy was sold back to the grid at a profit to Sojourns of 13 cents per Kilowatt/hour. Sojourns anticipates the total project costs will be returned after ten years through electrical cost savings and power company payments for surplus electricity. The solar panels will produce electricity efficiently for a minimum of 30 years.
(Photo taken from http://www.allearthrenewables.com/energy-production-report/detail/1109#view=yearly&date=2013-01-01)
The installation of Sojourns' Solar supported Vermont Companies:
