Solar Energy & Sun Powered Electricity in Paso Robles, Atascadero, Arroyo Grande, Santa Maria & San Luis Obispo (and now Thousand Oaks)

Instant Solar Estimate Calculator

amsunpower — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 20:47:07 +0000

This Solar Estimator will estimate the size and cost to install an energy system for your home or building: Please note, this is only an estimate. Please call us for a free personal evaluation for your needs.

The Importance of Solar on the Central Coast, California

amsunpower — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 21:02:43 +0000

Now that summer has come to an end and spring is on the way many people on the central coast of California are preparing their homes and businesses for winter. Many families from Arroyo Grande to Paso Robles will install double pane glass windows and swap in energy saving light bulbs only to be disappointed with lackluster energy savings. In a growing community raised from a melting pot of agriculture, residential, and small business, more people are looking to solar power to satisfy their energy needs.”

Solar has already been embraced whole-heartedly by the local agricultural community as a money saver on large plots of land that require a tremendous upkeep. Large, grid-tied photovoltaic systems harvest the power of the sun and save any unused energy for later, creating a cushion of kilowatt hours that any power hungry operation would envy. Solar Living Source Book by Real Goods describes the many uses of solar in agriculture including: 1) lighting and heating; 2) crop and grain drying; 3) greenhouse heating; and 4) remote electrical supply among others. This is especially important on the central coast where many entrepreneurial land owners supplement their income by setting aside parts of their land for creating small businesses and taking their product to the web. In these cases photovoltaic energy is not only covering the agricultural energy expenditure but a small business as well.

In “California Wineries Switch to Solar Power”, Kara DiCamillo highlights the recent trend of California wineries going solar. Shafer Vineyards of Napa Valley, CA is highlighted as the first winery to go 100% solar and eliminate chemical-based farming. The winery uses a system that produces 129 peak kilowatts per hour which is enough energy to power 20 to 30 homes. Statewide energy shortages and increasing business upkeep costs are driving vintners to think ahead and invest in their passion instead of their electric company. Even customers enjoy sipping on their favorite chardonnay in a solar winery like Tolosa Winery which has eliminated 95% of their electricity demand through PV.

Business owners will be the first to tell you that a smart investment is what separates the good from the great. Now that the central coast of California has secured it’s foothold as one of the top agriculture and viticulture spots in the US, there could be no better time for businesses to wake up to the power of the sun!

Come join us for Art, Wine and Solar

amsunpower — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 23:28:52 +0000

A.M. Sun Power invites you to come enjoy Harmony Cellars wine and the artwork of Lauren Birkhahn in the diVINE room at the beautiful Carlton Hotel, downtown Atascadero.

A.M. Sun Power will be hosting a wine tasting featuring the newly solar powered Harmony Cellars as part of the Atascadero Art and Wine Tour, Friday, August 28^th 5:30-8:30.

Visit www.laurenbirkhahn.com and www.harmonycellars.com

Come see what solar energy tastes like, and learn about the great new incentives for solar energy!

Harmony Cellars Goes Green with AM Sun Solar

amsunpower — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 22:54:09 +0000

Sustainable Wine Making

Harmony Cellars goes green! A photovoltaic solar system has been installed on the winery this summer. How will this system affect the environment? It will save 8 tons of carbon dioxide, which is the equivalent to driving a car 20,000 miles or planting four acres of trees.

The system will generate enough electricity over the course of the year to power the entire facility. During peak production the system will turn Harmony Cellars meter backwards and distribute any power not used by Harmony Cellars on to the PG&E power grid.

Harmony’s custom solar array was designed and installed by locally owned solar company, A.M. Sun Solar, of Atascadero. A.M. Sun Solar designed the system to generate enough electricity to zero out Harmony Cellars electric bills for 50 years.

Winemaker Chuck Mulligan says, “This is just the most recent addition to Harmony Cellars green ways. The winery building, constructed in 1993, was designed to take advantage of sunlight. Strategically placed windows allow for indirect lighting in the winery, so we can work quite comfortably during sunny days without turning on the lights. The temperature in the winery is kept at cool 60 degrees by only a small exhaust fan that turns on in the evening to draw in the cool coastal air. We even feed the waste grape skins, seeds and stems to the local cows…..they love me!”

A.M. Sun Solar will be hosting a wine tasting featuring the newly solar powered Harmony Cellars as part of the Atascadero Art and Wine Tour, Friday, August 28th 5:30-8:30.

A.M. Sun Solar invites you to come enjoy Harmony Cellars wine and the artwork of Lauren Birkhahn in the diVINE room at the beautiful Carlton Hotel, downtown Atascadero.

Come see what solar energy tastes like, and learn about current incentives for solar energy!

The next generation of solar energy in remote areas and off grid

amsunpower — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 00:19:31 +0000

Click here to view a video introducing SMA’s Sunny Island .

SMA’s next generation of Sunny Island inverters combines the most advanced technology used in our Sunny Boys with an outstanding feature set for off-grid PV applications. The new Sunny Island 5048U has incredible surge capabilities and excellent AC output characteristics. Each unit provides a very clean and stable 120 VAC output. Multiple units can be used together for single-phase, splitphase or three-phase applications. The Sunny Island also features the unique ability to facilitate AC coupling of all power generation sources. This makes for efficient use of available AC power and greatly simplifies system expansion.

The Sunny Island 5048U also helps to optimize the overall life of the batteries through its advanced battery management system.