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Solar Electric
   
 

Solar Electric or Photovoltaic (PV) Power Systems

 
solar ballasted system
 Sharp residential solar
Spin your utility meter backwards!
Reduce your utility bills!
  
New technologies bring solar to more homes and businesses.
  
Sharp Residential solar modules provide a smart, attractive addition.
         
Options: Grid Tied  
Grid Interactive
w/ Battery Back-up
  
Off Grid
         
• Power generated from solar array offsets utility electricity consumption
• No batteries, no back-up power
• Most efficient and lowest cost type of system
  • Solar power offsets regular electricity consumption
• Batteries store power for limited back-up
• Most versatile system 		  • Remote, independent applications
• Solar array charges a battery bank & powers appliances
• Wind turbine or generator often provides supplemental power

Grid-Tied and Grid-Interactive systems benefit from Net Metering, where excess energy created by renewable energy sources is sent back to the utility for credit. This option is available to all customers in Ohio who are located in territory served by the investor owned utilities AEP, Duke Power (Cinergy), FirstEnergy, and Dayton P& L. Net Metering is also available from many Ohio municipal and rural co-op utility companies, as well as, in most other states.

 
   

Utility Interactive Inverter/Power System

Grid-Tied systems feed power directly to the building’s existing electrical breaker panel. Since the building remains tied to the utility grid, these system are capable of eliminating the need for a bank of batteries. If back-up is critical during power outage, Grid-Interactive systems with battery back-up (a.k.a. Utility Inoperative) divert some energy to keep the battery bank charged, and feed both the existing electrical breaker panel, as well as, a sub-panel for critical loads.

To learn more about how these Solar Photovoltaic systems work read this article provided courtesy of Home Power magazine: Solar Electric Basics (1.2 MB pdf file)

Hybrid Systems
Residential wind systems are often designed as wind/solar hybrids for consistent year round production. Wind picks up during winter months while solar shines best during summer months.

Check out our pricing for Solar PV systems

Click Here for information about Renewable Energy Investments and Incentives

See our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) section for more information. Or see Get Started to understand the next step. Also feel free to call or email, if you have other concerns.

Sample Solar PV systems installed by Dovetail

The following are samples of the more than 155 systems that have been installed by Dovetail.
They show some of the types of systems and mounting options available.

 
 

Cinci Zoo - 4 panels

A portion of the 19.3 kW solar array at the Cincinnati Zoo's
new Harold C. Schottt Education Center.
See our press release for additional information on this system.

It was built using 168 Evergreen Solar, Inc. 115 watt photovoltaic modules arranged in seven sections - each with 24 modules. The modules were flush mounted on the standing seam metal roof using S!5 clamps and Unirac aluminum rails.

To view the power production of the Zoo's solar array click here.

 
 

Melink solar array

This 32.3 kW solar array is installed at the corporate headquarters of Melink Corporation in Milford, Ohio (near Cincinnati). The building is the first in Ohio to obtain a USGBC LEED "Gold" certification. The LEED® (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Building Rating System is the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction, and operation of high performance green buildings.

The Melink solar system was originally built using 64 Sharp Electronics Corp. 170 watt PV modules for 11 kW in April 2006. In April 2007, Dovetail doubled the size of the array to 22 kW by adding another 64 modules. Melink has been so pleased with the system performance that they asked us to expand it again. So in June 2008, we increased it by another 50% with 64 more modules raising the total to 192 modules

The modules are mounted on ballasted aluminum racks from Direct Power & Water Corp. This eliminates the need to penetrate the membrane roof. The concrete ballast blocks secure the array in high winds. The system utilizes high efficiency PV Powered inverters. See our Melink press release for additional information on this system.

TFC Energy

This 41 KW solar array covers the roof of Twenty First Century Energy LLC in Fairborn, OH. It was constructed using 190 Sharp 216 watt modules and 6 SMA SunnyBoy inverters. The modules are mounted using a ballasted racking system.

 

 
Ohio Univ Uni-Solar

Ohio University's installation of Uni-Solar's Building Integrated PV

Click here to learn about Uni-Solar's Thin-Film Solar products

15kW solar PV array

This 14,850 watt solar array is installed on a property near Eaton, Ohio.
It was built using 90 Schuco 165 watt PV modules. The modules are mounted on Schuco ground mount aluminum rails that are anchored to concrete supports.
Three SMA SunnyBoy inverters complete this grid-tie, net metering system.

Kilpatrick solar

This 6,800 watt solar array is installed on a farm workshop near Warren, Ohio.
It was built using 40 Sharp Electronics Corp. 170 watt PV modules. The modules are mounted on Unirac aluminum rails that are anchored to the roof purlons. Two PV Powered 3500 inverters complete this grid-tie, net metering system.

 

Meadow Springs

This 11,648 watt solar array is on the training barn at a thoroughbred farm near Pleasant Plains (Clermont County), Ohio east of Cincinnati.

It was built using 56 Sharp Electronics Corp. 208 watt PV modules. The modules are mounted on aluminum rails that are anchored to the roof purlons. Two types of inverters are used to provide both grid-tie and grid-interactive with battery backup power. See our Meadow Springs press release for more details on this system.

Cincinnati Enquirer article on this installation

Thoroughbred Times article on this installation

Stable Management article on this installation

Live Solar Site Production Information

Click on a site name below to display live and historical energy production
information for several Dovetail installed solar electric systems.

Horizon Companies
Ralston Instruments

Sample Residential Installations

residential solar system

This home features Sharp Residential black framed modules, and SRS mounting system that Dovetail typically uses for residential installations. These modules match beautifully with the lines of the roof. This home is in the Chagrin Falls area.

solar on hip roof

This close-up shows the combination of rectangle and triangle modules used to layout a hip roof. There are 11 Sharp 142 watt rectangular modules, and 6 Sharp 72 watt triangular modules for a total of 1,994 watts in this array section.

solar on valley roof

This close-up shows the combination of rectangle and triangle modules used to layout the roof section with a valley. There are 6 Sharp 142 watt rectangular modules, and 2 Sharp 72 watt triangular modules for a total of 996 watts in this array section.

TechMark solar shingles

This home features a 2,720 watt Grid-Interactive Solar PV system with Battery Backup. It utilizes building integrated solar shingles that are installed in place of traditional asphalt shingles on the south facing roof.

We installed 160 Uni-Solar 17 watt solar shingles wired to a SMA Sunny Boy 3300U inverter with net metering. We also installed a SMA Sunny Island 4248 grid-interactive inverter & charge controller and a battery bank to provide backup power when the electric grid is down. It enables the family to continue to operate essential loads such as the well pump, sump pump and lighting. It produces approximately 3,225 kWh per year of usable electricity to offset the home's electric bill.

The system was featured in a June 12, 2007 article in The Cleveland Plain Dealer.

Click here to learn about Uni-Solar's Thin-Film Solar products

Kirsher solar installation

Another residential Solar PV installation on an asphalt shingle roof.
It features 12 BP Solar 160 watt modules that provide a peak output of 1,920 watts.

 

Hobson

This home in Alliance, Ohio has both a Solar Photovoltaic system
to produce electricity, and a Solar Thermal system to produce hot water.

The 3,060 watt Grid-Tie Solar PV system on the left features 18 Sharp 170 watt modules wired to a PVP2800 inverter with net metering. It provides an average of 290 kWh per month (about 3,400 kWh per year).

The Solar Thermal system utilizes the two Heliodyne Gobi 408 collectors on
the right. They are each 4 ft by 8 ft, and combined provide up to 74,000 BTUs of heat energy on a clear day. They are plumbed in an active, closed loop system. Heat energy is transferred via a double-walled heat exchanger to domestic hot water that is kept in a 119 gallon solar storage tank in the basement .

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