Dr. Frank Alcock, Senior Fellow, Collins Center for Public Policy, referring to public opinion about drilling in the Gulf of Mexico two years after the explosion of the Deepwater Horizon in April, 2010.

At Fafco Solar, our technicians use Ford F150 pick up trucks and Ford Rangers.

Outfitted with a cap and a rack they get only 12 to 15 mpg. When we’re busy, we have 10 trucks on the road, so that’s a lot of gas and money we’re burning. I didn’t know what I was going to do as gas prices went up, and I’m always looking for energy savings.

I worried that I would have no control over my future gas bills.

Inspired by the writings of Amory Lovins at the Rocky Mountain Institute, it dawned on me one day:

We’re using heavy pickup trucks with heavy caps and heavy racks to transport no more than 350 pounds of materials and tools all day, everyday!

This didn’t seem to make good sense to me.

So, I wondered:

What if I could get rid of all the heavy stuff… the truck, the cap and the rack, which don’t really add any value to the work we do, anyway… and find a much lighter and more efficient vehicle that could still handle a 350 pound load?

Personally, I’ve been driving a Prius and totally loving getting 50 mpg, since 2005.

According to the owner’s manual, the Prius has a total carrying capacity of 800 pounds.

I wondered if I could adapt a Prius to our work.

I knew I was going to need a trailer to carry the solar panels, pipe and a ladder. Even though the owner’s manual states a Prius is not designed to tow a trailer, I was willing to give it a try as long as I could keep it light enough.

I bought a small 150-pound trailer and rigged it to carry the large materials. The small materials and hand tools easily fit inside the Prius. (You’d be surprised how much room there is!)

The total weight of the trailer, the materials, the tools and the driver was around 650 pounds, well under the 800-pound maximum.

Troy, one of our service technicians, was selected to be our test driver because he drove more miles than anyone else. He’s been driving the Prius and trailer for over half a year now.

Where he once got 13 mpg, he’s now getting 36 mpg, saving $250 to $350 a month on gas… Depending, of course, on the miles driven and the price of gas.  He enjoys his new ride and is constantly talking to curious homeowners about his Prius “truck”.

Based on the results so far, I’m planning on having a fleet of Prius “trucks”!

If you’d like to learn more about this, feel free to contact me, I love helping people conserve energy while saving money & our environment!

-Dan

A Solar Angel is a being who:

• Has passion for solar energy,
• Holds a vision in their heart of a world that works well,
• Quietly, and often invisibly, effects change toward their vision.

You may not know it but you are surrounded by Solar Angels.

They are everywhere.

The more you look for them, the more you see them.

They are light beings… in a heavy world.

Their influence is quietly changing the world… making it brighter.

They give you hope for the future.

The fact that you are reading this, suggests that you may be one, too.

Of course you are.

- Dan

…rooftop solar water heaters are being installed around the world!

This is great news, and very inspiring for us in the USA, and even those here in Southwest Florida!

Practically every home in the US has a water heater.  Water heaters work continuously to keep the water they contain hot, and using the power of the sun is not only environmentally friendly, it reduces your energy bills, adds value to your home, AND extends the life of your hot water tank (they dramatically reduce scaling!)

Be sure to learn more about our solar water heater solutions, and how you can start saving while helping protect our environment!  If you have any questions, feel free to give us a call at (239) 574-1500.

The Earth Policy Institute article reviews how:

• China is leading the world – with nearly two thirds of the world’s solar thermal collectors installed.
• Europe, where energy costs are relatively high, rooftop solar water heaters are spreading fast,
• the US rooftop solar water heating industry is a historically concentrated niche market,
• solar water and space heaters in Europe and China often pay for themselves in less than 10 years.

But one interesting fact stuck out…

Since 2010 — US Gasoline Use Declined:

A few interesting facts from the Earth Policy News Update:

• From 1994 through 2007, new car sales were 15-17 million per year.  Since then they’ve totalled 10-13 million, and unlikely to top 14 million again.
• Urbanization is one of the reasons cars are becoming less essential.
• Young people – who now used to get a car, pickup or farm truck in rural areas – are socializing through smartphones and the Internet nowadays.  The number of licensed teenagers has dropped from a peak of 12 million in 1978 to 10 million today.
• Overall, cars are being driven less miles – partly based on gas prices being higher than ever.
• Fuel efficiency has risen – and new cars in 2008 averaged 27 miles per gallon, whereas those sold in 2016 have to meet the average fuel efficiency standard of 36 miles per gallon.

The game changer in reducing gasoline use is going to come, though, as drivers shift from gas to electric powered vehicles — including plug-in hybrids, and all-electric cars (such as the GM Volt!)

I’m very excited that coming soon – cars in the near future will be solar powered instead of by gas.

How have your driving tendencies changed over the years? 

-Dan

“Imagine fuel without fear. No climate change. No oil spills, dead coal miners, dirty air, devastated lands, lost wildlife. No energy poverty. No oil-fed wars, tyrannies, or terrorists. Nothing to run out. Nothing to cut off. Nothing to worry about. Just energy abundance, benign and affordable, for all, for ever.”

Wow! These are the opening lines to the preface of “Reinventing Fire”, the latest book from Amory Lovins and his team at Rocky Mountain Institute –

To me, the key word here is “imagine”.

Reread the lines and feel what it would be like to live in such a world.

It’s coming. 

I know it is.

I’ve made it my mission to make it happen. (I hope that makes you feel as good as it makes me feel.)

I’ll be sharing more quotes from this inspiring book with you in the future, but, in the mean time, if you want to light your own fire, I suggest you get cozy with your own copy… or better yet!… Connect with www.fafcosolar.com to learn how Fafco Solar can light your (reinvented) fire!

- Dan

PS – If you have a moment – be sure to watch this very inspirational video as well:

I’m so happy to be doing what I’m passionate about, and being able to do it while we’re seeing such a great evolution with Solar & Renewable Energy solutions. The realization, adoption, and results generated from these solutions are simply mind-blowing.

More energy can be captured, and utilized, with today’s solutions – less expensively – than ever before.

If you’d like to learn more about solar and renewable energy solutions – feel free to comment below, contact us online or give us call at (239) 574-1500.

Be sure to take a look at all of our wonderful online resources as well:

• Solar Pool Heater- save by using the sun to heat your pool!
• Solar Water Heater NEW! – save by using the power of the sun to heat your water!
• Solar Electric Photovoltaic System – save by powering your home with solar energy!
• Solar Lights – save by using natural light for your home!
• Solar Attic Fan – save by using the sun to remove heat from your home!
• Solar Pool Pump – save by using the sun to power your pool pump!
• Pool Automation – save by automating your chlorination, pump timing and heating!
• Solar Water Pump – save by not having to bring in costly utility lines!
• Hybrid Solar Air Conditioning NEW! – save between 30-50% on your air conditioning!
• Solar Breeze Pool Skimmer – save time and money with an automated pool skimmer!
• Home Energy Monitoring NEW! – monitor your energy use and find ways to save!
• Solar2Go NEW! – mobile solar power – trailer mounted solar generator!

We service the following areas in Southwest Florida -  Cape Coral, Fort Myers, Naples, Port Charlotte, Punta Gorda, Bonita Springs, or Hendry or Glades Counties.

We also service all brands of solar equipment! Find out what solar equipment services we perform here.

Learn More about cost-efficient solar energy.

Discover how you can improve our environment by using renewable energy for life. Check our Resources page.

Thank you so much, and here’s to a renewable energy world!

-Dan

Well, guess what?  It’s here!

Earlier this year, Ford, and Sunpower agreed to a partnership that will allow purchasers of Ford plug-in vehicles the ability to charge their cars.

Sunpower’s president and CEO, Tom Werner, says “This is taking solar power mainsteam” – and I think he’s right!

The Ford-Sunpower “Drive Green for Life” program will install enough panels on a customers roof to satisfy the energy demands for an electric vehicle that drives about 1,000 miles per month.

Learn more about this wonderful advancement in this PC Magazine article.

Good times ahead, that’s for sure!

- Dan

Now, the big question is “How does Florida rank in Solar PV?” as compared to the rest of the US…

Earlier this year, Solar Today released a chart showing by state, the:

• PV watts per resident,
• PV installed to date, and
• on-the-year market growth.

Florida ranks 6th in the country for megawatts of PV capacity.

California, New Jersey, Colorado, Arizona and Nevada lead the way.

The same study ranks Florida 13th in PV watts-per-resident,which is perhaps the best way to measure the progress of solar energy.

If you’re interested in seeing how the other 50 states stack up, be sure to visit this page in the July/August 2011 issue of Solar Today online.

Enjoy!

- Dan

…they seem to be on target all of the time.

Recently, they published the 10 Facts About Our Energy Landscape, which are:

1. The US burns 13 millions barrels of oil a day (half imported) at a cost of $2 billion!
2. The US’s 120 million buildings consume 42% of the nation’s energy.
3. We spend more than $400 billion a year to heat and power buildings.
4. US industry employs about 131 million people and generates over 40% of the US GDP, using roughly one-fourth of the nation’s total energy per year.
5. 86% of US electricity is generated in large, centralized power plants.
6. By 2050, if we make efficiency a goal, and switch from oil, coal and one-third less natural gas to renewable energy, we’d save a net $5 trillion!
7. By 2050, a $2 trillion investment to make cars, trucks and planes more efficient, and more effectively used would save $5.8 trillion.
8. Building’s energy use can be 40 to 60% more efficient in 2050 than today – despite 70% more floorspace.
9. US industry can produce about 84% more output with 9 to 13% less energy.
10. We can capture and integrate the renewable energy needed to meet 80% or more of our electricity needs by 2050.

Interesting, isn’t it?  Be sure to read the entire post, and comment below if you’d like to share your thoughts on this.

Thank you,

- Dan