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Alabama Solar Association

P.O. Box 143
Huntsville, Alabama  35804-0143

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Solarites


so·lar·ites |soh-ler-ahyts|
noun (pl.)

Those energy professionals who support Alabama Solar Association and solve your energy challenges.


Breaking News: Thursday, February 4, 2010

ASES makes Webinar meeting capability available to ASA More

 
ASES
 

Jesse’s Restaurant (www.jessesrestaurant.com), located in the 1922 old general store in Magnolia Springs just off the Mobile Bay, is well known by locals and tourists alike for excellent service and great food. The owners called Gulf Coast Solar (www.gulfcoastsolarinc.com) to see if they could help update the historic building while making it a “greener” restaurant. Mark Friedline and his staff met and suggested an economical plan for using solar water preheating.

Their new system uses five 4' x 10' collectors (mounted on the back roof of the restaurant) to solar-heat water in three 120 gallon storage tanks. The preheated water feeds the original 120-gallon commercial water heater, which was running almost constantly. All the solar heat collected replaces energy that would have had to be purchased. All the equipment was moved to a newly-built external room to free up inside floor space. Mark also installed low-energy LED lighting to further reduce their electricity bills.

System savings have been over our original projections and well over the system financing costs. The owners are very pleased. The project featured:

  • Natural Dependable Renewable Energy
  • Commercial Restaurant Water Heating
  • Five 4’ x 10’ Solar Water Collectors
  • Withstand winds up to 180 MPH, Dade County Specification
  • Aluminum Collectors, Copper and Tempered Glass
  • Drainback, closed loop system with pump
  • Three 120 Gallon Solar Storage tanks with recirculation pump
  • Aluminum racking system for roof mounting panels

Let’s hope the owner puts this eatery on the National Solar Tour this October. Sounds like a great lunch stop.

Acme Solar Works
Summerdale
Affordable Solar
Dothan
Global Market Consultants, Inc
Clearwater
Green Works
Royal
Gulf Coast Solar, Inc
Mobile
HSVgreen.com
Huntsville
Reisz Engineers
Huntsville
REM Solar Technologies
Lanett
Southern Solar
Huntsville
Sun Plans
Citronelle

The mission of the National Engineers Week Future City Competition is to provide a fun and exciting educational engineering program for seventh- and eighth-grade students that combines a stimulating engineering challenge with a "hands-on" application to present their vision of a city of the future.

Creating future engineers for Alabama

Alabama needs engineers and scientiests to assure our continued leadership in technology. The last generation took us to the moon and back. Where will our future generations take us?

ASA awarded the Huntsville City School Academy of Science and Foreign Language $300 for the concept city "Solaris." ASA Judges Al Orilion and Morton Archibald selected Team Solaris as the best of 20 finalists from across Alabama in use of renewable energy in their concept of a future city.

"I represent a bunch of hogs," said Morton in presenting the award. "Our generation has been using energy like there is no tomorrow, let alone like this generation is going to need any. We are living in desperate times, and it will be up to you (the students participating in the Future Cities competition) to bail of us out of the mess we have created. From what I have seen here today, there is hope for a bright future."

The team consisted of students Kris Yamada, Sherry Nolet, and Eugina Young developed the plans and the model for the City of Solaris. ASFL teacher Angela Trayor provided the team guidance under the guidance of Huntsville engineer Erica Jones.

Watch for more details soon.


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