Energy Unplugged

Join us as we take you on a tour of a remarkable mid-century home powered by a Sol-Ark system. The team begins by highlighting the architectural features of the 1963 model, noting the incorporation of stone from the exterior to the interior, lower ceilings leading to spacious areas, and the addition of a guest bedroom with an ensuite bathroom, offering a picturesque view.Moving into the power room, they explain how they repurposed space from the kitchen to create this essential area, which is one of two in the entire house. They point out the clever use of stone found in the yard, transforming it into a striking feature wall, blending seamlessly with the living space. The conversation naturally leads to the solar system powering the home. The installer praises the ease of installation of the Sol-Ark inverter, mentioning that it is a popular choice among do-it-yourself enthusiasts. They highlight how anyone with basic skills and knowledge can go online, purchase a Sol-Ark inverter directly, and set up their own solar system without the need for a professional contractor or licensing.They explain that their decision to install solar was driven by the desire to back up essential areas of the home, such as the master bedroom, kitchen, and bathroom. The installer emphasizes the smooth and seamless transfer time of the Sol-Ark system, comparing it to a UPS-grade transfer that ensures uninterrupted power supply, making it ideal for environments like server rooms and offices where continuity is crucial.Wrapping up the tour, the contractor expresses gratitude for the Sol-Ark system, acknowledging the power it brings and the convenience it offers. They sign off, leaving a message of empowerment and appreciation for the solar-powered lifestyle.This video tour showcases the successful integration of solar power into a home, highlighting the user-friendly nature of Sol-Ark inverters and their affordability. It also emphasizes the system's ability to provide backup power to essential areas of the home, ensuring uninterrupted functionality during outages. The tour serves as a testament to the reliability and convenience of Sol-Ark systems, making them an excellent choice for homeowners seeking sustainable and resilient energy solutions.

We catch up with Cora, the director of the North Coast branch at Grid Alternatives. Grid Alternatives is the largest nonprofit organization dedicated to solar energy solutions in the United States, with an international presence. Cora shares insights about their work, including both on-grid and off-grid installations. During the interview, she discusses their experience with Sol-Ark, a solar product they have installed multiple times. Cora praises the Sol-Ark for its user-friendly design, spacious wiring compartment, clear labeling, and easy installation process. Overall, she emphasizes the high quality and positive experience working with the Sol-Ark system.

We meet Omar from Sol-up, who recently completed the installation of a 15k system. We dive into a discussion about their experience with the installation process and gain insights into the ease and efficiency of working with Sol-Ark.Omar expresses his satisfaction with the installation, describing it as pretty easy and emphasizing their strong preference for Sol-Ark products. He highlights their exclusive use of Sol-Ark systems, showcasing their confidence in the brand and their commitment to delivering high-quality solutions.While Omar acknowledges that the equipment can be on the heavier side, he appreciates the overall quality and simplicity of the Sol-Ark system. He praises the clearly labeled components and the comprehensive manual provided, especially when it comes to working with the batteries.Beyond the installation, Omar commends the exceptional customer service they have received from Sol-Ark. He cites instances where they needed assistance with battery programming and dealing with off-grid systems lacking internet access. According to Omar, Sol-Ark has consistently provided excellent support, making them stand out in the market.In terms of the commissioning process, Omar confirms that Sol-Ark's GUI (Graphical User Interface) is user-friendly and easy to navigate. He highlights the importance of referring to specifications and relies on Sol-Ark to provide simplified battery solutions as part of their comprehensive package.Overall, Omar declares Sol-Ark as the best and easiest-to-use system in the market. He appreciates the all-in-one nature of the system and emphasizes the remarkable customer service offered by the company.

James from OptionOne Solar as he shares his experience with installing a 15k system from Sol-Ark. OptionOne Solar, a reputable solar company, showcases their expertise in this installation, providing valuable insights into the ease and usability of the process.James expresses his satisfaction with the installation, describing it as very easy and self-explanatory. He emphasizes the plug-and-play nature of the system, highlighting its simplicity and user-friendly design. James also praises the inverter, noting its exceptional performance and quality.James mentions that when they turned on the system, it appeared highly understandable. He appreciates the touchscreen functionality of the inverter, allowing direct access and clear visibility of information.OptionOne Solar's review of the 15k system highlights its effortless installation process and user-friendly features. Viewers gain valuable insights into the seamless experience provided by this system and can appreciate its intuitive design and performance.

Eric from Bright Planet Solar shares his experience with installing solar panels using the Sol-Ark system. Bright Planet Solar, a prominent nationwide company based in Massachusetts, has been making significant strides in the solar industry, recently ranking fourth in the country for installations.In this interview, Eric discusses his first-time encounter with installing a Sol-Ark and expresses his surprise at how straightforward the process was. From the initial inspection to connecting the inverter and batteries, Eric and his team found the installation to be remarkably easy, despite encountering a minor setback with the bracket orientation, which was quickly resolved.While they didn't delve deeply into the Sol-Ark system's screen functionalities, they ensured the batteries were properly charging and monitored the solar output. Eric candidly admits that due to a last-minute change from grid-tied to off-grid installation, their preparation focused primarily on the former, but he commends the Sol-Ark system for its consumer-friendly design and ease of installation.Bright Planet Solar's experience with the Sol-Ark system highlights its user-friendly nature and the intuitive installation process it offers.

We live in a world where we don't often hear the good stories, but we do hear about the great needs in our society. We just don't know how to jump in and make a difference. But, through giving, we can change outcomes.Here to give insights on this episode of Energy Unplugged is Bhawna Oberoi, CEO and CFO at Sol-Ark, and Catherine Von Burg, CEO and President at Simpliphi Power, a growing and innovative technology company that designs, builds and sells a portfolio of non-toxic, efficient, energy-dense storage and management systems that seamlessly integrate renewable energy in conjunction with or independent of the grid. They talked with Host Hilary Kennedy about giving back and how charitable endeavors can create real, actionable change for the better. Sol-Ark and Simpliphi give to charities throughout the year, and they also donate some of their products for relief projects when needed. Leaders from both organizations understand that giving back is an essential part of any successful business. “Some of this stems from not just my veteran background, but also my medical background,” Oberoi said. “Just naturally caring for people and seeing how many lives you touch. The simplest things you take for granted can be a necessity for people, especially when they are stricken with any type of tragedy.” Simpliphi started a charitable program called IDEA, where they give one percent of annual revenue to high-impact projects that deliver energy access. Sol-Ark also participates in the program and helps to provide batteries and inverters to areas that desperately need power.

The most valuable resource that any company has is its people. That's exactly how the leaders at Sol-Ark feel. They invest in their staff and have a strong culture. In the spirit of showcasing their team, their Energy Unplugged podcast, hosted by Hilary Kennedy, placed the spotlight on Brendan King, Production Assistant Manager. Kennedy and King chatted about his story, role and experiences.

On this episode of Energy Unplugged, a Sol-Ark podcast, host Hilary Kennedy talked with Yang Chen, Engineer Support R&D Software Engineer, and William Hopkins, Electrical, Communications Engineer.

One of the most important and expensive parts of solar panels is the battery inverter. Their design can either reduce or multiply costs. Discussing this topic, Sol-Ark Unplugged brings listeners a conversation between Sol-Ark CTO Tom Brennan and installer and inverter expert Scott Hunt, Owner of Practical Preppers. “The first hurdle to overcome in designing a solution is sizing the battery and inverter right. We actually created a tool for homeowners that can calculate this for you, because most installers aren't as knowledgeable as Scott,” Brennan shared. Sol-Ark does empower its installer network with seven-day support. They also provide educational webinars, remote programming and online monitoring. The goal is to help the installer find the best settings. Brennan noted that the battery is the biggest expense, and Sol-Ark provides ways to help homeowners recoup those costs. “We're working on a deal that would allow the utility company to ‘lease' your battery to support the grid for about 60 days, which would pay homeowners around $2,000. We're also increasing the power of the inverter without increasing the price.”Hunt also spoke about keeping costs down around inverters. “During install, I prepare systems for future expansions, or I can start out the inverter at half capacity. Every job is custom and specific. It's a systems approach.”Hunt explained he's had very few issues with the Sol-Ark system. In one case, there was a software issue, and he was able to replace the inverter within a day. “It's actually easy to swap out these inverters. Others aren't. Even homeowners can do it.”

Sol-Ark, a veteran-owned company, is on a mission to offer affordable energy independence for family homes and business by building solar, hybrid, battery-based system that boosts renewable energy efforts.That makes Founders Tom Brennan and Bhawna Oberoi uniquely qualified to look back at the recent winter storm that struck Texas, leaving millions without power in its wake and exposing serious inequities and shortcomings in the state's power grid.“One of the things that Sol-Ark brings to the market is that, right now, have solar – but they were never told that, when the power goes out, they won't have any storage,” Oberoi said. “What Sol-Ark makes possible … is to retrofit [existing systems].”This makes life simpler for both installers and building owners who wish to install the system, themselves – installation is simple, and it allows for those looking for a way to store their energy an easier journey toward greater control over their energy.Such solutions could help avoid catastrophic failure like that experienced during the recent storm, which impacted many states in addition to Texas.“Basically, the renewable people were blaming fossil fuel generators, and the fossil fuel generators were blaming the wind and the solar guys,” Brennan said. “Texas's grid can generate as much as 74 gigawatts of energy, and we get close to that in the summertime and deep wintertime. … During this crisis, where temperatures hit [maybe 80-year extremes], about 93% of wind failed because the wind turbines were frozen up.”However, about a third of coal-powered plants and another third of natural gas-powered plants went down, as well. In total, only about 45 gigawatts of power were available.Had energy storage infrastructure been more widespread, that extreme downturn could have been mitigated.