The Sunfish Solar Appliance is a new class of solar power module that is affordable, quiet, reliable and safe, and that anyone can install.
While solar power is one of the more popular sources of renewable energy available, few of the systems available today are either practical or affordable - turn-key systems cost thousands of dollars and are difficult to install. As a result, they lack scale, there's no killer energy app out there - until now.
By developing an affordable solar appliance that is reliable, safe and that anyone can install, Clarian hopes to enable renewable energy generation of unprecedented scale - similar to the way the PC revolutionized the computing industry. Imagine Sunfish Solar Power Modules for every household!
Plug-In Solar Power
What if you could plug renewable solar energy into the wall just like a home appliance? Instead of using power, a solar appliance that generates it!
Sunfish Demo Video
Design
The Sunfish Solar Appliance is comprised of a micro-inverter combined with a standard solar panel that can be plugged directly into an existing electrical socket and automatically generates power whenever the sun is shining. The Sunfish can be mounted directly onto the side of a home, a deck, or rooftop and can be daisy-chained together to generate up to 1.2kW of hassle-free power. With a price target between $599-$999, the Sunfish becomes a cost-effective option for homeowners and developing communities looking to harness solar power for the first time. Working in tandem with the existing power grid, the Sunfish enables large-scale distributed-generation, delivering power exactly where its needed, reducing the demand for costly transmission infrastructure.
With a unique inverter design with built-in circuit protection, the Sunfish ensures years of safe, reliable operation with efficiency comparable to inverters that cost thousands of dollars more. Further increasing the Sunfish's output is the fact that the inverter is mounted directly to the solar panel, there reducing line-losses - by as much as 10%! Also, by pairing each solar panel with a micro-inverter the Sunfish is able to individually optimize the power output of each panel. And the Sunfish can be plugged directly into the existing power grid without special wiring or expensive controls - you literally just plug it into the wall, anywhere there's power. Plus, the anti-islanding features inherent in its design protects local utility workers in the event of a power outage - if the grid shuts down, the Sunfish immediately stops generating power, again without the need for any special wiring or controls.
Smart-Grid Enabled
With onboard Wi-Fi the Sunfish is also network enabled. Today, wind and solar-powered homes are operated as autonomous points within the local electrical grid. However, they are an overlooked, yet important electrical power resource. If instead, each were harnessed collectively and tied interactively with the local utility grid as a Point-to-Grid (P2G) power generator, or even regulator, considerable economic, environmental and system reliability benefits are possible. By itself, each of these power sources is indeed small in its impact on the power system. In the aggregate, however, the economic value of P2G power is significant, more than enough to offset the initial cost of installing the required control hardware and integrating these systems with the local utility grid. Equally important, the necessary regulatory and energy distribution infrastructure, and hardware components to enable a number of different types of P2G-based systems are already in place today. The convergence of existing distributed electric power and Wi-Fi/WiMAX technologies creates an emerging market opportunity for technology and service providers to enable and accelerate the introduction of various types of P2G-enabled power generation.
Who Benefits
Given its affordability and ease of use, virtually anyone on the planet connected to a power grid, local community power distribution network or even an off-grid system, would benefit by installing an energy appliance - all thats needed is a wall socket to plug it into. Its the simplicity of this approach, especially in developing communities that rely on renewable sources for power and need to keep cost per kilowatt low. Plugging an affordable energy appliance into an existing electrical socket couldn't be easier - you pick one up at a home improvement store or local supply depot and have it up and running that afternoon, almost as easy as putting up outdoor lights.
Frequently Asked Questions
There a lot of solar panels on the market. How is the Sunfish different from other solar panels?
In two words: simplicity and cost. The Sunfish is designed to be simple to setup and install. You simply install it to the side of your home, a deck, in your garden or on your rooftop and plug it in - the Sunfish can start generating power right away. And, the Sunfish will be affordable. Unlike other systems that cost thousands of dollars to operate and install, the Sunfish is initially targeted to cost between $599-$999. With rebates, discounts or tax credits available from your local power utility, it would typically take around 3-4 years or less to recoup the cost of the Sunfish.
Is the Sunfish available for purchase and where can I buy one?
The Sunfish is still in the development phase as we work on additional design refinements and ensure that it is compliant with all applicable safety and regulatory requirements. We look forward to providing more details about our progress in the near future.
How long would it take to recoup the cost of buying a Sunfish?
Typically it would take around 3-4 years or less to recoup the cost of the Sunfish, less if there are rebates, discounts or tax credits available from your local utility.
What about maintenance and upkeep?
There are no moving parts and the Sunfish is virtually maintenance free. Using the same proven design found in existing mciro-inverters, the Sunfish should only need a periodic inspection from time-to-time to ensure that it’s in proper working order.
Can the Sunfish provide backup power in the event of a power outage?
The Sunfish is not intended to provide backup power when there’s a power outage but can provide backup power in conjunction with a certified back-up power system since the safety features built into the Sunfish prevents it from generating power during a complete power outage.
Can the Sunfish be used to charge a battery banks for off-grid systems?
The Sunfish is not intended to charge battery banks for off-grid systems, but can be used to charge batteries or generate power in conjunction with a dedicated off-grid system.
What about safety in the event of a power outage? How would utility workers be protected if the Sunfish is still generating power during a power outage?
Safety of utility line workers is paramount and the Sunfish will be UL certified and meet all safety and certification requirements required by local power utilities. The anti-islanding features inherent in the design of the Sunfish protects local utility workers in the event of a power outage - if the power grid is shut down, the Sunfish will immediately stop generating power. In fact, it's not possible for the Sunfish to generate power without the power grid being up and active.
What about safety for home owners?
Safety of homeowners is paramount and the Sunfish will be UL certified and meet all safety and certification requirements, as well as national and local electrical code requirements.
Is it OK to put unregulated power back onto the power grid? Won’t that cause difficulties for the local power utility?
The Sunfish will be UL certified and meet all safety and certification requirements required by local power utilities. The unique design of the Sunfish ensures that power supplied to your home and to the electrical power grid is phase-matched to the power supplied by your local power utility.
Why solar power, why not wind?
Solar and wind power are complimentary and both are great sources of renewable energy, and we look forward to developing innovative products for the wind market in the future.
More Info...
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