Solar-Breeze - Robotic Solar Pool Skimmer

The year 2011 will go down in history as a very difficult one from the standpoint of the global economy, but it will also stand out for the incredible explosion of interest in Solar.  More homes and businesses than ever are using solar energy as a source for electrical power. We all see the need to use more renewable energy.  Solar fits the bill for most of the planet.

Solar gadgets and devices have proliferated.  Some are just for fun.  Others fill a real need.  The Solar-Breeze solar robotic pool skimmer fits into the "need" category.  Even if current Solar-Breeze owners only reduced their pool pump runtimes by half last year,  the carbon equivalent of many hundreds of SUV's have been taken off the road.  The staff at Solar Pool Technologies thanks everyone who made this possible.

As we ring in a New Year, we look forward to connecting with more pool owners around the world and helping them to save time, money and energy. 

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Here we are in the holidays.  There are goodies on every desk and special offers in every other email.  Our diets are out the window and our wallets have come unlatched.  What are some ways we can live the 5 Rs and still celebrate the season? 

The first R stands for Reduce -- but who wants to!  Pour a glass of eggnog  and ponder how to make this season a green celebration.

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Green in the Valley LLC and Seattle Espresso are teaming up with McClintock Fountains Farmers Market this Saturday, Nov 5, 2011.  This is a farmers market at 1840 E Warner Road in Tempe.  Like most Arizona Farmers Markets, it offers locally grown food as well as arts, crafts, and cottage industry products such as soaps.

The theme this weekend is Eco-Friendly businesses who can help homeowners and apartment dwellers alike to Go Green.  Solar Pool Technologies is proud to be a participant.  Other green-minded businesses who will be there include:  Clean Air Cab, YouChange, A Greener Refill, Sustainable Communities AZ, and Green in the Valley.

So bike, carpool or drive your hybrid down to the market this Saturday.  The market runs from 8am to 12:30pm and is at the corner of Warner Rd. and McClintock in South Tempe AZ.

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I used to think — “Someone should do something about that.”  Then I realized that I am someone.

When it comes to your swimming pool, there are greener options.  An average pool which is open year-round consumes enough electricity to create the same carbon footprint as an SUV.  Solar Pool Technologies has the mission of introducing inventions to remove the swimming pool from the electrical grid.

Solar energy can be used to clean, heat and sanitize your pool.

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Phoenix inventors Denis & Terry figured out how robotically skimming the surface will clean your pool, save you energy and money.

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Solar-Breeze is mentioned in Sustainability Online, a new e-zine on living green.

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Forty minutes of sunlight contains enough energy to power global energy consumption for a year. So why isn't everything powered by solar? Read More...

Solar Pool Technologies Inc. is among the 25 semi-finalist of the Arizona Innovation Challenge. The winners will share in ARRA commercialization grant money. Innovation is driving the economy and early stage companies bring new ideas to market. Read More...

Pholtovoltaic cells, more commonly known as Solar Panels, are everywhere these days.  They are in big electrical utility installations, on the Solar-Breeze robotic pool skimmer, and on the calculator you carry in your briefcase.  We are very comfortable with Solar Panels but many of us have never even considered how they work.

Kyocera has an excellent educational website called "Solar Power Expo".  In pavillion 4, they explain the science behind the photovoltaic cell.  Follow this link to their website.  http://global.kyocera.com/solarexpo/solar_power/

Sand is processed into very pure silicon.  Impurites are added to specialize the silicon.  Boron is introduced to make P-type silicon  Phosphorus is added to make N-type silicon.  These two types of "doped" silicon  are combined to make a crystal semiconducter which has a permanent electrical field at the junction between the N and P type sections.



When the photons in sunlight hit the semiconductor, electrons are released at the junction and are attracted to the n-type semiconductor. This causes more negative charge  in the n-type semiconductor and more positive charge in the p-type, thus generating a flow of electricity in a process known as the “photovoltaic effect.”  By attaching a wire to both sides, the electron flow can complete its journey from the junction area to the N-type, through the wire, to the P-type and back to the junction, only to do it again and again.




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