Solar-Breeze - Robotic Solar Pool Skimmer

I had the chance, recently, to tour the largest photovoltaic rooftop installation in Arizona.  I jumped at the chance and climbed the ladder.  The installation is on the roof of the Cowley Co. Warehouse at 27^th Ave & Buckeye, not far from the State Capital building.

Our guides were Tom Lepley of Phasor Energy Company Inc. and Karl Schmitt, General Manager of Empire Renewable Energy, LLC.   Empire put the project together.  Tom was the lead engineer.

The scale of this project takes your breath away. 7,872 crystalline silicon modules (solar panels) cover 28,000 square feet of rooftop.  The array is held on the roof by its own weight and some ballast around the periphery.  There is no racking attaching it to the roof itself.  The wiring and conduit appear like leashes to hold it down but their only function is to take that harvest of solar energy  down to the invertor room where it can be changed into useable AC power.

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

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The following is an article written by Mark Andrews of H&A Inspection Services for his recent client newsletter.  Mark is a home inspector in the greater Phoenix area and can be contacted at 480-614-0015 or by emailing Lauren@HAInspect.com

Fantastic New Product:  A Solar Pool Skimmer

I swim almost every day starting in late March. I used to start my swim by grabbing the leaf catcher and skimming the water surface to remove the big stuff that accumulates every day.

NOT ANYMORE!

In March, we purchased a SOLAR POWERED POOL SKIMMER; "The Solar Breeze". This guy is currently skimming the water surface about 16 hours a day! The surface of our water glistens all day. We also removed our pool vacuum because very little debris sinks to the bottom. I love getting home (hot from inspecting properties) and jumping right in; no leaves and no bugs to clean or fight through.

A friend of mine is the CEO of the company so I know that it is legit. The skimmer is patented and has won several prestigious "best new product awards". After using the product for a month, I am more that satisfied; I'm ecstatic. I inspect 5 or 6 pools per week and never see one that looks like ours - even if the pool service just left!

There is no maintenance on the unit other that removing a tray about once per week to rinse out the debris. There is a separate tray for three 3 inch Chlorine tabs which I also re-fill weekly (with 2 tabs). The distribution of the Chlorine is great because it is being uniformly broadcast all day along the surface of the water. I have vacuumed the pool bottom once in a month to pick up dirt and debris that sank before being collected - it wasn't much.

If you have a pool, you can see the device in action at http://www.solar-breeze.com  

The unit costs $499.00 and in my opinion is well worth it.



We would recommend that you only use two chlorine pucks in the unit.  Everything else, we heartily agree with.  Another customer recently commented that his Solar-Breeze had given him his Saturdays back. Read More...

This weekend is the BIG one.  Come visit us at the Maricopa County Home & Garden Show at the Fairgrounds.  Click HERE to see the program and to score some discounted tickets.

Spring is a natural time to decide on the upgrades you will do around the home.  Perhaps you have an income tax refund in the bank and you want to turn those funds into energy savings and upgrades that will make your home a less expensive and more enjoyable place to spend time.

Visit the Solar-Breeze booth and let us tell you about how a solar-powered robotic pool skimmer will save you time, energy and money and will make your pool experience wonderful again. Read More...

There is a lot of buzz in the scientific media these days about batteries.  Specifically, what sort of batteries will we use to store wind and solar-generated electricity through long winter nights and cloudy or calm days.

The objective is to build 20MWh battery installations which would be sufficient to supply 2,000 homes for 24-36 hours.  Most of the attention is focussed on REDOX FLOW batteries.  Click on the link to read more about these batteries in Science Daily.

The Solar-Breeze robot uses a Lithium-ion battery. With a combined capacity of 12.5 watts, the unit's solar panels capture enough power during the day to both run the motors AND charge the battery.  As the sun reaches approximately 30 degrees from the Western horizon, Solar-Breeze shifts from operating on solar to operating on battery power.  Depending upon the amount of solar energy available to the panels during the day, the unit can run up to 8 or 9 hours into the evening/night.

The first version of the Solar-Breeze used Nickel-Cadmium batteries but the results were not as consistant or satisfactory as with the current Lithium batteries.  These rechargeable batteries are reliable for at least 1,000 charging cycles (days of use) and can be replaced to extend the working life of your Solar-Breeze.

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Bacteria and algae are the bane of swimming pool owners.  Once they gain a foothold, it can take hours of your time and buckets of chemicals to return your pool to swimming condition.  Even after the bacteria and algae are controlled, the traces of algaecide and the high levels of chlorine make the water less attractive.

Organic matter laying on the bottom of the pool and exposed to sunlight decays much more quickly than the same organic matter trapped in a Solar-Breeze robotic skimmer.  The combination of sunlight and soaking triggers the bacteria naturally present in plant material to start breaking it down at a higher rate of speed than water alone.

The Solar-Breeze robotic pool skimmer has a chemical dispenser tray immediately behind the debris basket.  The dispenser fits two 3" chlorine tablets which slowly dissolve, sanitizing the pool as the unit moves through the water.  The Solar-Breeze periodically reverses direction in order to randomize its path and cover the entire pool surface.  While it is 'in reverse' the chlorine is washing over the trapped debris, further inhibiting bacterial growth.

Take a look at How it Works - on our website.  Save money.  Save time.  Have a cleaner pool with less chemicals.

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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...

A frequent comment by visitors to our booth at the Maricopa County Home & Garden Show this weekend is,"My neighbors have these ______ trees that dump all sorts of _____ into my pool.  I can't stand it!  I wish they would just cut them down!!!" 

What a strain on neighborhood relations!  Eucalyptus, mesquite and bougainvillea are beautiful but they are pernicious debris-factories.

Don't get mad!  Get a Solar-Breeze and make friends with your neighbors again!

We add two more benefits to operating a Solar-Breeze in your pool.

• saves your time


• saves electricity


• saves money


• makes efficient use of your sanitizing chemicals


• keeps your pool sparkling clean


• HELPS MAINTAIN GOOD NEIGHBORLY RELATIONS


• SAVES TREES

So, put away the chainsaw and go online to purchase your Solar-Breeze.  Enjoy your neighbors and their shade trees as well. 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...