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Empower Yourself!

Our mission is to help Central Wisconsin residents empower themselves by taking charge of their energy use with renewable energy and smart energy choices.

Performance Energy Inc. is the first company in Wausau to offer compete solar energy services. We can also help you save money and energy through home performance testing, insulation and other services.

Find out more at www.PerformanceEnergyInc.com.

Performance Energy, Inc.
P.O. Box 578
Wausau, WI 54402
(715)218-1373
thesolarguy@verizon.net

Renewable Energy Issue Makes Front Page of Wausau Daily Herald

May 20th, 2010 by Admin in Uncategorized
Coal burning power plant

Wisconsin is fifth in the nation for dependence on coal for electricity, sending $853 million out of state for the fuel in 2008. Why not keep more of those dollars working in our own economy by switching to clean energy sources like solar and wind?

We’ve been pointing out for ages that when it comes to fossil fuel, Wisconsin is dead in the water.  Every lump of  coal, drop of oil,  and therm of natural gas we burn has to be imported from out of state – thus exporting dollars that could be used to bolster our state’s economy.

Well, it finally made front page news.

Today’s Wausau Daily Herald featured an article penned by Gannett News Service staff writer Larry Bivens, entitled Coal costs Wis. $853 million each year.

The article covers a recent report released by the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) entitled “Burning Coal, Burning Cash: Ranking the States that Import the Most Coal.”

Coal is one of the dirtiest ways to get electricity.  Burning it brings consequences not only for global climate change but for Wisconsin’s air quality and thus the health of its citizens.

In addition, switching to renewable sources of energy such as solar and wind will keep more dollars circulating in our state’s economy.

“Wisconsin has the technical potential to generate 4.2 times its electricity needs from renewable power,” Biven quotes Barbara Freese, a senior analyst with UCS and a co-author of the report, as saying during a recent teleconference.

Want to be part of the solution?  Call us to find out how we can help you generate your own clean, local electricity from the sun!  715-218-8654

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Solar Roofing or Traditional Solar Panels – Which Should You Choose?

January 30th, 2010 by Admin in PV Panel, Wausau, Wisconsin, solar PV cells, solar energy, solar equipment, solar pv installer


Snow can present a major problem for owners of solar roofs in northern climates.

As far as we’re concerned, it’s a loaded question. The reason? Frankly, solar electric (aka photovoltaics, or PV for short) is frequently not the best choice to begin with.

Don’t get me wrong. We’re not anti-PV. Quite the contrary. We install PV as well as solar thermal systems. On a personal note, we lived completely off-grid and used two small PV systems to supply electricity for our home and an outbuilding for three years before moving to the Wausau area. It was a wonderful experience in many ways and we plan to install PV in some capacity on our new home once we’ve gotten that far in the renovation process.

PV or no PV – that is the question.
However, when a customer approaches us about PV, the first question we have for them is, “What’s your reason for wanting it?”
PV is great for those wanting to be self-sufficient or completely energy independent. It’s great as part of a larger plan for those building an energy-efficient home, or as a crowning glory for those who have already gotten their energy consumption down to very low levels.
But for those wanting simply to reduce high energy bills in a cost-effective manner, it’s not great. It’s stupid. You can spend a lot less on other technologies that will take your total energy footprint down tons faster than PV, and that’s where it ought to start for those seeking value.
Now that that’s off my chest, let’s get back to the topic at hand.

Solar roofing or panels – which is better?
Well, as usual, there are pros and cons to each. Let’s take a look.
People like solar roofing primarily because of the aesthetics. It blends right in with the roof without interfering with the design qualities of the building.
Thin film solar such as solar roofing is typically far less efficient at converting sunlight to electricity – about 8-10% efficient vs. 12% to over 20% now for regular panels. However, it does continue to produce electricity at far lower light levels than traditional panels. Is it enough to make up for the lower efficiency? The debate rages in solar circles. For now the best we can tell you is we don’t really know.

Snowed by snow
One thing we do know, though, is that here in central and northern Wisconsin we get a lot of snow. Snow that doesn’t melt readily off of PV surfaces of any type. Snow that can put solar electricity generation out of commission for days on end. We figure that with a roof mount you’ll be losing 20% to over 30% of your annual production in a typical year if you don’t want to be dancing around on your roof all winter.
With a solar roof there’s not much you can do about it. But regular panels can be pole-mounted where it’s easy to brush them off with a broom. And if you use an adjustable rack you can change their angle a couple times a year (flatter in summer, steeper in winter) for greater efficiency and to shed snow more effectively.
Now, we’re not going to say one option is better than another. Every situation is different and it’s good to have options to weigh. But for most applications, in this climate we’ll place our bets on the panels.

Visit Performance Energy, Inc.

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Solar PV Installer

July 17th, 2009 by Performance Energy in pv training, solar installer, solar pv installer

It’s been a little lonely around here the past couple of weeks. That’s because Dan’s been out in Colorado, finishing up his photovoltaics training at Solar Energy International (SEI).

I just tried reaching him on his cell phone and couldn’t get through, but according to the syllabus he should have just graduated as a certified PV installer about an hour ago.

Dan will be swinging through Kansas City to visit his mom on the way back up to Wisconsin. Bet she’s proud of him!

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