Akeena Solar Panels offered by Lowe’s and Home Depot
December 14, 2009 (FinancialWire) — Akeena Solar Inc. (AKNS) Andalay AC panels are available at 21 Lowe’s (LOW) home-improvement stores throughout California. The panels, which were recently honored with a 2009 Popular Mechanics Breakthrough Product award, are featured as part of Lowe’s Energy Center at the stores.
California Solar at Lowes
The Lowe’s Energy Center offers an information kiosk to help customers evaluate their home’s solar and wind potential, and the Energy Center features products that help them measure their energy use, reduce energy consumption and generate clean energy. Lowe’s is the first major retailer to offer many of these products in one place, products that range from power monitors and small solar chargers to a solar panel system. The Energy Center will be in additional U.S. and Canadian stores in 2010.
Andalay AC panels, developed by Akeena California Solar in Silicon Valley, have integrated racking, wiring and grounding, reducing the overall parts count by 80 percent and protecting against performance-threatening breakdowns that could happen with ordinary DC power systems.
Andalay panels also have built-in inverters that produce household AC power, so there is no high-voltage DC wiring. These safety and reliability benefits are achieved without compromising performance. In fact, Andalay AC panels produce 5 to 25 percent more energy output compared with ordinary DC solar panels. Because of the modular design of Andalay AC panels, homeowners could install a few panels now and gradually add on later, unlike DC systems that require a complete redesign when adding panels.
Ordinary DC solar power systems also require special installation skills. The innovations provided by Andalay’s AC solar system deliver simplicity and safety so that for the first time, electricians, HVAC contractors and experienced do-it-yourselfers can install a solar power system without specialized training.
Participating California Lowe’s stores will stock the accessories required for installation, eliminating the need for do-it-yourselfers and contractors to pre-order components and enabling them to pick up what they need on the way to the installation.
