American Solar Electric & Kyocera Bring Solar Power to Habitat for Humanity

Arizona, United States [RenewableEnergyWorld.com] Five families participating in Habitat for Humanity's new homeowner program will be moving into solar-powered homes this year as a result of an industry partnership coordinated by American Solar Electric. The solar electric systems are being donated by American Solar Electric to Habitat for Humanity as part of the company's 2009 Community Outreach Program.

The systems range in size from 2.73 to 3.15 kilowatts and are comprised of Kyocera high output 210-watt photovoltaic (PV) modules and high-efficiency Fronius IG and IG+ inverters.

“Even as our local economy has slowed, the local solar industry has continued to boom,” said Sean Seitz, president of American Solar Electric. “Thanks to our continued success and the contributions made by our employees and industry partners, we’ve been able to increase the number of solar projects we donate to Habitat for Humanity from two in 2008 to five in 2009.”

Electricity generated by the solar electric systems will be used to offset utility power, thereby reducing the cost of electricity for the new homeowners. The systems are forecasted to produce between 4,700 and 5,500 kilowatt-hours of electricity in their first year of production.