Improved Reliability Delivers a Better Investment

Until Akeena introduced Andalay solar panels, there hadn’t been an update in solar energy system design and installation for over 30 years. As the demand for solar power systems increased, the need to address longstanding design weaknesses that impacted reliability was becoming critical.

Andalay addresses the design weaknesses in traditional solar panels by incorporating the entire electrical system into the overall framing infrastructure. This way, the solar panel acts as a part of the rack mounting system itself, replacing unnecessary rails and enabling these components to be manufactured in a factory setting for better quality control. Having all the electrical and grounding connections pre-assembled at the factory means that the product more closely resembles a finished installation—before it’s mounted on a roof!

This installation methodology, while simplifying installation and reducing rooftop labor and rooftop assembled parts, produces a much safer product. The overall result is faster, smoother, more consistent installations that deliver dramatically higher long-term reliability. And the bonus for homeowners is that there are far fewer holes in your roof and less chance for leaks!

The other key consumer benefit from this new design is more robust grounding. By using a primary grounding path through double-ended, threaded splice rods that bolt together adjacent panels, grounding is substantially better than with ordinary wire. Because the ground path is contiguous, all grounding is automatic among the components as the frame and roof mount components are being assembled.

The final part of the grounding is to attach a ground strap from the frame to the final ground point, which completes the grounding for every piece of the panel and mounting system with redundancy built-in for extra reliability. Wires will break in traditional mounting systems, guaranteed, it is only a matter of time before the weather or a squirrel gets to it first!

Simply stated, Andalay is the future of solar power. The award-winning technology outperforms ordinary solar panels on cloudy days and in shady areas. Andalay also delivers a massive improvement in reliability that protects the value of your investment. Oh, yeah, and it looks great, too!

Check back next time, when I’ll be talking about the facts of life. . .solar life, that is. ;)

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