Parker County Today December 2017 | Page 97

The Collateral Benefits of Going Solar BY RICHARD A. FLOREY Marketing Director EcoVantage Energy, inc. www./ecovantageenergy.com It’s all about the Benefits Anyone who has ever worked in sales will know what I mean by the term, benefits. You’d have heard over and over in sales meeting after meeting, “you don’t sell the product, you sell the benefits of the product.” And really, that is the case for every object we own, isn’t it? Think about it like this: OBJECT = Benefit harmonic causes a CEMF (counter electromotive force) in large motors, which acts in the opposite direction of rotation. The CEMF is not large enough to counteract the rotation, however it does play a small role in the resulting rotating speed of the motor. When there is significant impedance in the path from the power source to a nonlinear load, these current distortions will also produce distortions in the voltage waveform at the load. However, in most cases where the power delivery system is functioning correctly under normal conditions, the voltage distortions will be quite small and can usually be ignored.” The Struggle is Real! And that’s really the bottom line. That little bit of counter rotation in your electric motors, which every major appliance has, reduces the life of that motor and thus, the life of the appliance. That is truly a chain migrated benefit if ever there was one! Hey, if you don’t have to buy a new washer/dryer or refrigerator or dish washer for an extended period of time, that’s got to be a factor in making the Solar Decision. Until next month! “Electric motors experience losses due to hysteresis and eddy currents set up in the iron core of the motor. These are proportional to the frequency of the current. Since the harmonics are at higher frequencies, they produce higher core losses in a motor than the power frequency would. This results in increased heating of the motor core, which (if excessive) can shorten the life of the motor. The 5th • HOME = shelter, protection, taste and style presenta- tion…etc. • CLOTHING = epidermal environmental protection, saving the observer from blindness, taste and style presentation…etc. • AUTOMOBILE = transportation, taste and style presentation…etc. You get the drift. It’s all about the benefits. Benefits you judge to be worth the cost. Collateral Benefits Or as I like to say, beneficial chain migration upscal- ing…ok, I don’t really say that. But it’s true that when you add enough solar and battery backup on your home to offset your electric bill; you have just dragged a whole bunch of benefits right along with it. One of my favorites is in the extension of appliance life. That’s right, solar electric will extend the life of any appliance hooked into it. It’s as simple as that. Here’s how. Clean Sinewave Electricity vs Harmonics According to Wikipedia, voltage harmonics are an effect of slight changes in the fundamental 60 Hz signal caused by impedances from the electrical source. Quote: 95