ROBIN'S SOLAR JOURNEY

Hi.  My name is Robin Vallier and I am passionate about all things solar!  

The core value behind my company  Soulstice Solar LLC is to provide individuals with control over the source of their electricity.  Electricity is a basic foundational need, right in line with food and water.  A majority of Americans take electricity for granted.  As more and more 'acts of god’ like natural events continue to increase and create havoc on our country’s electrical grid, we need to be able to harness electricity from the sun (and/or wind!) in the event our personal access to the grid is denied, and fuel for gas generators becomes more scarce or expensive.

I went to school specifically for a degree in solar.  I have always loved the sun, and am actually a beach girl stuck in a mountain town. I am fascinated with the Universe in general and feel strongly about doing what I can to protect our Mother Earth.  I don’t care if climate change is caused by humans or not, I think it makes sense to harvest the free resources offered by the universe, and put them to good use. 

Since graduating (in front of my two impressionable young sons), I have worked as a Project Manager for a small local installer and worked on system commissioning and troubleshooting.  Most recently  I have been working on solar monitoring set up across multiple brands, critter guard installations, panel cleaning, and troubleshooting for early adopters,  all for my own company.   I also sell residential grid tie systems for more than one installer.

I find it interesting that electricity is one of our basic needs that so many take for granted.  Our country’s electrical grid system is about as stable and secure as our highway and bridge system.  How does that settle in your brain?  

I want to teach people how they can produce their own electricity using solar. In the US today, if you do not own your home, you are not allowed to install roof mounted solar.  Sure this makes total sense, solar is a large appliance with a large price tag, and it doesn’t move with you easily if you are a renter.   What if you are living in a mobile home?  Mobile homes do not have the structural engineering in the roof to be able to attach solar to the roof. Ground Mount systems are great in taking the load off the roof.  However, the larger the system, the more expensive it is to permanently mount the panels to the ground, either using concrete piers, or ballasted frames that will take up a large footprint.

A full size solar system is designed to offset your annual electricity usage by 100%.  It can cost you about $22-25k after all discounts and loan payments are taken into consideration (and this number is going up by the minute due to our current inflation, along with the price of electricity).  This kind of price tag can be prohibitive for many.  What if you don't want to spend that much but still want to help out your bottom line on electricity costs, or have peace of mind with a backup if the grid goes down.

This is where I come in.  

I learn best with hands on training and just plain doing it myself.  And that is what I did. While working for a local installer, I received a call from a man who had four Canadian Solar 330W panels he wanted to unload from his garage so he could fit his little mini car back in it. He said he had worked on installing a solar farm up in Wyoming and they had sent him these panels to keep on hand in case there were any damaged during install.  He said it had been a few years, and just had no need for the panels.  Being the little opportunistic one that I am, I said “Sold!”  I was living in my dad’s house at the time, the one that he was selling, so I couldn’t even use the panels.  They sat in the basement of my dad’s house for a year until I moved into my new townhome.  

Guess what, now I don’t own my roof! Just as well because I wanted to have them down on the ground where I could play with them.  Click here to learn about my own small off grid build. 

Battery storage is the biggest key to an off grid system.  It is a big investment.  The bigger  the panel investment, the bigger the battery investment.  But the bigger the battery, the bigger the feeling of security.

Soulstice Solar can teach anyone (like single moms!) how to build and operate a solar electric system large enough to power medical devices, charge a laptop or phone, or run some lighting in an emergency situation.  The cost is significantly less than a traditional residential solar system, and since this isn’t fixed mounted, you can take it with you if you need to move.  This also has great potential for giving a second life to used solar panels, giving them an extended life before breakdown of materials for recycling.

Every home is unique with its dynamics in these areas:

• Is there enough room to place a few large solar panels in the yard?
• Can the panels be placed permanently or do we need to be able to move them?
• What kind of south facing (best solar producing) ‘real estate’ is in the yard?
• Are there any covenants in your neighborhood that might object to panels in view?
• What are the ‘critical loads’ you need to have running in an emergency?
• How often or how long have you experienced any grid outages through your utility?

To learn how these questions impact an off grid system, sign up for a class today or contact us today for a free personal consultation, 512.484.1888, soulsticesolar@gmail.com.