Supplier

Our parent company is Design Homes Inc. formed in 1966.  We are one of the Midwest’s largest builders of custom homes with 20 model home locations serving 10 states ( www.DesignHomes.com ).  Design Homes began in 1966 and is now a 45-year old, debt-free, privately owned company with a number of "spin-off" divisions, including radio stations, aircraft ownership in a charter operation, apartments, retail ventures, and a division that makes commercial parabolic antennas with a unique aluminum spinning operation (www.DHSatellite.com).  DH Satellite has become the standard for heavy-duty antennas worldwide, and most TV stations use at least one.   As we became aware of the growing market for PV solar panels for generating electricity, it became apparent that attaching solar panels to our horizon-to-horizon mount system would be the ideal way to gain the most possible efficiency.  The sun follows a known arc that changes each day.  We are aware that other tracking systems use light sensing systems to track the sun.  We felt if we could create a controller that moved the panels through the arc of the sun and changed this arc to match the seasons we would have a better system.  Our people developed the controller and we were amazed at the efficiency gained by being pointed at the sun all day long instead of simply facing the panels southward.  Also on a day of broken clouds when there is a break we are pointed at the sun.   During the past few years, we have refined our "trackers" and now have a balanced system with a heavy-duty commercial motor and new US-built controller.  Our tracker will work anywhere on earth and can generate up to 40% more electricity than fixed systems.  Since we "tie-in" to the power company grid, batteries are not needed.   We offer two types of systems---Dual Axis Trackers and Fixed Mounts with optional seasonal adjustment.     DH Solar is a division of Design Homes Inc. (www.designhomes.com)  

Photovoltaics

  Anyone who has used a modern mathematical calculator can grasp the concept of photovoltaics (PV).  It is simply the process of converting energy from the Sun into electricity that can power everything from household appliances and lights to commercial buildings and power plants.  In precisely the same way as the small solar cells on hand-held calculators eliminate the need for batteries, PV can provide the world with a clean, reliable source of electricity and reduce our reliance on ever-depleting fossil fuels.   The PV technology of the 21st century makes it possible.  It employs layers of micro-fine crystalline silicon to convert ordinary sunlight into small electrical charges. This process is then multiplied thousands of times to create, smaller than ever before, modules and systems that can generate enough electricity to power entire towns.   It's important to note that PV is different from the solar thermal energy used for heating or in hot water production. A single PV cell consists of two or more thin layers of semi-conducting material, most commonly crystalline silicon. When the silicon is exposed to light, small electrical charges are generated and conducted away by metal contacts as direct current (DC).  Click here to view an animated demonstration.   In order to maximize energy collection and conversion, single cells are connected together and housed in a module. These modules are the building blocks of the PV systems and are, in turn, connected together to generate usable volumes of electricity. In some instances, an inverter is also used to convert high voltage DC into lower voltage AC power--which can then be sold back to the power company if you generate more than you use. Our parent company is Design Homes Inc. formed in 1966.  We are one of the Midwest’s largest builders of custom homes with 20 model home locations serving 10 states ( www.DesignHomes.com ).  Design Homes began in 1966 and is now a 45-year old, debt-free, privately owned company with a number of "spin-off" divisions, including radio stations, aircraft ownership in a charter operation, apartments, retail ventures, and a division that makes commercial parabolic antennas with a unique aluminum spinning operation (www.DHSatellite.com).  DH Satellite has become the standard for heavy-duty antennas worldwide, and most TV stations use at least one.   As we became aware of the growing market for PV solar panels for generating electricity, it became apparent that attaching solar panels to our horizon-to-horizon mount system would be the ideal way to gain the most possible efficiency.  The sun follows a known arc that changes each day.  We are aware that other tracking systems use light sensing systems to track the sun.  We felt if we could create a controller that moved the panels through the arc of the sun and changed this arc to match the seasons we would have a better system.  Our people developed the controller and we were amazed at the efficiency gained by being pointed at the sun all day long instead of simply facing the panels southward.  Also on a day of broken clouds when there is a break we are pointed at the sun.   During the past few years, we have refined our "trackers" and now have a balanced system with a heavy-duty commercial motor and new US-built controller.  Our tracker will work anywhere on earth and can generate up to 40% more electricity than fixed systems.  Since we "tie-in" to the power company grid, batteries are not needed.   We offer two types of systems---Dual Axis Trackers and Fixed Mounts with optional seasonal adjustment.     DH Solar is a division of Design Homes Inc. (www.designhomes.com)  

Photovoltaics

  Anyone who has used a modern mathematical calculator can grasp the concept of photovoltaics (PV).  It is simply the process of converting energy from the Sun into electricity that can power everything from household appliances and lights to commercial buildings and power plants.  In precisely the same way as the small solar cells on hand-held calculators eliminate the need for batteries, PV can provide the world with a clean, reliable source of electricity and reduce our reliance on ever-depleting fossil fuels.   The PV technology of the 21st century makes it possible.  It employs layers of micro-fine crystalline silicon to convert ordinary sunlight into small electrical charges. This process is then multiplied thousands of times to create, smaller than ever before, modules and systems that can generate enough electricity to power entire towns.   It's important to note that PV is different from the solar thermal energy used for heating or in hot water production. A single PV cell consists of two or more thin layers of semi-conducting material, most commonly crystalline silicon. When the silicon is exposed to light, small electrical charges are generated and conducted away by metal contacts as direct current (DC).  Click here to view an animated demonstration.   In order to maximize energy collection and conversion, single cells are connected together and housed in a module. These modules are the building blocks of the PV systems and are, in turn, connected together to generate usable volumes of electricity. In some instances, an inverter is also used to convert high voltage DC into lower voltage AC power--which can then be sold back to the power company if you generate more than you use.