Solar Power Your Home and RV

How Long Will You Be In The Dark When The Lights Go Out?

When the power goes off leaving you with no TV, Internet, or email you have a lot of time on your hands. Thankfully there are batteries, so my trusty computer will still work for a few hours Looking out my window I can’t see any lights in the neighborhood so at least I know it isn’t just my house that’s in the dark. In addition, there are cars running up and down the street, so I know at least it wasn’t the dreaded electromagnetic pulse blast.Is it another terrorist attack or the end of the world. All these kinds of thoughts run through your mind when the lights go off. A feeling of loneliness and fear that grips you to the core.

Our government assures us there is no inflation. Anyone who goes to the supermarket or the gas station can gauge the validity of those claims for themselves. When the power goes off in the middle of the night it’s impossible to know why, but when America runs out of energy we should all know why. This lack of power also brings to mind the recent spike in oil prices and the resulting sticker shock at the pump.

America has some of the greatest proven reserves of oil in the world

America has some of the greatest proven reserves of oil in the world, but due to unproven and sometimes dis-proven environmental concerns we aren’t allowed to explore, drill, or pump at anywhere near full capacity. We have one of the world’s largest supply of coal, but for the same tenuous reasons its use is maligned and restricted. We are the preeminent designer and builder of nuclear power plants, but due to unsupported safety concerns we haven’t licensed or built a new plant for decades. We have the technology and the space to build refineries that don’t pollute; however, the all powerful environmental lobby has blocked the construction of a new one for over thirty years. So when the price hits $5 a gallon and the lights go out don’t sit in the dark and wonder why.

Instead of oil and coal and nuclear we are told that America’s future energy needs will be met by ethanol, solar, and wind

Instead of oil and coal and nuclear we are told that America’s future energy needs will be met by ethanol, solar, and wind. Our massive use of ethanol, which is a very inefficient energy source, has driven up the price of corn worldwide causing food prices to escalate. This in turn has contributed to the current unrest which is driving up oil prices. The same environmentalists who campaign against oil, coal, and nuclear also work to block the construction of solar power plants in the vast deserts of the Southwest. The same politicians who work for the demise of our traditional forms of energy fight the construction of wind farms if they happen to be anywhere near them. All three of these boondoggles have received billions in federal dollars, tax breaks and incentives for decades and the answer to our energy needs are still blowing in the wind.

The only growth industry left by the government is the government. It is powered by its own inactivity. America’s energy policy seems to manufacture an energy crisis. Typing away on my battery operated computer by the flickering light of an oil lamp, the vision of America’s energy future seems almost as dark as the scene outside my window in a blackout. We’ve allowed demagogues preaching a false gospel of man-made global warming chanting songs of pollution hysteria while serving sacraments of social guilt to give our enemies a choke-hold on our energy artery. The next time you pull into a gas station as you pump your fuel look at the price. Remind yourself we have a Secretary of Energy who thinks the price should be at European levels and a President who has said energy prices will skyrocket under his programs. Now ask yourself, if that’s their plan, what’s yours?  The President said we would have “Change We Can Believe In.”

This is some of the reasons why the RV industry is booming. Most are Riding out the Recession by living in a RV. For some that don’t want to give up their home and want an alternate or get away plan, the RV provides both. I have more customers ask me about solar power for their RV and I tell them samlexsolar. Everything you need to know and buy is there at reasonable prices. I do not know who would be the best for your home because I do not sell them. That would be something you would have to Google and shop around. Most of our customers use samlexsolar at General RV, I have been told eBay has some deals. Click on samlexsolar to download a brochure.

It is time we all start thinking about our own power source whether it be a gas or solar generator for the home, fifth wheel and travel trailer. All motorhomes and most toy haulers come with a generator. Solar power generators are not as expensive as they use to be and a much better investment. Here is a link to Portable Solar Power Systems, and Photovoltaic Power Generators, and Portable Solar Generator Systems  When the power goes out, it won’t be at my house.

Barbara Andrews.

Stick-and-Tin vs AZDEL

With a name like “traditional,” it’s difficult to think poorly of one common method of constructing RV sidewalls. Its other moniker, “stick-and-tin,” doesn’t sound as glamorous, but for something that dates back to at least the 1940s, it’s still holding its own.

The other method – best-known as “laminate” – is a better-living-through-science approach, taking a resin plastic, reinforcing it (often with fiberglass) and then treating it with a gel-coat. The end result is then laminated onto a backer board and ultimately onto a superstructure of the RV-manufacturer’s choice.

Still, those in the industry who work with both – and even those who don’t – believe both have their place, especially when it comes to trailers and fifth wheels. For all laminate’s technology, stick-and-tin does offer something many buyers want: a lower price tag, and it’s likely that manufacturers will make – and customers will buy – both technologies on into the future.

There isn’t a shopper alive who doesn’t like to see a lower number when the bottom line is added up, and at least on the surface that’s where the old traditional stick-and-tin, otherwise known as wood-frame construction with aluminum siding, has the most pull.

Although motorhomes have generally abandoned traditional construction methods for the lighter laminates, it’s still popular with fifth wheels and especially travel trailers.

AZDEL is the new composite in the RV industry that replaces wood. The RV Industry’s leading composite panel producer for wood replacement has increased its annual production capacity by 20 million pounds, or a projected 100 million square feet.

After completing a year‐long installation project, AZDEL’s newest production line started supplying RV manufacturers last June 2011, according to a news release. The growing demand for AZDEL’s unique family of lightweight composite products for transportation markets around the globe has driven the need for its fourth and most advanced manufacturing line.

AZDEL credits expansion to the RV Industry’s increased interest in Lightweight Composite Materials for Wood Replacement. AZDEL has served the RV Industry since 2006 and today has over 20 million square feet of their groundbreaking AZDEL SuperLite Panels in service. Expansion will enable future supply of AZDEL products to meet growing demand and demonstrates AZDEL’s ongoing commitment to the RV Industry and transportation markets worldwide.

RV manufacturers continue to specify AZDEL’s composite panels for their superior light weight and high quality performance over wood‐based materials. AZDEL believes its material has not only advanced the RV Industry, but also is enhancing the RVing experience for this and future generations of RVers. Barbara Andrews, stop by and see me for more information on this product, 1577 Wells Rd Orange Park, Fl 32073  904 458-3000.