Residential Solar Powered Products & Information

 

Nitro-Pak Preparedness Center

Solar Powered Fans

There are solar fans for many different uses.  They range from attic ventilation to ones placed in the brim of your ball cap.  There are units to cool down the interior of your car, exchange air inside your dogs house, shed or greenhouse and rechargeable oscillating fans with radios suitable for the pool or beach.  If you can think of a place where you might want to move air, there are solar powered fans designed to do the job.  Below I will go into some of these different models and their uses.

Solar Powered Attic Fans:

A super hot attic makes your air conditioner work harder to keep your home cool in the summer months.  Attic fans are designed to pull cooler outdoor air in through soffit and gable vents and expel the hotter attic air outside.  If your vents are obstructed and there isn't a good seal between your indoor & attic space, the fan can draw your air conditioned air & expel it outside.  This can significantly increase your utility bill so be aware.  As far as solar powered attic fans there are benefits and drawbacks.  One of the benefits is that you probably wont need an electrician to wire it up (costly).  Another is that the suns energy is free.  A couple drawbacks are that they can be kind of expensive.  (Do however look for government rebates to offset the cost.)  Also, solar solutions tend to not be as powerful as the traditional units.  Here is a good place for information regarding attic ventilation...energystar.gov.  If you are the DIY kind & thinking of installing a solar attic fan yourself, This Old House has a pretty good video explaining the steps involved.  

Solar Powered House Fans:

Besides saving money on energy bills, traditional style fans (think oscillating) can be a real necessity.  Today there are many different sizes and features for solar fans.  One particular unit was designed for emergencies.  It is just like any other fan in so much as you can use it plugged into a standard 110 wall outlet.  However, the unit also comes with an internal battery, solar panel and even LED lights.  Every year numerous people in the US die from heat exhaustion.  Having a solar powered fan available should there be a power outage during the summer months could save a life.

 

Solar Attic Fan - 20 Watts - 2000 sq ft - Black
from: Earthtech Products

12V DC 12 Freedom Floor Fan, 124-C
from: GoGreenSolar