Olympic Energy Systems, Inc. is a system development firm based on the North Olympic Peninsula in the USA.  The company provides expertise and support as an advocate, architect, and consultant to clients considering or adopting renewable energy systems - solar electric, solar hot water, wind power, hydro power, and other systems, on or off the utility grid, residential, commercial, institutional. Since 2001.

          [click]        We have two offices in Washington State:
 
    Port Townsend (360) 301-5133 (main)     Port Angeles (360) 301-5133 (days)

Looking for a SOLAR CONTRACTOR?

They are in the Yellow Pages under Electrical Contractors!  Let us coordinate your next solar project with your electrician.  Olympic Energy Systems provides the solar expertise to licensed electricians, who apply their extensive installation skills to your project, which is worked to a permit and inspected.

Our MISSION STATEMENT

Implement sustainable energy systems through the application of basic science, engineering principles, and innovation, promoting involvement of local contractors, technicians, and workers while enhancing understanding of global implications of our individual and mutual actions.

WHO WE ARE [pdf]
(Reading the linked pdf could be simpler than reviewing this 6 year old website, which has admittedly grown to have too much information, with perhaps some of it dated and superceded by current events.  We'll fix it soon.)

See what we have been doing in OHIO and other midwest states...

Press Release
(by the Solar Energy Industry Association)

"Federal Solar Tax Credits Extended for 8 years, US Poised to Become Largest Solar Market in the World"

On October 3, 2008 the US House of Representatives passed H.R. 1424,
the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008...

30% federal investment tax credit extended for both residential and commercial applications for 8 years, for solar energy systems placed into service after December 31, 2008
NOTE: The $2,000 cap for residential is eliminated!

The Latest! Press Release
(by ACORE - American Council On Renewable Energy)

"The Congress has passed and the President has signed the
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009..."

The implications for local solar and other energy projects is positive.
Read up on this Recovery Bill .
Three year extension of the Production Tax Credit (including Hydro)
Investment Tax Credit Accessible to All Renewable Energy
Grant Programs and Credits
Direct Spending in RE
Grid Development
Demonstration Projects
Clean Renewable Energy Bonds (CREBs)
RE Loan Guarantee Program

Click Washington (State) Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency

For Those in Washington State...
(SB6170 has extended renewable energy incentives)
The Production Incentive is extended to 2020 (paid annually).
The State Sales Tax Exemption for Solar Electric and Hot Water is extended to June 30, 2013.
(The extension of these incentives allow for a POSITIVE Present Worth for investments in Grid-Tied Solar PV Systems.  Some utilites do not offer rebates on the System Cost, but put into perspective, this is equivalent to only about a 10% reduction in the Solar Insolation Level at the site.  The utility premium payment for each KWh produced by solar is valuable to all owners, with very few other states implementing such a progressive incentive.


Let Olympic Energy Systems provide a free solar economic analysis!
This means $1000s in additional savings, rewarding those who waited.
In light of the failing financial markets, solar energy systems are more than ever a solid, secure investment.  We do not give out investment advice, but we do share the economics of solar energy with clients.  Call us.

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We welcome Mark Gilbert to our staff!
Mark will help with solar site assessments and initial consultations.
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  You will see us at these regular events:

KONP Home Show (February)
Home Remodel & Energy Expo (March)
Olympic Energy EXPO (Fall)
Great Peninsula Future Festival (August)
www.GreatPeninsulaFutureFestival.org
Jefferson County Home Show (May)

FREE ADVICE: Do not forget the option to Go Small & Simple Solar! On or Off the Utility Grid.  That approach has worked for thousands.
(Appropriate applications make solar cost effective now - with or without incentives - call our consultants and we will explain how.  You do not have to directly compete with the economy of scale of utilities, until solar really does reach parity with conventional utility power in the years ahead.  Call and plan to become educated energy managers and invest wisely.)

ASK about our Solar Design Packages

(We assess your site and specify the system, so you can take "The Spec" out for bids.  Easy!)

Solar Design Packages (from $200 up)

• Prepare a Solar Design Package
• Site Assessment (for solar electric/PV or thermal/hot water)
• System Options
• System Performance & Economic Analyses
• Proposed System (with Plan, Specification, and Cost Estimate)
• Considerations (and Suggestions) e.g., Incentives, Economics, Embedded Energy, Trends in Policy & Technology, Efficiency, Co-Op Buying, Provisioning
• Decide on a Go-Ahead
• Solicit Bids (to Build) - Optional
• Build (install the system per the OES-proposed team or others) i.e., Procure Parts, Coordinate Contractors, Utility, and/or other Agencies, Test, Provide Follow-on Support

Contractors - A snapshot and growing list of solar-related firms on the O.P.

• Hanson Electric & Networks
• Current Electric
• Jarmuth Electric
• Lang's 'Lectric
• Cascade Electric
• Extra Mile Tech & Electrical
• Black Point Electric
• West Sound Electric
• Frederickson Electric
• Greenspace Design & Landscaping Ltd
• Alpha Builders Corporation
• Sunrise Heating
• Air-Flo Heating
• H2O Plumbing Contractors
• Precision Plumbing
• NW Gas Supply & Plumbing
• Shay's Plumbing
• Bob Brown Plumbing
• PT Creative Landscapes 
• Solar Hot Water (SOLARHW9260S)
• The Solar Water Group (SOLARWG923PC)

  CALL or email to arrange a FREE* Initial Consultation

     (to discuss your solar access, system options, economic feasibility, and ideas to save energy)

      * On the Olympic Peninsula and in the Puget Sound area (a small fee elsewhere)
      For $200, you can receive a written report, with detailed analysis, info to get you started, & a quote.

ELECTRICAL CONTRACTORS, are you looking for Solar Clients?

Olympic Energy Systems will help you go solar, through consulting with your customers, assessing sites for solar access and potential, specifying systems, and assisting you in learning about solar energy systems. CALL us.

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Opportunity is knocking . . . a solar energy course . . .

ELECTRICAL and GENERAL CONTRACTORS: Sign up NOW !!! for an SEI Solar course:

"Solar-Electric (PV) Design and Installation"  and other related
When: TBA  Tuition: <$1,000  Where: in Anacortes, WA and elsewhere

Contact SEI at sei@solarenergy.org or (970) 963-8855 or the local coordinator ian@solarenergy.org 
Learn and prosper in the emerging solar energy industry.  Our founder took the course back in 2000.

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The company supports the transition from non-renewable fossil fuels to renewable solar energy, holding a firm belief that clean and renewable energy is cost effective now.  Given the growing interest, knowledge, and products available, a vigorous approach to developing one's own energy systems can assure maximum performance and reasonable cost, that is, a return on investment.

The dynamic interplay of populism and crporatism (both being the dominant and accepted forces at work today) can help explain today's realities.  It is the subtle, if not hidden, abuses of corporatism that necessitate our understanding of the role of populism in keeping corporatism in check.  Request a copy of the Power Trick Report, which illustrates the interplay of populism with corporatism.

As building architects help clients design and develop buildings, the System Architects at Olympic Energy Systems help clients develop renewable energy systems.

Hey!  Considering a net metering solar PV electric system?  Deciding between a solar hot water internal heat exchanger pre-heat tank and an external heat exchanger with existing hot water tank configuration?  Let us help you navigate the science, systems, and options available.  Is WINTER leaving you without power?  Let OES design and install a solar-energized backup power system for your home or business.

                                                   Newsletters

Olympic Energy Systems, Inc. publishes a quarterly newsletter, Olympic RE News, available through a free subscription or individual issues upon request or downloadable here in pdf format.

See a recap of the Solar 2007 conference in our Fall 2007 issue.

The Fall 2006 issue is here and features Solar Hot Water Systems.  The Fall 2005 issue is available, featuring a local SIP panel manufacturing firm, outlining the solar energy system planning process, and containing the usual book review and news.  The Spring 2005 issue is available, with North Cascades Hydro news, a book review, and editorials.  The Fall 2004 issue is also available.  The Summer 2003 issue was the company's first Special Issue, featuring hydroelectric power.

See some of our projects in the Fall 2007 issue of Olympic RE News.

See some more in the Fall 2008 issue of Olympic RE News, highlighting the release of the OPS Manual, review of Greg Pahl's "The Citizen-Powered Energy Handbook", and Zero Energy Buildings.

You must see the Spring 2009 issue of Olympic RE News, featuring Solar Thermal Systems...we provide a quick guide to systems and a summary of several manufacturers.  It is mainly about Solar Hot Water Systems.

See one of us at the Evergreen Solar plant (we didn't get this into a newsletter, though.)

Can we troubleshoot your old solar hot water system?

Let OES help you go Solar Thermal, as the 30% Federal Tax Credits apply, while the solar domestic hot water and auxiliary space heat systems provide for energy savings and increased equity of your home or business.

From our recent Olympic Energy EXPO


Kirk Doray w/ visitor alongside a working Solar Hot Water Demo.  Thermomax Mazdon Evacuated Tubes shown.

Some recent additions to the solar family on the North Olympic Peninsula... 

 
   
Battery Box [For Sale $200 Call]   NEW Box - doubles storage!!     Production Meter (for incentives)


    
This 3200 Watt Grid-Tied Solar PV System provides 10 KWh of battery backup to all of the 110V
circuits in the house.  Delivery, PV Panel Installation, and Equipment Installation took a few days,
while the study and design ahead of the installation took much longer.  System: XW Series Inverter, Charge Controller, and Panel (from Xantrex), Concorde Sealed Batteries, Midnite Solar Battery Box, and Evergreen PV Panels.

           
       The new Helio-Pak is here!  This DHW preheat system came on line in June.
       (another fine installation by Greenspace and Northwest Gas Supply & Plumbing)

            

           

             
        An 8 ton pipeline is heavy, thus a flex joint at the top.     This grid-tied solar electric system cost $7.25 per watt.

           
       A recent off-grid (360 Watts PV, 10KWh storage)          The Mid-Nite Solar panel before (off-grid) inverter install

            
       A great job by the area's newest "Solar Contractor"!           See this sign and know that someone else is going solar
         (That vertical conduit goes to a 2280 Watt PV Array)          (with help from the Solar Architects at Olympic Energy)

We sometimes go beyond the North Olympic Peninsula...

             
      Scott from Current Electric wires an add-on PV string.  Fresh chalk line dust has settled on the original PV string.
        This site is in Kirkland, WA.

But we will always be around to support the North Olympic Peninsula...

      Structures To Go is at it again, delivering another energy efficient SIP building for a new shop in Port Angeles. 
      See the Olympic Energy Systems founder anywhere?


           
   H2O Plumbing Contractors has completed a 30 evacuated tube solar hot water preheat system in Sequim, WA USA
   Lang's 'Lectric is wiring the Differential Temperature Controller and (Battery-Backed Up) AC Pump ("Solar Station")
 

         
    Another Greenspace installation (in Port Angeles)           A recently installed Debris Gate assures 1000 KWh/Day
     Precision Plumbing has already plumbed this system...we're waiting on the well water hookup.


        

A Gelato and a lot o' watts..A 350 Watt motor drives the Gelato, while a 350 Watt solar array charges the bike's battery, via a larger battery bank in the garage.  The system operates free, while the initial investment (less than $5K) actually pays off over time, far better than the gasoline-powered car it replaces.

Residential, commercial, and industrial clients benefit from the professional services provided by Olympic Energy Systems. Inc.  Clients better achieve their technical and cost goals when assisted by an independent consultant ADVOCATE, who is not selling a particular line of products, but helps in the selection of appropriate products, system architectures, and development teams.  The company offers assistance in acquiring low-cost financing for solar energy projects.

Did you see our newspaper ad?  Do you want to read an interview with our senior consultant?

Do I need a Renewable Energy Consultant?               

The general public may have difficulty grasping the idea of a consultant, having traditionally been treated and marketed as consumers by industry.  The Renewable Energy industry, though more education-oriented than most, is indeed a business that sells products, and doing so ever more directly.  Our independent consultant System Architect role provides the decision support you need to make informed choices.

Given that clean renewable energy is indeed what we all need, what should a renewable energy consumer buy?  What are the options?  What is the best option?  Does it save the consumer money?  Does it help solve the "bigger" energy problems of the world?  Does it make sense?
 
A consultant treats the general public as clients, not merely consumers.  Olympic Energy Systems, Inc. (OES) is interested in three basic goals: 1) Incorporating Renewable Energy effectively for optimum performance, 2) Providing for the best economic return to the client, and 3) Improving the overall energy problems, while moving toward true sustainability.

OES does not charge for services until a project reaches Go Ahead, whereby preliminary designs and cost estimates exist.  OES charges on a negotiated fee basis, paid upon project completion.  The OES consultant (system architect) is paid for actually achieving targeted performance goals that provide for a positive economic return to the client.

Network Philosophy

OES has in the past provided its own team to install solar, wind, and small-scale hydroelectric energy systems.  With formation of the Olympic Energy Network, we have expanded that great team.  We use licensed and bonded electricians, general contractors, and plumbing and heating professionals.  Go to the Network by clicking ...

 [Click for Network]


 

Our brochure is available in pdf format.

In addition to its core Systems Development group, Olympic Energy Systems, Inc. has a newer Product Development group (based in Ohio), focusing on two main technology areas (Buildings & Transportation) plus R&D.


                                 Some Project Portfolios

Project Portfolios...      

What does a typical Solar Photovoltaic System look like?

What does another typical Solar PV System look like?
What does Clallam County's first Grid-Tie Solar PV System look like?

Here is a Roof Top Solar PV system.
Here is another Roof Top Solar PV system, with a unique equipment mount.

What does a typical small Hydro-Electric Power System look like?

See a modest size Hydro-Electric Power System....

See a Hydro System capable of powering 20 homes on the North OP.

What does a Solar Hot Water System look like?  We know it feels warm!

Look at this quite useful Off-Grid PV System.

Yes, another Grid-Tied PV System, but this one will zero the utility meter and has a view!
Here's a dual solar energy system...Grid-Tied with Battery Backup and Solar Hot Water

Another, but smaller, Grid-Tied Solar Electric with Battery Backup

In 2009 and on, the North Olympic Peninsula will need:

• Diligence - from all of us - in pursuing a sound renewable energy future
• Participation in Solar Washington, as new members of this educational organization
• Membership in the American Solar Energy Society

What does a sound renewable energy future involve?

• Acquiring Awareness and Knowledge (about energy, the earth, science, and society)
• Living to Principles of Sustainability

          Such as Alan Durning's summarized principles: 1) Put Safety First, 2) Measure What Matters,
             3) Let Prices Reflect Costs, 4) Build Compact Communities, and 5) Make Every Child Wanted

• Insisting on Reasonable Economic Returns (in our personal and collective investments)
• Promoting Public-serving Policies (in government and institutions)

And now back to matters of energy and economics...

Federal Tax Credits available! $150 Furnace, $200 Windows, $300 Water Heater, $500 Insulation, AND 30% (uncapped) for Solar Panels (Photovoltaic or Thermal).  Use FORM 5695 (w/ IRS Form 1040).

Washington State residents now enjoy a sales tax exemption on solar hot water systems, as well as solar electric systems!  Access the Leglislation List for legislators in Washington State, to say hello and thank them for their work in supporting renewable energy.

A 30% Federal Tax Credit (previously to a cap of $2,000 for residential systems), for the cost of solar photovoltaic and solar hot water systems, will be available for systems put into service between January 1, 2006 and December 31, 2007, recently extended to 2008, and now uncapped!  OES has developed its Renewable Energy Cost Model (RCM), first available in Summer 2004, helpful to those considering RE solutions to their energy needs.  The RCM can illustrate the savings resulting from passage of the Senate Bills SB 5101 and SB 5111 and The Energy Policy Act of 2005.  For an RCM description, click RCM Abstract or see our page.  For a summary and analysis of the incentives, click Solar Energy Incentives.

Simply, a host of solar incentives are available, including Net Metering, Federal Tax Credits, Utility Rebates, Production Payments (by Utilities), and Green Tag Subsidies.  The Federal Tax Credits and Utility Rebates apply to solar thermal systems, as well as solar PV.

A positive Present Worth (which you get with the available incentives) is like receiving a bonus for investing in a solar energy system.  The (System Cost) capital, if it were to sit in a bank account, would have a Present Worth of zero.

For FREE informational charts on Solar PV Grid-Tie System Planning and Site Evaluation, click System Planning, presented at the recent Grid-Tied Solar Electric System as Energy Supplement Workshop in Port Hadlock, Washington.

HYDROGEN FUEL INITIATIVE

The Bush Administration's Hydrogen Fuel Initiative, while it may be short on goals in the near term, has important implications for the inevitable long-term, when Post Peak Oil and Global Warming will have made Hydrogen the obvious choice for fueling our transportation vehicles.

Going back a few years to The Beginning...(we see why clean coal and nuclear energy were emphasized in the Bush Energy Plan of 2001, for they represent the lea$t co$t paths to replacing diminishing supplies of oil)...

 

 

 

Olympic Energy's Jonathan Clemens snaps a self-portrait in front of First Energy's Nuclear Power Station in Northwest Ohio (on Lake Erie), known since the early 1970's as Davis-Besse.  The cooling tower can be seen from all of the Lake Erie islands to the north.

A 6 inch deep hole, into the 6 1/2 inch thich carbon steel pressure vessel at Davis-Besse, was discovered in February 2002, a result of the presence of boric acid (from the boron in the cooling water)...it was further found that the sump system in the containment building was inoperative. 

If the 1/2 inch of steel had failed, high pressure radioactive water would have escaped from the reactor vessel and, with the backup cooling inoperative, would have likely led to a meltdown.

As of 2006, there are 435 operating nuclear power plants in the world, with 29 currently under construction.  Plans are in place for several dozen more plants.  The 103 US nuclear plants provide about 20% of the US electricity, while the 86 in France provide 80% of that country's electricity.  The fastest construction rates will be in India and China.  Most of the uranium fuel is produced in Canada and Australia, with Russia fast becoming the world's production leader.  The emergency shutdown of 4 of (Forsmark) Sweden's ten nuclear power plants in the summer of 2006 reminded the world of the dire safety concerns with nuclear power generation.


Solar energy products are FOR SALE, each and every day...

We accept Visa, Mastercard, and Discover.  We usually specify common off-the-shelf hardware in typical projects, including products from Xantrex (Inverters, Charge Controllers, and Meters), Outback Power Systems at www.outbackpower.com, Bogart Engineering, Array Technologies, Shell Solar, Evergreen, Canyon Industries (Turbines) at www.canyonhydro.com, Thomson & Howe Controls, Hydroscreen LLC, African Wind Power (Wind Turbines), Bergey (Wind Turbines), Southwest Windpower (Turbines), Alternative Power & Machine (Hydro Turbines), Harris (Water Turbines), ES&D, Dyno Batteries, Trojan Batteries, Direct Power, Zomeworks (Rack Mounts), and much more.  We partner with local contractors for installations, use local labor, and encourage the use of reused or recycled materials.

FOR SALE Any solar energy product or system component available on the retail market - NEW

(OES will get it for you at competitive prices...PV panels, inverters, charge controllers, batteries, mounting systems, solar trackers, etc.)

FOR SALE Trace Equipment Rack $100 (good for mounting inverters, breakers, etc.) - USED
SOLD! Electric Generating Equipment $3,500 (50 KW Generator and Turbine) - USED
FOR SALE Southwest Windpower Whisper H40 Wind Turbine Kit w/ Pole, $1500 - USED
FOR SALE Structures To Go 8 x 12 Shed, $2,000 - NEW

      and more For Sale
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ATTENTION:  Electrical and General Contractors...an opportunity awaits you

Let Olympic Energy Systems assist you in acquiring the knowledge and skills necessary to install Solar Photovoltaic systems.  These alternative energy systems are increasingly a part of daily life, an adjunct to the electrical systems and components you already install everyday.

Take the steps to provide this valuable service to your clients of installing solar PV and be a part of a thriving trend.  JOIN the Olympic Energy Network to partner with Olympic Energy Systems for an expanded business offering, increased business, and improved economic security for the future.  The Olympic Energy Network is a system for connecting prospective solar energy system owners with capable and available contractors for installation, while facilitating equal opportunity for all electrical contractors to participate.

ATTENTION CONTRACTORS!  Solar Workshops in Washington State in Spring and Fall...

See www.solarenergy.org for details.  A few days or a week (of class combined with field work) and you gain an education that can support your goal of becoming a solar contractor!

 

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ANNOUNCEMENTS

• OES welcomes Mark Gilbert to its staff, helping with consultations.
• OES now has a Product Development group in Ohio, focusing on Buildings, Transportation Systems, and efforts in R&D.
• SOLAR 2007 was in Cleveland, Ohio July 7 - 12  "Sustainable Energy Puts America To Work"  Olympic Energy Systems was there, as our founder studied engineering at CWRU in Cleveland and attended SOLAR 1999 in Portland. We are planning to attend SOLAR 2009 in Buffalo, NY May 13-16.

             

           Jonathan on Amtrak!            Cleveland, Ohio              The Heliodon (a tool)      Exhibit Hall (160 Exhibitors)

• Pick up your free copy of the "Emergency Resource Guide" (Call us at 360-379-2536 or contact the Department of Health at www.doh.wa.gov)
• Free SOLAR ENERGY FAIR @ Quimper Grange Port Townsend TBA
• FM 94.9 in Seattle on November 28 hosted a discussion of Washington State's I-937 (RE Portfolio Standard Bill), featuring US Representative Jay Inslee, who believes our energy focus should be on Global Warming, Jobs, and Farmers.  2nd generation ethanol will use cellulosic technology.  Yea!  Our state's solar advocate, Mike Nelson, weighed in with optimism that PV modules will be made in Washington soon, per the goal of SB 5101/5111.
• Clallam County PUD now offers rebates ($$$) for Solar PV Systems
• ATTENTION CONTRACTORS! Solar Workshops on Guemes Island, WA every Fall and Spring - see www.solarenergy.org or www.homepower.com for details...a few days or a week and you gain a wealth of information!
• The Annapurna Center for Self-Healing gets its first  Solar Hot Water System 
• A Sequim retiree gets his first Solar Hot Water Pre-Heat System
• OES participated in the 1st Annual Renewable Energy Symposium and Expo in Everett, Washington on Saturday August 19, 2006
• OES is happy to refer earth-friendly folks to the Ancient Earth School of Natural Building on Whidbey Island, Washington - we have similar goals for sustainability
• Did you know? Biomass has overtaken hydropower as the leading source of renewable energy in the US, per the Farm Foundation.
• National Solar Tour SAT October 7, 2006 was here - thanks ASES!
  See www.solarwashington.org for details.
• The Marblemount Hydro Project gets its yearly maintenance...see the new paint
• The Lake Sutherland Hydro Project received its new turbine/generator gear
• The Olson Creek Hydro Project begins its preliminary design phase
• SIP buildings are on the rise in the Puget Sound region - two recently went up on Whidbey Island.  The kits were made in Port Angeles, Washington.
• The new main office of Olympic Energy Systems is complete...walls, floor, roof are SIPs

 

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 Whidbey Is.

The Structural Insulated Panel (SIP) building is strong, well-insulated, and fast to fab on site.

                             Notables

Ralph Nader, well-known consumer advocate, has this to say about the United States:

"I think the country needs a transportation system that doesn't just cater to a few powerful vested interests like the auto industry, oil industry, or the tire industry, the asphalt and concrete industries.  That means, we need a transportation system with the most modern technology that will be convenient, safe, energy efficient, less polluting, respectful of land uses, and above all, able to transport people short and longer distances in metropolitan and suburban areas in a reliable fashion."

Taking the train (on Amtrak's Empire Builder or Sunset Limited) across the US uses about 1/4 of the fuel per person as that used when flying.  CALL 1-800-US-RAIL or go to www.amtrak.com. 


 

If we have to have cars, then we ought to have energy efficient ones, so review www.fev-now.com for great information on that common sensical, yet innovative, effort.