Renewable energy equipment

Travis Industries offers a number of low-emitting pellet stoves under its Avalon and Lopi lines, including the Avalon Arbor and Astoria, and the Lopi AGP and Leyden. These stoves have heating capacities from 800 to 2,200 ft2 areas, and outputs up to 45,000 Btu. The AGP stoves incorporates a Horizontal Rotary Disc pellet delivery system that increases the lifespan of the auger motor and decreases maintenance and the chance of burnback, according to the company. Travis stoves are available with outside air kits, which can improve overall heating efficiency.

Even Temp offers a number of low-emitting pellet stoves under its St. Croix line, including the Auburn, Greenfield, Hastings, Prescott, Afton Bay, Lincoln and Lancaster. These stoves are capable of heating a 1,800 ft2 area, and have a heat output of 40,000 Btu (the Lincoln is 2,100 and 50,000 Btu) with particulate emissions under 1.0 g/hr. St. Crox pellet stoves come with a VersaGrate self-cleaning system that allows longer periods between cleaning ash, according to the company and are capable of burning wood pellets as well as cherry pits, corn, and many other fuels.

Blaze King’s Chinook CBT (Clean Burn Technology) wood stove uses catalytic technology to reduce emissions to 1.0 g/hr. The Chinook has a heat output of 40,000 Btu and uses an automatic thermostat to constantly adjust the draft for optimum performance. The Chinook uses two fans to improve heat circulation throughout the room but with those fans consuming 60 watts each while running, there is an energy penalty to using them. These stoves are available with straight or curved sides.

Quadra-Fire’s 3100 and 4300 Millenium ACC non-catalytic wood stoves use four-stage combustion while having particulate emissions of only 1.1 g/hr. The 3100 is for areas up to 2,600 ft2 and has a heating output of 51,100 Btu, and the 4300 has a heating output of 56,000 and is for areas up to 3,000 ft2. The company’s Four-Point Burn System consists of a primary burn zone at bed of coals, a secondary burn zone, a tertiary burn over the baffles, and the final burn zone above the baffle, which helps eliminate fine particulates. Both stoves come with Automatic Combustion Control (ACC), a heat-management system that controls the airflow for an efficient start and consistent burn cycle.

The Progress Hybrid is a cast iron and soapstone wood stove that uses catalytic and non-catalytic two-stage combustion. Appropriate for areas up to 2,200 ft2, this stove produces up to 80,000 Btu at 81% efficiency with particulate emissions of only 1.33 g/hr and has a burn time of over 14 hours, according to the company. The Progress is available in five colors and can be back or top vented. An adapter is also available that pulls air from the outdoors rather than the living space, further improving heating efficiency.

Lopi, a subsidiary of Travis Industries, offers the Cape Cod hybrid cast iron wood stove that uses both non-catalytic, two-stage combustion and catalytic technologies to improve efficiency and minimize emissions. The Cape Cod’s Hybrid-Fyre technology helps the stove operate at over 80% efficiency with particle emissions of only 0.45 grams per hour, the lowest of any wood stove available. This stove has a heating capacity of up to 2,500 ft2 and a heat output of 86,000 Btu/hr and is available with an optional 400 cfm fan for improved circulation, a “GreenStart” push button ignition system, and a kit that allows the stove to pull air in from the outdoors rather from the room. The Cape Cod is available in black, Oxford Brown Enamel, and with a New Iron painted finish.

Vermont Castings, a Monessen Hearth Systems Company, offers the efficient, low-emitting Encore Two-In-One “convertible” wood stove that can operate in either catalytic or non-catalytic mode. Appropriate for areas up to 1,800 ft2, The Encore produces 65,000 Btu/hr and operates at 86% efficiency with particulate emissions of 1.2 grams per hour (g/hr) in catalytic mode and 78% efficiency and 1.5 g/hr in non-catalytic mode. These stoves are available in five colors and come with a limited lifetime warranty.

Monessen’s DutchWest low-emitting wood stoves are available with either catalytic or non-catalytic technology. These stoves are available in small, medium, and large models appropriate for areas from 1,400 to 2,400 ft2. The non-catalytic model operates at 63% efficiency with particulate emissions between 1.3–1.5 g/hr and the catalytic model at 69.7%–75.9% and 1.1–1.4 g/hr. Both stoves produce 35,000–55,000 Btu/hr, depending on size.

WiseWay Pellet Stoves are low-cost, gravity-fed, non-electric pellet stoves that do not require augers for pellet delivery or fans to distribute heat. At 59" tall, 24" wide, and 16" deep, WiseWay does not look like a conventional pellet stove, but it is the first non-electric pellet stove to meet EPA emissions and UL safety standards. Its two-stage combustion is capable of producing 57,928 Btu with particulate emissions of only 1.9 g/hr. WiseWay also offers a stove guard to protect against burns, and a bolt-on, stainless steel heat exchanger for heating water. WiseWay uses a 40-pound bag of pellets in approximately 12 hours on high and 36 hours on low.

ATA-Solar combines ATAS standing seam metal roofing with amorphous silica (a-Si) thin-film PV laminates into a complete BIPV roofing system. The a-Si laminates are adhered to the panels in a factory-controlled environment and blend into the metal roofing so they are less noticeable than rack-mounted crystalline PV systems. There are no roof penetrations required with this system. ATA-Solar BIPV systems can be sized from 1.5 to 150 kW. Note that the efficiency of a-Si laminates is significantly lower than crystalline PV, though a-Si works well at lower light angles and higher temperatures, which offsets some of the performance differences.

The Kestrel e400nb 3.5kW, distributed in North America by a variety of partners, is a small wind turbine that is certified under the Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MSC) and is conditionally certified to AWEA Standard 9.1-2009 by the SWCC. The e400nb model has a diameter of 13 ft and is available installed on towers ranging in height from 39–49 feet. The wind turbine is available in on- or off-grid configurations, and is covered by a two-year extendable limited warranty.

The Endurance S-343 is a small wind turbine with a nameplate (rated) capacity of 5.4 kW and a projected annual power output of 8.9 MWh. It has earned a Limited Power Performance Certification to AWEA Standard 9.1-2009 from the SWCC, which means the power output and capacity have been verified, but the rated sound level is still being tested. The S-343 has a diameter of 21 ft and is available installed on towers ranging in height from 90–120 ft. The wind turbine is designed for grid-integrated installations, and is covered by a five-year limited warranty.

The Gaia-Wind 133-11kW, distributed in North America by Talco Electronics, is a small wind turbine that is certified under the Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MSC) and is conditionally certified to AWEA Standard 9.1-2009 by the SWCC. The 133-11kW model has a diameter of 43 feet and is available installed on towers ranging in height from 49–89 feet. The wind turbine is designed for grid-integrated installations, and is covered by a five-year limited warranty.

Schüco offers water storage and expansion tanks for residential and commercial solar thermal systems. The company’s residential Solar Gas Hybrid Water Heater—designed for use in spaces where there is not enough room for a dual-tank system—are available in 75- and 115-gallon models and include controls that maximize solar input and minimize gas consumption. Schüco has electric backup water heaters and standard dual coil models, as well, and all Schüco's water heaters have enameled double-walled stainless steel heat exchangers. Commercial water storage tanks are available with capacities ranging from 200 to 1200 gallons.

The Magnum 6500 biomass furnace burns corn, wood pellets, and other alternative fuels, and is capable of achieving combustion efficiencies of up to 97%. The Magnum 6500 can put out 15–78 kBtu for corn and up to 63 kBtu for wood pellets. The furnace is 26" x 36" x 47.5" and can hold up to 210 lbs. of fuel. Cleaning and maintenance requires routines ranging from daily to yearly. The Magnum 6500 comes with a five-year warranty on structural components and a one-year warranty on electrical components.