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A | brief history
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Here is part of the explanation of why not every home and business has a solar water heater. Once upon a time, a long time ago (like the 70's.) There was a gas crunch in America. Suddenly the land barges everyone was driving seemed ever so slightly on the impractical side. Gas could not be had on some days, and America had a moment of epiphany. Let’s turn towards alternative energy! Come on, it will be great! To that end, the federal government offered generous tax credits in a well intentioned attempt to boost the field of alternative energy. In the case of solar thermal, the result was a general free for all. Manufacturers popped up like mushrooms in an abandoned camper and "designed" systems. Worse yet there were no regulations on installers. Anyone with a pick-up truck could grab one of those interestingly designed systems and make a fairly big mess. What started out as a great idea was brought down - as are many great ideas - by the devil in the details. There were lots of systems that didn’t work... and worse yet did damage to the home on which they were installed.
This is why, if you ask an old plumber, he’ll tell you that the system will NEVER work and that you’ll be sorry for even thinking about it! He remembers the bad old days.
Since then, the industry has matured and made great advances in technology and regulation. Back in the free for all days, there were about 300 "manufacturers" in the United States. Now there are... seven. These seven are the guys who would not give up, but stayed with the industry through the inevitable crash. They refined their products and branched out and held on. As for the installers, most states now have strict regulations for manufacturers and installers in the solar industry. The state of Florida requires a Solar Contractors license on any installation. Of course, nothing will replace years of experience. Energy Alternatives LLC has joined forces with some of the most experienced installers in the state. And put our money where our mouths are. They installed a system on our house. It’s a thing of beauty.
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