Janesville Home & Solar

Solar Energy does work in Wisconsin and Illinois, no matter what anyone tells you. Panels on a roof or array capture energy from the sun and provide heat or electricity via a solar system to your home or business.  It is up to you to decide to invest for the future of energy independence and your personal savings. The Federal 30% Tax Credit also applies to solar electric and solar thermal systems. There is a long- term payback for solar electric systems of twenty-something-years in most cases. Solar hot water offers a definite financial payback within 8-12 years.

Janesville Home & Solar specializes in home improvements that pay for themselves . . .

• Discounts of $850 to $2,250 on energy improvements with the new Home Performance Program!
• Green Insulation & Air Sealing
• Assessment of your home for solar energy potential
• Installations for solar energy at your home or business
• Rainwater Systems
• Deep Energy Retrofits
• Micro-hydro energy services

Meet our team

Owner, Neale Thompson brings the experience of 25 years in energy conservation and weatherization to address the comfort, safety, and savings you desire in your residence or small business.   His background includes 15 years in the low income Weatherization Program of Wisconsin, as well as 11 years in the Home Performance with Energy Star Program. Current interests and involvement offers customers the ultimate “Deep Energy Retrofit” possibility for your home or rental property.  In addition, Neale Thompson brings his involvement of 15 years in solar energy and other alternative energy fields. The list includes: solar thermal projects, PV solar electric installations, ground-source heat pump investigation, rain water systems, alternative fuels, passive solar design, and even Passive House standards (European homes that use 90% less energy).

With our combination of knowledge and enthusiasm, Janesville Home and Solar offers the best to you and any project you undertake. Brain Kettle is a valuable assistant to Neale Thompson in most aspects of Janesville Home and Solar. Brain uses his physical and internal strength to move any project forward.

Thank you Guy Smith for six years of dedication and work. He moves on to architectural wall design for an East Troy, Wisconsin, company.

When not in Nepal or Israel, Noga Turk often assists in the insulation projects of Janesville Home and Solar. If you journey to Nepal, Noga can also offer tourist rooms and lodging near the National Park area. “Wild by Nature Guest House” in Sauraha, Nepal Call 977-9845182899 and talk to Shiva Mahato or Noga Turk.

MICRO-HYDRO RENEWABLE ENERGY 

A Micro-hydro System is a small hydro-electric generator resulting from flowing, falling water. Most people have heard about the Hoover Dam in the Southwest. The Hoover dam is giant hydro-electric generator. Few people probably know that the Wisconsin Power and Light Utility had a low-head hydro-electric generating system on the Rock River in downtown Janesville, Wisconsin.  Micro-hydro power generates usable electric power from relatively low flows of running water and from relatively low pressure (head) sources. To be sure, increasing the “head” pressure with a higher elevation usually increases usable power more than increasing the flow of water.  Micro-hydro Turbine Micro-hydro Turbine The advantage of micro-hydro power is that it is ideally working 24 hours a day compared to the roughly 4.4 hours per day that PV Solar Electric systems operate in our Wisconsin region.  Small PVC piping and nozzles direct the water to spin a turbine that is connected to the electric generator. Because greater distances tend to occur between the downstream turbine/generator and the residence where the power is used, wire runs are generally a low voltage and the wires are small in size. The small constant generation of power adds up.  Many renewable energy workshops take place in Guemes Island northwest of Seattle, Washington. I attended a micro-hydro workshop at that small island served by a very short ferry boat ride. The main commercial establishment was a General Store/Coffee Shop/ Restaurant just uphill from the ferry landing. There were two residential sized PV solar electric systems that served the business. There was one paved road that rose gently from the ferry landing up to the middle of the island.   Of course, it had shallow gully on either side of the road. Somewhere up the road at the first and main intersection, there was a drain pipe that connected the two gullies and directed most of the water to the right-hand gully on the lower side of the road. It only flowed for approximately 5 months in the rainy season.  Micro-hydro Turbine This substantial water generation is using water from far upstream where there is volume and sufficient “head” pressure. The pipe will probably be buried in the near future. As a class exercise during the workshop, we calculated a micro-hydro system that would run off the seasonal flow of this lower-side gully. The local teacher provided amounts of flows through the 5-month running water season. To our astonishment, this micro-hydro system would outperform both of the PV Solar Electric Systems. In 5 months, the micro-hydro system would exceed the two annual PV outputs!  In closing, if you have some flowing water through your property, you might want to consider a water-based micro-hydro renewable power system. Because downhill flowing water could lower or eliminate your electric bill