Certified in 50 U.S states as well as Canada, Nusun Solar’s highly efficient (grade A cells and high purity silicon) solar modules are designed and engineered for reliability and durability, maximized individual panel performance, and maintaining optimal functionality in extreme climates. Nusun’s solar panels are backed with a 25-year warranty and meet the guidelines of the ‘Buy American’ provision, which provides consumers the access to many State and Federal incentives, reduced shipping costs and the advantages of domestic customer service and product warranty.

“Receiving the ETL certification for our solar modules and manufacturing process marks an important milestone in the growth of our business,” states Ryan Stout, President and Owner of Nusun Solar.  “We are proud to be producing high quality solar panels from our Columbus, Indiana facility, and we look forward to developing many new distribution channels and relationships with renewable energy consumers.”

The renewable energy industry is faced with many challenges when it comes to consumer education, awareness and misperceptions. Nusun encourages consumers to do their homework and ensure they are comparing apples-to-apples; understanding the critical differences between PV technologies, components used, and quality testing standards and how this directly affects the ROI and performance expectations.

Industry professionals agree that there are significant quality performance differences between the use of Grade A, B, C or D cells, and performance can also be affected by the presence of surface micro-cracks, which are not visible to the human eye.

“Without evaluating these differences in quality upfront, performance becomes a big concern and can reveal itself through premature cell failures, system degradation, reductions in performance, and reduced life span expectancy,” explains  Stout. “Using certified, high quality products, as well as factoring in shipping, replacement and warranty expenses up front can result in a payback as much as 10X more than that of many low quality overseas competitors.”

Nusun’s ETL certification ensures that their product has been tested and evaluated, passing all of the required safety and power generation standards of UL 1703. Additionally, the certified solar modules undergo periodic checks to ensure they continue to meet requirements.

“The level of quality and performance of Nusun’s product has exceeded our expectations. Their solar panels are top-of-the-line, yet able to meet many of our project budget constraints. With modules well suited for both residential and commercial applications, we look forward to working together well into the future to provide quality renewable energy solutions to the community” adds Nick Melloh, President and Partner of Johnson Melloh Solutions, an Indianapolis-based solar installer, Solar Energy Demonstration Lab site, and selected developer for the Indianapolis International Airport solar farm project.

Nusun Solar also has the support of local officials, who in late 2010, announced that the company was eligible to receive performance-based incentives designed to help foster the creation of many new jobs over the next 4 years.

“The company has access to a highly-productive and educated workforce here in Columbus, Indiana,” says Jason Hester, Executive Director of the Columbus Economic Development Board. “Combine that with our favorable business policies along with Nusun Solar’s innovative processes, and we have a recipe for success.”

About Nusun Solar

Nusun Solar manufacturers high quality solar photovoltaic (Solar PV) panels from its manufacturing center located in Columbus, Indiana, USA.  The company is certified to U.L. standards, and its PV modules are now available.  For additional product information, ordering of solar panels or to become a distributor, visit http://nusunsolar.com or call (888)323-2240 ex #1.

Solar models covered by UL 1703:  NS300-6M7, NS295-6M7, NS290-6M7, NS285-6M7, NS280-6M7, NS275-6M7, NS270-6M7, NS265-6M7, NS260-6M7, NS255-6M7, NS250-6M7, NS260-6M6, NS255-6M6, NS250-6M6, NS245-6M6, NS240-6M6, NS235-6M6, NS230-6M6, NS225-6M6, NS220-6M6, NS230-6M5, NS225-6M5, NS220-6M5, NS215-6M5, NS210-6M5, NS205-6M5, NS200-6M5, NS195-6M5, NS190-6M5, NS275-5M, NS270-5M, NS265-5M, NS260-5M, NS255-5M, NS250-5M, NS245-5M, NS240-5M, NS235-5M, NS230-5M, NS225-5M, NS220-5M, NS200-5M, NS195-5M, NS190-5M, NS185-5M, NS180-5M, NS175-5M, NS170-5M, NS165-5M, NS160-5M, NS155-5M, NS250-6P, NS245-6P, NS240-6P, NS235-6P, NS230-6P, NS225-6P, NS220-6P, NS215-6P, NS210-6P

As a new business in town, we were stumped when we realized there were no economical or efficient options for business recycling in town.  So…we improvised for a while by spreading out trash cans and boxes in the facility marked with a Sharpie.  As they would fill up, we’d pack it up in the back of our own vehicles, drive it across town, sort it out for drop off…not to mention, we had to send someone during business hours for the available drop off times.  So not only did we have to invest in bins and toters for inside the facility, we were paying for employee time as well.

Not only did this process quickly become a burden and take away from our real focus of getting an efficient solar panel assembly facility up and running, we found that many of our “recyclable” items were finding their way to the landfill instead. It was costing us more money and most importantly additional time and hassle than paying for an expert to do it…but there weren’t any other options available to us and we were committed  to it, darn it. Are you exhausted yet? We were?

So you may wonder why we’d be taking the time out to write up an article and share it with the community? Well, we”ll tell you. We were so pleased to find a viable option for business recycling in Columbus that we only wish someone had enlightened us sooner.  At Nusun Solar, we are committed to practicing what we preach.  While the passion to create a successful niche for our solar business is what drives us to work each day, we also feel that we have a responsibility to contribute and serve as environmental stewards within our community.  In those efforts, Nusun Solar vows to:

1. Facilitate efforts to help educate our community on both the benefits and financial viability of solar power
2. Continue to implement ways to minimize the environmental impact of manufacturing and shipping of our product
3. Help reduce our dependence on coal-fired electricity
4. Support innovative technology

Did you know that Indiana is one of only about 20 states in the U.S without a renewable portfolio standard or even nonbinding goals for the adoption of renewable energy? What that means is that we don’t have a state policy in Indiana that requires electricity providers to obtain a minimum percentage of their power from renewable energy resources by a certain date.  Learn more about it here>

While we are fully aware that adopting a business recycling program program and sharing our excitement about it may seem trivial to some, it is the ever-present reminder of the battles we face for additional consumer awareness and a more widely spread understanding of the both the economical and environmental impact renewable energies have in our nation.  You don’t have to be a tree hugging “green” advocate, or in the financial position to make an investment in solar power to be aware that it affects our community in other ways than just the legacy of our irresponsible carbon footprint.  We’ll be the first to tell you…renewables aren’t always the right solution for everyone,  not all forms of renewables make financial sense,  and it’s critical to do your homework and have a trusted resource that can provide you with a educated perspective along with the hard facts about differences in product quality, long term consumption goals, and ROI.

Now that you have our perspective, feel free to tell us about yours.

For more information about the business recycling program available (also great for schools, churches, organizations!) contact Stacy Boggs about EcoRewards or 800-874-1301. They will set you up with a collection bin and tell you all about how to earn money back on each ton that you recycle…or don’t, but at least tell somebody else about it AS they may be as excited we were today!

For every ton of paper recycled, over 4,000 kwh of electricity is saved.

The program is through Paper Retriever, and it’s called EcoRewards.

The Commingled Recycling program will collect and recycle your paper, plastic bottles, cardboard, aluminum, and steel cans exclusively for your location.  The bin can sit outside your service area for easy access by you and your staff.

The Commingled Recycling bin will accept:

·     Paper - office paper, magazines, newspaper, junk mail, catalogs, paperback books, etc…
·     Cardboard - corrugated boxes, brown paper bags, and paperboard
·     Aluminum – cans, foil and pans (rinse off food)
·     Plastic - bottles and plastics 1-7
·     Steel - food cans (must rinse, empty aerosol cans and labels OK)
·     Phonebooks

They are the only recycler with scales on the truck.  They will weigh your bin each time they service it and give you money back for the tons you recycle! 

Spread the word Columbus…

Check out the video highlights, and be sure to share with your friends and family in the community.

The day would not have been possible without all our tour coordinators at Nusun Solar, Community Volunteers, Indiana Renewable Energy Association(INREA), American Solar Energy Society, and ASME: Central Indiana Section.

VIEW PHOTO GALLERY>

If you missed out on the opportunity to learn more about Solar and other Renewable Energy sources in your community, be sure to follow next year’s Solar Tour information at American Solar Energy Society.

The ASES National Solar Tour is the world’s largest grassroots solar event. The national event offers the opportunity to tour innovative green homes and buildings to see how one can use solar energy, energy efficiency, and other sustainable technologies to reduce monthly utility bills and help tackle climate change. More than 165,000 participants will visit some 5,500 buildings in 3,200 communities across the United States.

In conjunction with National Energy Awareness Month and Indiana Renewable Energy Association (INREA), the event is slated for: Saturday, October 1^st, 2011 from 10:00am – 3:00pm at 4 different locations throughout the day.

The first stop is Nusun Solar, where attendees will tour the facilities 15kW commercial Solar PV roof installation, and get a hands-on presentation of the materials that go into a solar module. Children are welcome and encouraged to attend this educational experience.

In addition to the Nusun Solar facility, this year’s tour will also feature the opportunity to visit Bartholomew County Rural Electric Membership Corporation, a utility interconnected residential installation in heart of Columbus, and a utility interconnected residential installation with battery back-up in Bargersville, IN.

WHY ATTEND?

The event is designed to introduce Columbus and other South of Indianapolis residents the solar technologies being used to 1) slash monthly energy bills, 2) improve property values, 3) realize rich tax credits and 4) reap cash incentives as they 5) assert their energy independence and 6) create a cleaner community.  The tours afford participants the direct perspectives of business owners, homeowners and installers about the costs, processes and economic and environmental benefits of going solar, while also providing a glimpse at how a variety of solar systems look in and around structures with different architectural styles.

Don’t miss this opportunity to get involved and be inspired in the renewable energy revolution in your community.

DATE

Date: October 1, 2011
Time: 10:00am – 3:00pm

LOCATION

Location:
Nusun Solar
7440 S International Drive
Columbus, IN 47201
Directions

SCHEDULE

10:00 – 11 Kick off at Nusun Solar (Solar Module Manufacturer, crystalline Silicon) Columbus, IN

• Welcome from Nusun Solar CEO
• Hands on Presentation of materials that go into a solar module by Nusun Solar Design Engineer. Bring your kids.
• Tour of 15kW roof commercial installation [design/installation: Greenworks Energy]

11-12 BCREMC -Bartholomew County Rural Electric Membership Corporation (Local Utility) Columbus, IN

• Tour of utility owned solar panels, wind turbine, and green building design [design/installation: Morton Solar and Wind and Force Construction Co.]

12:30-1:30 Utility interconnected residential installation in heart of Columbus, IN

• Tour of residential installation [design/installation: EcoSource]

2:00-3:00 Utility interconnected with battery back up residential installation in Bargersville, IN

• Tour of residential installation [design/installation: ECI Wind and Solar]

The report ranks the “clean economies” of all 50 states and Washington D.C. along with the country’s 100 largest metro areas.

The report ranks Indiana’s green economy 19th among the 50 states and Washington D.C. with 53,684 “clean jobs”. According to Brookings, the largest green sector in the state is waste management and treatment with over 7,000 jobs, and the fastest growing segment is in electronic vehicle technology.

Indianapolis ranks 35th among the country’s largest metro areas with more than 15,000 green jobs.

You can see Indiana’s profile by clicking here.

You can see the profile for Indianapolis by clicking here.

You can see the full report by clicking here.

Source: Brookings Institute

Lt. Governor Becky Skillman has announced WIndiana, Indiana’s only statewide wind energy conference, will expand this year to include wind, solar, bioenergy and alternative fuel vehicles.  Along with sessions on utility-scale renewable energy projects, the Indiana Renewable Energy Conference (IREC) will include how-to workshops for homeowners and small business owners on wind, solar PV, solar thermal, biomass as well as new and innovative renewable technologies.

July 20-21 Indianapolis Convention Center

Register  |  Agenda Day 1  |  Agenda Day 2|   Program Notes | Sponsorships

5 How-To Workshops For Home and Small Business on small wind, solar PV, Solar Thermal, Geothermal
Click here for Workshop Agenda

Among the Keynote speakers:

24 Sessions on Large Scale Wind, Solar, Biomass and Alternative Fuel Vehicles
Expanded Exhibition Floor
Three Tours:  Wind, Solar, Biomass
Continuing Education Session for K-12 Teachers

Article by The Republic
BY BORIS LADWIG

Solar panel maker Nusun Inc. hopes to begin hiring production workers in summer and expects to employ between 30 and 80 by year’s end.

Owner Ryan Stout, of Indianapolis, recently visited the site of the Columbus facility at 7440 International Drive, in Woodside Industrial Park just west of Interstate 65.

Nusun will buy photovoltaic cells from cell manufacturers and produce cell modules that can be used for application ranging from residences to utility-scale solar farms.

Cells in the panels turn sunlight into usable electricity. Nusun’s modules will be sold through a large distributor.

Stout said he initially will invest $825,000 into the building, which includes an expansion of up to 12,000 square feet on the building’s west side, nearly doubling the facility’s size. The total investment, including wages, will reach about $9 million over the next few years, he said.

Per a job creation and investment agreement with Columbus Board of Public Works and Safety, Nusun is required to have 192 full-time employees by the end of 2014 to keep the $825,000 the company will get in government incentives. The city is giving $125,000, Columbus
Redevelopment Commission is adding $100,000, Bartholomew County is chipping in $100,000 and Lawrenceburg is providing $500,000 in gaming funds.

Employees will earn an average $20.31an hour, or $42,000 a year.

Choosing Columbus Stout, an Indiana native who grew up in Delaware County, initially talked to officials there about his proposed operation.
He also considered California, Ohio and Michigan. However, Stout’s wife, Nellie (Goins) Stout, is from Columbus and formerly worked at Cosco, which led him to talk to local officials.

“Columbus opened up their arms to me,” Stout said. Jason Hester, executive director of Columbus Economic Development Board, and his predecessor Corey Carr helped Stout track down incentives and displayed a different mentality than he had encountered elsewhere, he said.
Carr, with whom Stout met first, “was really energetic,” Stout said. Carr said that when he got a call from Stout, he agreed to meet him in Columbus the next day to show him possible locations. He also immediately began working on possible incentives, and said that the speed
with which he was able to secure tax-increment financing and Economic Development Income Tax funds “were critical in shifting Ryan’s interest to Columbus.”

Stout said he has hired four administrative employees and plans to start hiring the majority of the production workers in
mid-summer, with full production beginning in fall.

He said the Columbus area also attracted him because of the high number of educated and highly skilled workers. “We’re very excited … about the work force,” he said.

Hester said CEDB liked Nusun partially because its operations fit into the existing industries and supply network and because the company brings diversity to the city’s manufacturing base. And, Hester said, Nusun is part of a growing industry.

Growth

Solar photovoltaic power capacity grew by nearly 13,000 megawatts in Europe in 2010, according to Brussels-based European Photo-Voltaic Industry Association. The energy output of these new PV installations roughly equals the electricity production of two large coal-fired power plants.

EPIA President Ingmar Wilhelm said growth was boosted by “decreasing cost, new applications, strong investor interest and continued political support.”

“More than 70 percent of all new installations come from small and medium-sized PV systems,” Wilhelm said. In contrast, according to Washington, D.C.-based Solar Energy Industries Association, the U.S. in 2010 added 878 megawatts, or less than the Czech Republic, a country with a population of about 10.5 million, or about the same as the populations of Indiana plus Kentucky.

Nonetheless, 2010 was a record year for the U.S. PV industry, with a growth of 102 percent in capacity and a market growth from $3.6 billion in 2009 to $6 billion in 2010, according to SEIA.

The U.S. PV market “showed substantial diversity across market segments, geography, and technologies. Solar is growing quickly across the U.S. at the residential, commercial, and utility scale levels,” SEIA wrote in its annual report.

SEIA wrote that the U.S. market “had grown at an average annual rate of 69 percent over the previous ten years, rising from just 3.9 megawatts in 2000 to 435 MW in 2009.”

“Despite this trend, the U.S. constituted only 6.5 per-cent of global PV demand in 2009.

“The U.S. market is slowed by the complexities of state-by-state differences in regulations, incentives, utilities and financing structures. Smart policies at the federal and state level, as well as a solid understanding of market conditions, are needed to continue and accelerate the growth pattern in the U.S.,” SEIA wrote.

Despite those hurdles, Stout said the U.S. is poised to become the next big solar power market.

However, he said Indiana legislators have not strongly supported renewable energy. They are more inclined to push coal and nuclear power, whereas other nearby states are producing more electricity with renewable alternatives and have more employees in the sectors, he said.

Other than lack of support from legislators, there is no reason for Indiana to have fewer employees in the solar industry than Illinois and
Ohio, he said.

Stout was happy, however, with the employment incentives that he received from the state — though he said Michigan and Illinois, for example, give incentives specifically for renewable energy.

Eric Burch, director for Policy and Outreach of the Indiana Office of Energy Development, said 79 percent of the state’s electricity comes from coal, with the bulk of the rest coming from natural gas.

The number of Indiana employees in the solar industry is “very small,” he said. “Most solar manufacturing is overseas at the moment. Colorado has some manufacturing and Indiana is trying to move that direction,” Burch said. “Our business climate
is better for manufacturing than our (actual) use of the technology due to the lack of significant high solar days.”

Stout said, however, that the world’s leading solar nation, Germany, gets about 19 percent less sun than Indiana. “There’s a lot of misinformation out there,” he said. As a result of those dynamics, Stout said he expects to export about 98 percent of his production.

However, at least one local developer, Michael Greven, said he looks forward to working with Stout. Greven, who owns Eco- Source Inc., a construction management and building technologies consulting firm, has nine solar panels on an apartment complex on Jackson Street. The panels were assembled in Mexico. For other projects he typically buys panels from California and Tennessee.

Stout’s production in Indiana should increase local demand and reduce prices, Greven said. “I’m just thrilled to have a local supplier,” Greven said.

4/14/2011 – Inside Indiana Business

Entrepreneur Ryan Stout believes he has a winning strategy for a new solar panel manufacturing operation in Columbus. Stout says his startup company, NuSun, Inc., will produce traditional solar panels—which have a “40-year proven track record” in the industry—but add a new technology that will increase performance. The operation is expected to create up to 240 jobs and provide a new option for U.S.-made solar panels.

NuSun will produce the nano-coated photovoltaic solar panels in an existing building at the Woodside South Industrial Park in Columbus; the company is investing $8.9 million to improve and equip the facility. Listen

Stout says the company will produce traditional crystalline panels, but incorporate a new nano-coating technology to make them powerful. The coating will be applied between the individual cells that comprise the solar modules, more commonly known as solar panels. NuSun worked hand-in-hand with its cell supplier for about 18 months to create the nano-coating.

Stout says crystalline panels require the sun to shine at a specific angle for optimum energy production. However, during sunrise, sunset and seasonal changes of the sun’s angle to the Earth, the rays hit the panels at “off-angles,” causing the panels to reflect the rays, rather than absorb them.

“A lot of people get around this by using solar trackers that follow the sun east, west, north or south, but [the trackers] add one dollar per watt to the system,” says Stout, NuSun founder and chief executive officer. “Rather than reflecting rays off the cell, our nano-coating takes the rays from the off-angles and filters them straight onto the cell for conversion of energy, which improves power production by 15 percent.”

The majority of panels produced at the Columbus facility will be five feet long and about 3.5 feet wide, the most commonly used size for a wide range of applications, according to Stout. He says the panels can be used in large scale solar farms in the U.S. and internationally “all the way down” to residential systems for a homeowner. Listen

“That [size] is pretty much the standard; it’s big enough that you get maximum voltages, but it’s also not too big,” says Stout. “Once you get over a certain size, it makes installation more difficult, because you have to have two people carrying one panel, instead of one person carrying it. That’s about the maximum that installers are asking for across the country and through Europe.”

A native Hoosier, Stout wanted to locate NuSun’s first plant in Indiana. He says there’s great demand for American-made solar panels because the quality of panels manufactured overseas, mostly in China, is decreasing. Listen

“We’re hoping most of our sales will be in the U.S., but we’ve also been contacted by several European businesses in Germany and Italy that want to source our panels,” says Stout. “The cost of electricity in Europe is much higher than the U.S., so we can get a higher price out of our panels selling to Europe.”

Executive Director of the Columbus Economic Development Group Jason Hester believes NuSun will be a “good fit” for the community, which has a strong manufacturing heritage, but was not immune to the economic downturn.

“We’re pleased to welcome a company that’s in renewable energy to Columbus,” says Hester. “Columbus is historically very strong in manufacturing; 29 percent of all jobs in our area are connected to the manufacturing sector, and many of those jobs are tied to automotive. Bringing a solar panel manufacturer here will help diversify our manufacturing sector.” Listen

NuSun expects to begin full production in August or September; Stout says two-thirds of production is “already spoken for,” with clients placing orders. After a year and a half of planning, Stout says he’s anxious to get the project underway—helping illuminate and diversify the Columbus economy.