Airgead Studio

Well we have finally done it! We have photovoltaic panels on the roof and as of 6 August 2010, we are live! We ended up purchasing a 3kW system from LJW Solar Pty Ltd in Dural - they were very competitive on price, and have been in the industry for over 25 years, so they aren't in for a quick buck. Their before- and after-sales service has been fantastic. We would have liked a bigger system, but our suitable roof space limited the size of system we could have. Now, during winter, we don't generate quite enough for all our needs, but in summer, we should be sending excess back to the grid.

Dave took a series of photos, both during installation and afterwards. Thankfully we were blessed with fine weather on the day of installation (it had rained for weeks prior to it), and it was sunny on the day of connection, so we could see immediately that we were generating power.

We have a pleasant announcement to make now.  We recently discovered that Steadfast Networks, the data centre that houses our servers in the US, has partnered with Carbonfund.org in order to reduce its carbon footprint.  It now purchases its own offsets for the things it cannot control (115 tonnes thus far) and has an impressive list of things it is doing to help the environment.

It has partnered with the Chicago Transit Authority to "help make public transportation a cheaper and easier option for its employees". Its building is highly engineered to ensure that it is as efficient as possible.  It buys direct from local vendors, who do their bit by delivering equipment themselves, without all the extra packaging.  It started a recycling program in the building to ensure that it, and others, do what they can to recycle (including old servers).  You can read more about it here if you are interested.