DROBO 5C

Drobo is a manufacturer that produces quality data storage products for small and medium-sized businesses, and professionals offering a balanced mix of state-of-the-art data security, management functionality, reasonable storage capacity, and simple usage.

Bagging numerous awards in the industry and catering to customers all over the globe, Drobo has shown success by resolving the top three storage challenges in a single device: app service-level optimization, data security, and storage capacity management. All these carried out by their very own patented BeyondRAID, Automated Data-Aware Tiering technology, and Thin Reclamation.

Drobo has marketed the 5C as a USB-C storage solution that’s “self-managing” which essentially means that it won’t entail any micro-management of a user’s storage device. Hard drives and drive capacities can be mixed and matched according to the user, and the 5C will do the rest. The experience with Drobo is intended to be effortless. And the 5C easily succeeds such notion.

Since launching its previous version years back, many deemed it to be expensive, going as high as $600. This mainly attributed to the complexities involved with the mSATA hot data cache as well as other functionality that further bumped up the pricing. While the cache seemed to please many, a lot of users (specifically videographers and photographers) prefer editing their content on a portable and swifter SSD, and moving their media to external storage in high volume sequential copies.

These same users really don’t require pre-installed caching tier within their mass storage device. All that’s needed was a decent speed in offloading data quickly and seamlessly.

The 5C is a perfect replacement for its predecessor — which happens to be a bit of problem for quite some time now. The 5C is essentially a 5-nay Direct Attached Storage (DAS) unit that utilizes the manufacturer’s BeyondRAID storage technology.

It’s easily a quality product with easy usage and excellent BeyondRAID data protection. Performance-wise, it’s relatively highly compared to traditional NAS units.

Currently, the Drobo 5C can be purchased for a little over $350 online. Other drive-equipped variants are available, which boasts as much as 40TB in out-of-the-box storage capacity.

Drobo 5C Review – Whats in the Box?

The DROBO 5C is conveniently housed in a white, plain cardboard box. The front display showcases the unit, which boasts its main features. The rear portion contains further details on case scenarios and other installation options. On one side, product comparisons can between the 5C and its Drobo siblings. Another internal box will greet the user once the external box is removed.

Contents of the Drobo 5C 5-Bay Drive include:
1x Drobo 5C 5-Bay Drive unit
1x power supply
1x USB Type-A to Type-C cable
1x quick start guide
1x carry bag

Drobo 5C DAS – Drobo Hits the Mark Once Again

The Drobo 5C is a product with a traditional tower design. It’s intended to be placed on the desk. This makes it easy to use anywhere. It’s created with a metallic chassis, offering an excellent appearance, robustness, and additional cooling functionality. A big fan works proactively and quietly in the background.

The Drobo 5C has a similar appearance in terms of size and shape from one its Thunderbolt-version siblings. Like other products in its line, the panel at the front contains a magnetized strip running along the cover edges. It can easily be removed and when it does, five drive bays can be seen inside.

All its drive trays are carrier-less and tool-less, which entails for effortless swapping and easy installation. LED lighting can be spotted under the unit. These lights indicate the 5C’s data fillage, current status, and power. Situated to next to each drive is an LED showcasing each drive’s status. All lights are available in varying colors for simpler recognition.

The 5C contains five bays that are concealed at the rear portion of the front bezel. All drive bays are secured by spring-based doors, which are naturally forced upward and out of the way by having the drive pushed into them. Every drive bay contains a latch keeping the drive secure. There’s no additional physical security in the form of drive bay locks or anything else like it.

All drive bays has the capacity to support as much as 10TB of storage. It’s important to take note that all 10TB brands are compatible with the unit. Therefore, it pays to look into the compatibility chart available on the manufacturer’s official website to see which drives it’s compatible with.

The drive bays can cater to 2.5” and 3.5” drive. In case a 2.5” drive is being used, bay converters are needed for secure fitting. Drobo highly recommends IcyBox products on their website although other converter brands (ex. Startech) for SSDs have been reported to work considerably well with the 5C.

When it comes to removing a hard drive, a button/notch on the left portion of the drive bays can be seen. Simply give it a firm push, and the drive will immediately pop-out. This is intended for easy swapping or replacing of any hard 2.5” or 3.5” drive.

The large fan seen in its rear ensures the unit is kept cool even with all drives loaded. It’s housed with overlaying mesh for protection.

Its power switch is a “soft touching” button. A USB 3.0 Type-C connector, security latch, and power connector, can be spotted externally.

When the Drobo 5C is a powered on, the unit will transform into a bright and multi-colored light fest. The front right-hand side of the unit features vertically-aligned LEDs at the drive bay, which emit red, green, or amber depending on the current status of the drives. A small schematic within the front plate showcases the definition of each color and what actions need to happen in that given moment.

The green light indicates the unit being powered on. Yellow light would indicate the unit in “standby” mode. The red light would alert overheating or high temperature. The last lighting is indicative of data being transferred. The ten found between these two is in blue and showcases the amount of storage space utilized. Brightness levels can be set for LEDs within the Drobo software.
Product Features

The manufacturer’s advantage is its self-managed setup. It lets anyone utilize the 5C regardless if the user is a novice or advanced user in tech. If the process involves connecting a USB cable and a power cable, then it’s all that’s really needed. Such functionality is what sets Dobo from its market competition.

In layman’s terms, a self-managed setup involves plugging in the necessary drives and powering the device. The 5C takes care of the remaining process. It’s basically an effortless and hassle-free experience for any user utilizing the unit.

A majority of storage solutions capable of bridging drives into a volume entails the utilization of drives of the same kind and capacity in order to make the most of the setup’s benefits. But with the manufacturer, that’s not the case. A user can seamlessly match and mix the drive capacity and types anytime and still be able to acquire plenty of capacity. The user will also benefit from the same security features offered from other Drobo models. That means, if one or more drives fail, sensitive data won’t be lost in the process.

Technology involved in this functionality is known as BeyondRAID, and it’s only exclusive to Drobo’s products. It’s easy for a user to purchase the capacity needed today. When more storage is required, have the smaller drive replaced with a bigger one, and quickly make use of the available capacity in mere seconds. It also makes room for complete use of smaller and older drives available until the overall capacity has met its minimum storage requirements.

In improving the experience further, each Drobo product is bundled with its own Smart Volume technology. Smart Volumes are volumes that have been provisioned and which uses the required capacity from a storage pool. When data is being deleted, free capacity is brought back to the common pool — increasing the available capacity right away. This brings improved dependability, protection, and easy usage of data.

One of the first aspects noticeable when unpacking the 5C is its weight. Weighing at 4kg, there’s reason for it. The manufacturer did more than just protect the user from drive failure, the product was intended to shield one from data loss as a result of power outage.

Each Drobo product contains a battery backup technology that shields data in its memory. If power is cut unexpectedly, data is being saved. Drobo migrates in-flight data to the C5’s onboard flash so it can be shielded and delivered right back to the disk drive after power is restored. Such process guarantees all essential data remains safe. What’s more, the unit’s battery will self-re-charge whenever it’s switched back on. It’s made to last for as long as it can.

The 5C functions admirably in both Mac OS and Windows platform. It has the capacity to handle NTFS and HFS+ volumes. Aside from its typical volume, a second one can be made for system backups (ex. for Mac OS users, its “Time Machine.”).

Pairing the C5 with a Time Machine enhances data protection by guaranteeing data safety in case a hard drive experiences failure. Its Time Machine support contains limited storage, which eradicates the feature’s downside of using up the available disk space.

Moving to the C5 is as simple as they come. In case a unit fails or an upgrade is needed, it’s a matter of unplugging the drives and slotting in a new unit. Plug and play at its best.

The 5C requires no carrier or tools. Drives can be inserted into the slots for immediate use. Its security comes in the form of Kensington lock slot. Drives will spin down when it’s not active, thereby extending the life of the drive while using little power. LED lights can also be dimmed if it happens to be too bright for the location where the unit is being placed.

The Drobo 5C comes with a 2-year warranty period. It’ll largely depend on where the user is located. The warranty includes replacement of parts (in case of defects) and a 90-day technical service support. A DroboCare 3-year option can be bought and be extended for another year. Pricing for 5C’s DroboCare is around $150 (for 3 years) and an additional $70 per year for its extended care service.
Using the Product

When it comes to the Drobo installation, the process is as simple as follows:
Plug in the power supply.
Directly connect to the system via the USB 3.0 cable.
Have the Drobo Dashboard software installed. Take note: if a Drobo Dashboard is installed, please have it updated to the latest version.
Install the required drivers.
Follow instructions listed in the automatic prompts.
After the process, a drive letter will appear, showing the connected device(s) on the dashboard (a green light will be emitted).
File Transfer Speed

The file transfer speed of the Drobo 5C was excellent when both sending a file to the 5C and downloading it from the 5C. Sending a 10GB file to the DAS it achieved an average transfer rate of 109.37MB/s. Downloading the same file from the DAS it saw an average speed of 117.27MB/s.
Specifications

Connectivity
1 x USB 3.0 port, Type-C

Drives and Expansion
Up to five (5) 3.5″ SATA II/III hard disk drives (sold separately).
Drives of any manufacturer, capacity, spindle speed, and/or cache can be used. No carriers or tools required. Click here for drive recommendations.
Expandable by adding drives or hot-swapping drives with larger ones.

BeyondRAID Features
Thin Provisioning
Instant Expansion
Mixed Drive Size Utilization
Automatic Protection Levels
Single or Dual-Disk Redundancy
Virtual Hot Spare
Data Aware
Drive Re-ordering

Management
Drive bay indicator lights, capacity gauge, status lights
Drobo Dashboard version 2.8.3 or later

Operating System Support
Apple® Macintosh® macOS 10.10 and higher
Microsoft® Windows® 10
Microsoft® Windows® 8
Microsoft® Windows® 7

File System Options
Apple® macOS: HFS+
Microsoft® Windows: NTFS

Hardware Features
Carrier-less Drive Bays
Power Fail Protection with Internal Battery
Metal Chassis and Cover
Kensington Lock Port for Security (lock not included)

Additional Software Features
Drive Spin Down
Dim Lights
macOS Time Machine Support
Software

The 5C’s Drobo dashboard is a software that aids in the initialization, update, and management of Drobo systems. Regardless, if they’re connected in a network or directly attached, the software alone can easily seek them all.

The software can detect automatically if updates are available for the unit and software itself. Opting for the latest firmware and software is a good thing as it brings in newer functionality and bug fixes.

Once the unit has updated itself, a drive volume will need to be made. If the drives have already been moved from another Drobo product, it’d be read ready to go. But if not, the drives will need to be formatted.

Operating the 5C begins with the dashboard. On the far right, a diagram of bays and its installed capacity can be seen. On the left contains the current interface being used as well as the firmware revision. The dashboard for the 5C is now a slimmed-down version. It’s still utilizing animated graphics in showcasing drive bay info and display drive. Its features have been trimmed down for easier navigation and use.

The software’s image is animated. It mimics the functions of the Drobo 5C. For instance, if the unit’s drive indicators are green, its mage would also display a green color. If they’re seen flashing on the unit, the software animation will also function in the same way. A smaller animated unit image situated on the right side functions in a similar manner.

Finding a certain bay will offer information on the drive installed on the left portion. Data being used and layout can be seen further down to the capacity menu. Its tools menu allows for managing the product by switching on/off the LEDs, making firmware updates, and volume formatting. Going through the settings involves opting either for a dual drive or single redundancy as well as enabling/disabling drive spin down.

A Capacity page showcases how much the Drobo 5C is currently being utilized. Its usage button will point out the division of capacity between space available for data, expansion being reserved, protection being used, and overhead usage.

Software settings can be seen under “Preferences.” From there alerts via e-mail can be setup as well as configuration of updates. The settings screen also sets the name of the unit, enabling/disabling idle spin down, and tweaking front panel lighting brightness. This happens to be section where Dual Disk Redundancy can be enabled.

The process involved in switching between redundancy modes is the amount of time proportional to the volume of data housed within the unit. So it’s ideal to go for such option while the 5C is being setup for the first time.

E-mail notifications can also be configured right from the Dashboard itself. Even in grave conditions, the Drobo volume can still be made available to the OS and be fully usable (although it’s important to approach cautiously in this regard).

Another task BeyondRAID is capable of is its ease of use and quickness. This far more of an advantage compared to the standard RAID. It’s able to toggle from single disk failure support to dual disk support. Simply head straight into the “General Settings” page and click on the “Disk Failure” option. The software will take care of the rest. Data can be accessed while the system is in the middle of switching from one option to the next.

CITIZEN ECO DRIVE TITANIUM

I used to wear a watch all the time, probably since I was around 18 years old. My first watch was some tacky gold-plate Seiko that I took a fancy too around that age, but over the years I slowly upgraded to more stylish options. That changed around the time I purchased my first iPhone though, when I suddenly stopped wearing one. I guess at the time I figured wearing a watch was a bit redundant since my phone could show the time with just a single click of a button.

But last year I started noticing other guys wearing watches again, and I thought it looked sort of cool. I looked around my apartment for the last watch I had, thinking I would wear it again, but it turned out I managed to misplace it somehow during my travels.

Citizen Eco Drive Titanium 

But since it was a Citizen Eco-Drive titanium watch, I decided to go online and simply purchase another one.

I’ve owned three Citizen titanium eco-drive watches, and I’m a big fan of the line and the build quality. Some guys like wearing big and heavy metal watches, but I’m not really one of them. I also don’t really like leather straps, since I think they often look tacky. I eventually stumbled across a titanium eco-drive watch a few years ago, and loved how light it was. Every watch I have worn since then has been made of titanium, since it has all the benefits of a metal watch without the heavy weight of a typical stainless steel watch.

At this price point almost all of the Citizen Eco-drive watches have sapphire displays which are extremely strong and resistant to scratches. I’ve had my watch for over a year now and there isn’t a single mark on the glass.

This watch is also resistant up to 100 metres, something that might be appealing to people who dive from time to time. As for me, I rarely go more than a meter or two into any body of water, but it’s nice to know I can wear this watch into a pool or the shower whenever I want.

The entire Eco-Drive line by Citizen also doesn’t require winding or a battery – it’ll charge itself from the available light so you never have to worry about it. If you have one that’s been in a box for a year or so and isn’t working anymore, you can simply put it on and wear it outside for a little while until the battery charges again.

I’ve owned three Citizen Eco-Drive titanium watches now, and I’m been extremely happy with all three. They are lightweight thanks to the titanium, something that is really important to me due to all the travel I do, and basically care-free since they charge themselves. In addition I find all three Citizen Eco-Drive watches that I’ve owned to be stylish as well.

If you’re looking to pick up a high-quality titanium watch, then I definitely recommend the Citizen Eco-Drive Titanium watch – I currently own two of these myself and have had three in total over the years.

Pay Stub Template - Scenarios Where These Can Be of Use

In daily business activities, there are quite a few situations when create pay stub template could be of enormous use. In fact, if you are the head of a firm, you're certain to be even more interested in knowing more about them as they help quite a bit in creating management that much simpler. In actuality, many managers across the planet have implemented this for many different factors. Based on what exactly it is that you're aiming to fix with your firm, you too should think about going in to get real check stubs to build your own system.

Managing Your Funds

One of the very best uses of this kind of template is to better handle your finances. In fact, you might be struggling to keep a paystub generator that's entering and leaving your company if you don't have this system in place. But, if you have a decent system working for you, it can work wonders for your company and help significantly in keeping pay stub generator inflow. A firm can only be successful if you are able to check stub appropriately and know where it all may be going. If you are unable to keep an account of cash, it may not really be a simple job to manage the company efficiently.

Keeping Track of your Employees

Another reason why you would want to care about the realpay stubs template would be if you want to understand whether your employees are happy about what they are doing. If for some reason they aren't completely pleased with what is being provided to them, you may use these cover slip to try and establish that. In most cases, monetary alterations are proven to work wonders in terms of employee satisfaction and create pay stubs template are the very first step to consider with this regard.

Ensuring Growth of the Business

If you wanted to know a means in which you could monitor the progress or growth of this company, you should definitely consider going in to get real pay stubs template and then create a pay stub in this. There are many ways to monitor expansion, but not many could be as powerful as you may think of it to be. Hence, a surefire and productive way to go about this would be to adopt this system.

How to Finding Responsible Metal Roofing Contractor

Ou remembers the day when one of your friends mentioned something about the advantages of a new metal roof repair Bronx NY and just how good it was. At the moment you thought your friend should have been clueless to a subject matter of metal roof, or they'd have not even think about making such a silly statement! After all, how do you imagine placing a steel on a roof repair Bronx home, when it likely makes loud noises when it's raining out. Not just that, a having metal onto your roof will surely make your home seem like some sort of saltwater!

That is Absurd! Thus, you've simply dismissed your friend's roofing contractors Bronx NY views as uneducated and silly before the day once you became a believer yourself.

Damn man, That roofing Bronx is so beautiful! And wait a minute, is that steel?

Soon after the silly roof dialog with your buddy has been nearly forgotten, you've found yourself driving your suburban street to a buddy's house when your attention was suddenly drawn to an amazing house standing beautifully one of other homes on this road. At that moment, you also realized it was the unusually sharp looking Bronx roofing company which has attracted your attention and left the home to look so attractive that you had to have a close look! Suddenly, you found yourself pulling off into both sides of the road, in spite of the fact that you're running late for your buddies' planned get along celebration. You had one of those moments once you just had to stop and consider this odd roof. You walked up into the house to have a better look at the Bronx roofing contractors.

Standing just a few 15 feet away in the roof you can see the beautiful lines of cedar shake design along with the playful reflectance of the sun. You understood the roof you're looking at, was unlike every additional roof you've seen earlier it had a beautiful appearance of cedar shake shingle, but you could not quite tell what it had been created out of. Or, how would you? After going through numerous known types of roofers Bronx emotionally, you understood this might in roof looked nothing like what you imagined it might look like.

It isn't exactly what you had in mind!

You were very astonished, even astonished to discover that a roof covered with a metal can look really magnificent. In the end, you have always envisioned metal sidewalk violation as gray colored and rusty corrugated concrete sidewalk repair coverings over agricultural barns and old industrial buildings. You've heard all of the rumors about the loud noises they produce when it is raining, and also the danger of lightning that they can attract. However, this residential metal roof looked nothing like the image you'd programmed in thoughts, actually, it was the whole opposite of it. It had the gorgeous lines created by the well-thought design of alloy shingle tiles, metal ridge cap and also the standard of a metal flashing detail.

Another discovery you've made was it was not the house itself, which was magnificent, in fact, the house was fairly average, but it had been the concrete sidewalk which made the home seem like a million dollars.

Paradigm Shift

Maybe you weren't a believer only yet, however, there was something that has changed in your perspective towards metal roofing, the old barn metal roof bias was evaporating, along with the brand new curious interest in cement sidewalk repair was created. You told your friends about the metallic roof you saw, and they had been amazed to hear about it. Each one of these didn't have much to say about doing it. But, a buddy of yours who strove to tell you about advantages of metal cement sidewalk before said: "See, marijuana, you're making use of this, and now you are all enthusiastic about it ." Indeed, your views were beginning to change. In reality, you were now becoming so interested in metal roofing that you made a decision to talk to a knowledgeable contractor that installs metal roofing.

Not your typical NYC sidewalk violation job

Your buddy told you that metal roofing installation is wholly different from traditional roofing and that your regular roofer does not know how to set up a metal roof. In actuality, he told you a story of a guy who had conventional brick pointing Bronx put in a metal roof to somebody he knew and it was a disaster. A roofing contractor that did the installation didn't understand what he had been doing and do a wrong installation. Because of this, the brickwork pointing contractors was leaking badly, and a new experienced metallic roofer needed to be brought on the job to reverse the damage and reinstall the machine from a scrape. Your friend explained to you those who assert that metal roofing is easier to install than a traditional roof, have never installed, and utilize hearsay as their frame of reference, Their misguided beliefs confuse other people and cost the industry a lot of cash in inferior and sometimes the outright incorrect quality of roof installation.

If you need it done correctly, then you better find a builder who's certified and specializes in steel.

The moral of your buddy's story and its lesson has been obvious, it's much better to invest energy and time to find an experienced brick pointing contractors to set up your roof at the first place compared to, it is to hire the incorrect crew that has never installed a metallic roof before, and will treat it as a different asphalt shingle "do it in 1 day" job. Now, there were no questions remaining regarding the importance of choosing a roofing company that specializes in brick pointing NYC, your friend advised you to utilize a Roofing Contractors directory broken up into classes by specialties; metal roofing contractor firms organized by place from the U.S, also from specialty types such as standing seam and metallic shingle installers.

Planning a Home Solar Electric System

Whether a home solar electric system will work for you depends on the available sun (resource), available space for the system size you need, the economics of the investment, and the local permits required.

To help evaluate whether a home solar electric system will work for you, you should consider the following:

Your available solar resource -- do you have clear and unobstructed access to sunlight for most or all of the day, throughout the year? 

The system size -- do you have a roof or area large enough to accommodate it?
The economics -- is it worth the investment?
Local permits and covenants -- are there any issues with installing a system? 

Evaluating Your Site's Solar Resource

The solar resource across the United States is ample for solar electric systems -- also known as photovoltaic (PV) systems -- because they can use both direct and scattered sunlight. However, the amount of electricity generated at a particular site depends on how much of the sun's energy reaches it. Thus, PV systems function most efficiently in the southwestern United States, which receives the greatest amount of solar energy.

Before you buy a PV system, you will want to be sure your site has enough solar energy to meet your electricity needs efficiently and economically. Your local system supplier can perform a solar site analysis for you or show you how to do so on your own.( If you realized that solar power is really strong energy source and you also need portable solar panel GOAL ZERO NOMAD 13 is best one.)

When evaluating your site, you'll also need to consider both the geographic orientation and the tilt of your solar panels -- PV modules -- as both can affect your system's performance.

The Economics of a Small Solar Electric System

The economics of a home solar electric or PV system are determined by both the capital and operating costs. Capital costs include the initial costs of designing and installing a PV system. Operating costs include the costs associated with maintaining and operating the PV system over its useful life.


The factors that affect both capital and operating costs include:
System components
System size
Whether a system is grid-connected or stands alone (off-grid)
Solar resource at your location (amount of sunlight). 

Electricity Consumption

Before selecting system components and sizing a PV system for an existing home, you should evaluate your energy consumption patterns and try to reduce your home's electricity use. You can start by performing a load analysis, which includes these tasks: 

Looking at your utility bills over the past year
Calculating energy consumption
Recognizing consumption trends.


By understanding your "energy habits" and becoming more energy efficient, you can reduce the size of the PV system you'll need, lowering both your capital and operating costs.


If you're designing a new home, you should work with the builder and the solar professional to incorporate your PV system into your whole-house system design -- an approach for building an energy-efficient home.

PV Cost Considerations

Ask your PV provider how much electricity your new PV system will produce per year (measured in kilowatt-hours) and compare that number to your annual electricity usage (called demand) to get an idea of how much you will save. As a rule, the cost per kilowatt-hour goes down as you increase the size of the system.


You should also compare the purchase price of utility-generated electricity to the higher costs of smaller PV systems. PV-generated electricity is usually more expensive than conventional, utility-supplied electricity. However, these costs will vary by geographic location.


Solar rebate programs, subsidies, and other incentives can help make PV more affordable. Tax incentives may include a sales tax exemption on the PV system purchase, a property tax exemption, or state personal income tax credits, all of which provide an economic benefit to consumers by lowering high capital costs.


Some solar rebate programs are capped at a certain dollar amount. Therefore, a solar electric system that matches this cap maximizes the benefit of the solar rebate.


Many homeowners use PV systems because other considerations -- such as environmental benefits and energy independence -- tip the balance in their favor.

Permits and Covenants

Before purchasing a home solar electric system, research your local permit and neighborhood covenant requirements.


You will probably need to obtain permits from your city or county building department. These include a building permit, an electrical permit, or both. Typically, your PV provider will take care of this, rolling the price of the permits into the overall system price. However, in some cases, your PV provider may not know how much time or money will be involved in obtaining a permit. If so, this task may be priced on a time-and-materials basis, particularly if additional drawings or calculations must be provided to the permitting agency. In any case, make sure the permitting costs and responsibilities are addressed at the start with your PV provider before installation begins.


Code requirements for PV systems vary somewhat from one jurisdiction to the next, but most are based on the National Electrical Code (NEC). Article 690 in the NEC spells out requirements for designing and installing safe, reliable, code-compliant PV systems.


If you are one of the first people in your community to install a PV system, your local building department may not have experience in approving one of these systems. If this is the case, you and your PV provider can speed up the process by working closely with building officials to educate them on the technology.


If you live where a homeowners association must approve a solar electric system, you or your PV provider will likely need to submit your plans and get approval before you begin installing your PV system. However, some state laws stipulate that you have the right to install a solar electric system on your home.


For more information on state and community codes and requirements, see planning for a small renewable energy system.

Stand-Alone Small Solar Electric Systems

A stand-alone home solar electric or PV system operates "off-grid" -- it isn't connected to a electricity distribution grid operated by a utility.
A stand-alone PV system makes sense if any of the following apply:
You live in a remote location where the system would be more cost effective than extending a power line to a grid.
You're considering a hybrid electric system -- one that uses both a PV system and a small wind electric system.
You need minimal amounts of power; e.g., irrigation control equipment and remote sensors.


Anyone can take advantage of outdoor solar lighting -- a stand-alone PV application.

Grid-Connected Small Solar Electric Systems


A grid-connected home solar electric or PV system receives back-up power from a utility's grid when the PV system is not producing enough power. When the system produces excess power, the utility is required to purchase the power through a metering and rate arrangement.


Net metering is the best arrangement. Under this arrangement, the power provider essentially pays you retail price for the electricity you feed back into the grid.

Estimating Energy Cost Savings for Net-Metered PV System

Using the equation below, you can estimate the annual electricity production and electric bill savings for a grid-connected home solar electric system with a net metering arrangement.
Determine the PV system's size in kilowatts (kW). A typical range is from 1 to 5 kW. This value is the "kW of PV" input for the equation below.
Based on your geographic location, select the energy production factor from the map below for the "kWh/kW-year" input for the following equation.


Electricity production from the PV system = (kW of PV) × (kWh/kW-year) = kWh/year


You can calculate your annual electric bill savings using the following equation. Note that the residential rate should be in dollars per kWh; for example, a rate of 10 cents per kWh is input as $0.10/kWh.


Electric bill savings = (kWh/year) × (Residential Rate) = $/year


(To determine your monthly electric bill savings, divide the final number above by 12.)


For example, a 2-kW system in Denver, CO, at a residential energy rate of 7 cents/kWh will save about $266 per year: 2 kW × 1,900 kWh/kW-year × $0.07/kWh = $266/year (or $22.17/month).

5 Business Tips to Go From Startup to Grownup

Look, whether you’re excited about your brand new startup or you’re starting to lose excitement from objections, conflict, lost revenue or a bad business plan — none of that matters. The reality is you can’t grow your startup to a grownup without operating with urgency, utilizing your haters, staying focused and growing your business.

If you have a desire for your startup to be a success — act hungry and stay hungry. The worst thing you can do is start trying to suppress the idea that you want something great. Don’t suppress it, because suppressing something means you demotivate yourself. Let that desire for success rip.
Startups are on the rise, and according to the Kaufman Index for Startup Activity, “The Startup Activity Index rose in 2015, reversing a downward trend that started in 2010 in the middle of the Great Recession.” The reality is that nine out of ten startups fail because too many entrepreneurs stay in ‘startup mode’ way too long. Keeping a small business in startup mode leaves you standing on the brakes.

When you keep telling people you’re, “just a startup,” you will never take the massive actions required for massive growth.

Business Tips for the Small Business Entrepreneur

OK, LET’S GET THIS SMALL BUSINESS ENTREPRENEUR INFORMATION FLOWING…

Below are some of the best business tips I was able to quickly put together and share.
To be successful in business, you need to not only now what to do, but you need to know how to do it, and you’re most likely going to need to do everything yourself in the beginning. I’d definitely recommend learning as much as you can, as often as you can, and then putting what you learned into action.

You can never be too smart in business. Enjoy the information.

WRITE WITH THE INTENT TO GET YOUR ARTICLE RANKED…

Don’t just waste your time putting together content that no one is going to see. If you’re investing the time, do it right by writing with the intent to get your articles ranked by search engines.
To get your article ranked, you need to know what works, and then you need to follow the road map for success. Instead of me making this super difficult and hard to understand, I’m just going to lay out a super easy road map for you to follow to get your articles ranked by search engines.

– Use a title that includes your keyword, or better yet, keyword phrase, for the topic you want to get your article ranked in
– Start the title with the keyword, or keyword phrase, that you’ve selected
– Make sure you use the keyword, or keyword phrase you selected in the first sentence, in the middle of the article, and then in the last sentence
– Include the keyword you selected in your header and sub-header tags

And above all, don’t overdue it with your keyword, or keyword phrases that you include in the article. The idea in utilizing these tips is to help get your article ranked by search engines, not penalized, so be sure to make your article reads naturally and fluently.

6 Small Business Tips for Expanding Your Pipeline

The customer and seller dynamic has changed considerably due to the rise of digital. Not so long ago, if a buyer wanted more information about a product or service, they would need to contact a salesperson to learn more. Now, a buyer can obtain a plethora of product information, demos, pricing information, product and company reviews and see if he or she is already connected with a company employee in a matter of seconds. Today’s buyers are more empowered and are opting to pre-qualify their vendors before reaching out. This shift has made prospecting more difficult. Contact them too early, and you risk alienating them; contact them too late and you risk losing the conversion. What’s a company to do?

The answer is simple: sales teams need to change the way they sell. Instead of casting a wide net, cold-calling and hoping something will bite, it makes sense for small businesses to focus their sales and marketing efforts on very specific targets that have better returns. It sounds a little counterintuitive, right? Narrow down your targets in order to expand your pipeline? But it’s true. Focusing on delivering the most relevant messaging to the right people at the moment they need to hear it will help you fill your pipeline faster. In our new e-book, Expand Your Pipeline: 6 Small Business Tips for Growing Your Prospect Base, we show you how with the right tools, your sales team can sell smarter and save time.