Helios Applications

Helios, the mythical Greek Sun God, is known for pulling the sun across the sky from East to West behind a 4-horse chariot. According to some accounts, he was barely able to keep the team under control as he raced across the horizon.

Nevertheless, Helios gave-in to his son, Phaeton, who begged to drive the chariot. Phaeton lost control of the chariot, crashed, and set the world on fire.

But trouble for Man was just beginning. According to the Odyssey, Odysseus and his men were shipwrecked, landing on an island on which the sacred red cattle of Helios the Sun God grazed.  Keeping careful watch of the herd were Helios’ daughters. The daughters witnessed some of Odysseus’ men slaughter and eat some of the cattle and dutifully informed Helios. Furious, Helios appealed to Zeus to punish the men.  Zeus destroyed the ships and killed all the men except Odysseus.

OK, so you’re not worried about your kid wrecking your car, or dodging the lightning bolts Zeus is hurling at you from Mt. Olympus while you are savoring his Red Cattle prime rib. Still, you have some doubts about solar power systems. You know what they are.

The Difference

Unlike traditional passive solar arrays, active, sun-tracking systems optimize your photovoltaic cells’ exposure to the sun, generating the maximum amount of solar power possible.

Photovoltaic systems are reliable, clean, quiet, and economical. Thanks to many recent advancements in the solar industry, photovoltaic power systems can now do the work formerly performed by diesel, gasoline, and propane generators. Fossil-fuel generators can still be used in conjunction with solar generators, but now their role is reserved for periodic charging and maintenance, or when your vehicle is parked for an extended period of time in the shade.

If you're on this page, chances are you already have solar and want to improve its performance, are researching solar before making a final decision on what to buy, or have just begun to consider solar for your RV, remote location, or other portable electricity application.

Until today, when you thought of "portable energy," you probably visualized a gas, diesel, or propane generator. We think solar can compete with all but the most heavy duty generators.

RVers -- especially "dry campers," those who don't stay in campgrounds with utility hookups -- probably have the most experience with vehicle-mounted solar; however, we here at Helios Applications think that tracking photovoltaic power systems can fulfill practically any electricity needs in the following fields. There must be applications we haven't thought of yet. Is your field on this list? Could it be?

• Campers/RV
• Construction
  
• Agriculture
• Entertainment
• Emergency Services/Disaster Recovery
• Industry
• Medical/Healthcare
• Parks & Recreation
  
• Wilderness
• Tourism
• Sports Venues/Motorsports
• Food Preparation/Catering
  

We don't have the world's wildest imagination. Still, we can think of a few specific examples of how solar might be applied to your portable or remote power needs:

• Command Posts
• Law enforcement, Fire, Disaster Recovery
  
• Classrooms
• Clinics
  
• Canteens/Cooking
• Dormitories/Tent cities
• Logistics
• Rechargeable equipment
• Communications
• Radios/Computers
  
• Lighting
  
• Area/Task/General
• Pumps/Fans
  
• Refrigeration
• Power Supply/Supplement Grid Power
• Back-up/Uninterruptable Power Supply
• Stand-by/Emergency Power
• Toy Haulers, Car Haulers, & Team Trailers
  

Click here for a partial list of common items a tracking photovoltaic system will support.