NAPLES, Fla., May 24 Centex Homes announced it will offer solar electricity systems from Sharp in more than 85 homes in Florida.Centrex Homes is building a new community north of Naples called The Quarry. The home-building company has selected Sharp, a world leader in providing solar cells, to install the technology on 89 homes. The Sharp solar systems will be offered on several single-family and estate homes in two "solar neighborhoods" within The Quarry community, designed to augment the power supplied to each home from the grid. "Centex is committed to balancing land conservation with responsible development, and The Quarry is being built on that principal," said Tim Ruemler, president of Centex Homes of Southwest Florida. "We are proud to take the lead in building homes equipped with solar power and encourage other developers to follow suit in bringing the long term benefits of solar to homeowners. We each need to do our part in supporting renewable energy and reduce our reliance on oil. If we focus on solving our energy needs with sustainable products such as solar, the overall impacts will be positive for everyone." The 2.1-kilowatt systems will help owners control monthly utility costs, especially during times of peak energy consumption. Each system will also have eight garage-housed 100-amp-hour batteries that will power critical loads like a refrigerator, microwave and a few outlets in case of a power failure.Copyright 2007 by UPI
