Keeping a cool head

Merging solar panels, a straw hat and a fan, this invention could save lives in Valley heat.

By Dennis Pollock
The Fresno Bee
01/09/08 22:14:45

About eight years ago, an idea came to Tommie Nellon as he was installing solar panels in Fresno's 110-degree heat.

"It was so hot we had to use gloves to pick up [metal] tools," he said.

The entrepreneur who runs a multimillion-dollar company decided then and there to put solar panels on a wide-brimmed straw hat to power a fan that could cool him off.

It took four years to find the right fan for the job and about the same amount of time to work through the patent system.

In November, he got a patent for a "combined solar powered fan and hat for maximizing airflow through the hat." Nellon said he expects to start making the hats soon and to sell them for $29.95 each.

He said potential customers could range from farmworkers to amusement park visitors. Nellon has made dozens of the hats already, and his workers use them on the job with his company Unlimited Energy Inc. in Fresno.

"There was a guy who offered me $100 for a hat," Nellon said, displaying the slightly tattered one he has worn the past three years.

Large Private Solar Array Now On Line

At years end the Solar Array at the Seventh Day Adventist Academy in Fresno began operation. At 254 Kw, it is one of the largest privately owned Solar Power projects in the Central Valley.

Occupying a large piece of ground on the schools property, the Solar Array is approximately 200 yards in length and 25 yards wide. The latest of the lightweight panels from First Solar are teamed with a new, smaller footprint ground mount to keep costs down while still providing a stable platform. This is the first mount of its kind in the Central Valley. Expect Unlimited Energy to continue to provide innovative solutions for your commercial energy needs.

Customer saves $700 a month after solar installation

Rob and Beth Farmer of Clovis are very proud of their new home and it is large enough to accommodate their growing family.  As with any new home, they also wanted to put in some new furnishings.  Their utility bills were large, however, and they began thinking about a Solar Power system to offset most of their electrical bill.  At the end of the summer of 2005, they received the latest of their ever increasing power bills.  You guessed it!  The new furniture was temporarily put on hold and they purchased an 8.4 Kw Solar Power system from Scott Hayden at Unlimited Energy.  Their bills were averaging about $700 per month before the solar system was installed.  Rob recently talked to his salesperson, Scott, and told him he had received his "True-up" statement from the utility company.  This is the once per year statement sent out on the birthday of the Solar System and covers one entire year's bill for the household.  This first year with Solar, the Farmers enjoyed a total electrical bill of just over $400..that's about $37.00 per month.  Happy, you bet!  And Beth is now getting her new furnishings too.

Click image to enlarge.

Unlimited Energy believes in supporting the community through in-kind donations

Mr. Tommie Nellon, President and CEO of Unlimited Energy, recognized a need to assist students who were unable to afford general school supplies. As a result, Unlimited Energy generously supported over 1,300 students by donating individually filled backpacks with much-needed school supplies such as notebooks, erasers, markers, pencils, rulers, and solar powered calculators. Shown below is Unlimited Energy Owner Mr. Tommie Nellon and his staff assembling the supplies and backpacks. Unlimited Energy also supports March of Dimes, MSKCC (Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center), Central High School, World of Life Evangelistic Ministries, and the West Clovis Judo Club. For a full list, please visit our about us page.