The Solar Pathfinder- a RE business success story Richard Perez Every so often a tool comes along that is so functional, so simple to use, and so effective that everyone immediately realizes its value. The Solar Pathfinder is such a tool. The Solar Pathfinder accurately estimates the amount of solar radiation a site will receive. It is THE instrument for locating PV arrays, solar homes, and solar heaters. The Solar Pathfinder's Inventor Bernie Haines, the inventor of the Solar Pathfinder, makes the instruments in his basement in Glenwood Springs, Colorado. Bernie was educated as a chemical engineer and eventually worked in manufacturing. Bernie is a long-time solar energy enthusiast and invented the Solar Pathfinder to fill the need for an accurate instrument to estimate solar insolation at a specific site. Solar insolation is the amount of sunshine a site receives. So is the Pathfinder useful? Consider this past year's SEER '91 energy fair at Willits, CA. The sites for all the booths were in the park and under the trees. While this was infinitely better than broiling in the parking lot like we did at SEER '90, it sure put a cramp in all the solar powered displays. Everyone wanted to borrow the Pathfinder to locate that one specific place in their area that got the most sun. Consider that the Oregon Dept. of Energy requires a sun chart, like the one made by the Pathfinder, before paying off on Oregon RE tax credits. Consider that I did five Pathfinder sun charts before deciding on the location of our new PV tracker. Bottom line is that the first step of siting and estimating any solar-powered system (including thermal systems) is a Solar Pathfinder evaluation. Making the Pathfinder The pathfinder is a precision instrument made with custom tools created by Bernie specifically for the job. The main plastic housings are the only major part jobbed out to a subcontractor. All the rest of the parts are fabricated in Bernie's basement. Bernie has created an amazing machine from off-the-shelf items. Consider the complex and critical operation of bending a plexiglass sheet to the precise dome shape required by the Pathfinder. Bernie heats the plastic on temperature controlled griddles, then sucks the heated plastic into a mold using vacuum. Bernie built a vacuum forming machine just to make these domes. After the dome is formed and trimmed, it is placed on an ingenious rotating platform to check the dome's run out. The reflection of a light on the ceiling circles around on the dome as it spins on the rotating platform. In this manner, only perfect domes are selected for assembly into finished Pathfinders. Bernie's manufacturing techniques are a symphony of basic physics applied with hardware store materials. What is even more amazing is the level of precision present in the finished Pathfinders Ð there's nothing funky coming out of Bernie's basement. A business looking for a home Bernie is now 69 years old and looking forward to retirement. Bernie has made and sold over 3,800 Pathfinders since he invented it in 1979. He would like to sell his successful Solar Pathfinder business to someone who will carry on what has been his life's work. The Pathfinder has become large enough that it has outgrown Bernie's basement and needs not only more space, but also more people to handle the business. Contact Bernie at 303-945-6503 if you want more info on buying the Solar Pathfinder manufacturing business, including all of Bernie's custom made tools. RE Business Bernie and his Pathfinder are realizations of the business potential offered by renewable energy. Bernie saw a clear need and invented a product to fill that need. He then proceeded to manufacture the product himself. If this isn't home power, then I don't know what is. Access Author: Richard Perez, C/O Home Power, POB 130 Hornbrook, CA 96044 ¥ 916-475-3179. Maker: Bernie Haines, Solar Pathways, 31 Chaparral Circle, Glenwood Springs, CO 81601 ¥ 303-945-6503.