What Is A Solar Lease?
Is Solar A Viable Option In Cold Climates?
Yes. A general rule of thumb is that if you can clearly see your solar panels, they can produce electricity. In fact, given equal sunlight, a solar panel on a cold day will out-produce a solar panel on a hot day.
Should I Re-Roof My House Before I Install Solar Panels?
I Don’t Plan On Being In My Home For 25 Years, Why Would I Add Solar?
People move more frequently now than ever before, but that shouldn’t impact your solar decision. A solar system can save you money today and even pay for itself in as little as five to six years. Even if you move before your solar investment is completely paid off, studies show the cost will likely be returned in added value to your home.
Plus, your home will most likely sell faster. Who doesn’t want a home with a guaranteed low electric bill? And the warranty is usually transferable one time to a new owner! As your solar energy advocate, we’ll work with you to ensure contract language is clearly noted.
How Does Snow Affect A Solar Systems Performance?
While snow will decrease production while it is on your panels, it should not damage your system when designed and installed properly. Given the angle of the panels and their tendency to produce some heat, the snow will fall off your panels faster than it would fall off your roof, quickly returning your system to its full potential.
What Is Insolation?
Insolation is a measure of the solar radiation energy in a given region, as sunlight varies by region. It is usually expressed as the intensity of light energy per unit of land area. As a whole, the U.S., especially the sunny Southwest and Southeast, offers strong insolation.
By comparison, Germany, the PV industry’s leader, gets little better sun than Alaska.
What Are Solar Renewable Energy Contracts (SREC’s)?
show that a certain amount of electricity was produced using solar energy. They are typically used in conjunction with state-level renewable energy standards (RPS), also called renewable portfolio standards to show that regulated entities are meeting their State required renewable energy goals.
In one scenario, PSE&G in NJ, used the SREC program to provide loans to homeowners for their solar systems. The loans were then repaid using the SRECs generated by the customers’ solar energy systems. The loan can be re-paid with cash or by using SREC’s with a minimum floor price for each credit guaranteed. With this guarantee, solar loan customers can be assured that the SRECs generated by their system will maintain a consistent value for the life of the loan and solar power system.
What is Distributed Generation?
Distributed generation, also called on-site generation, or distributed energy generates electricity from many small energy sources. It reduces the amount of energy lost during transportation (due to losses & grid congestion) in transmitting electricity as the electricity is generated close to where it is used, sometimes even in the same building. This also reduces the size and number of power lines that must be constructed. Typical distributed power sources in a Feed-in Tariff (FIT) scheme have low maintenance, low pollution and high efficiencies. .
What Are Module Power Ratings, And How Are They Measured?
Government rating agencies have created ratings STC-DC and CEC-AC. This is confusing as both ratings are widely used, often together and each measures the solar panel output in a slightly different way. STC-DC (Standard Test Condition Direct Current) rating measures a panel’s output in ideal laboratory test conditions and is the standard global power rating for solar panels.
CEC-AC (California Energy Commission Alternating Current) rating measures a panel’s output in real life production conditions and factors in the inverter’s DC to AC conversion efficiency. The CEC-AC is always lower than the STC-DC rating, because it considers inefficiencies throughout the balance of your system.
What is a Kilowatt-Hour?
A kilowatt-hour (kWh) is a unit of energy equal to 1000 watt-hours. If you left ten 100W light bulbs on for one hour, you would use 1 kWh of energy. Utility companies bill customers in kWh.
What Are Panel Optimizers?
Some installers may suggest optimizers to help offset roof shading. A Power optimizer is a DC/DC converter which is connected by installers to each PV module or they may be embedded by module manufacturers, thus replacing the traditional solar junction box. Power optimizers increase energy output from PV systems by constantly tracking the maximum power point (MPPT) of each module individually.
Furthermore, the power optimizers monitor the performance of each module and communicate performance data to the a monitoring portal for enhanced, cost-effective module-level maintenance. Some optimizers have a feature which automatically shuts down when the inverter or grid power is shut down.
What Is Solar Reliability?
Solar panel reliability is all about time, measured by how many years your system will last performing at optimum peak, based on normal conditions. Environmental factors like temperature, humidity, wind, shade and snow will effect your system performance. Be sure the information installers provide you for your analysis include your homes environmental scenarios.
How Does Solar Power Work?
What Is Net Metering?
Net metering allows residential and commercial customers who generate their own electricity from solar power to feed electricity they do not use back into the grid. Net metering is a billing mechanism that credits solar energy system owners for the electricity they add to the grid. The utilities bill customers only for the net electricity used during each billing period. Alternately, if a customer has produced more electricity than they have consumed, the credit for that net excess generation will be treated according to the NEM policy of the state or utility.
What is a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA)?
What is Property-Assessed Clean Energy (PACE)
In a PACE agreement to purchase / finance a new solar generating system, the up-front cost is paid by a local government fund and repaid by the homeowner through property taxes. Most PACE programs have higher interest rates vs national installer lease programs, so read the fine print carefully.
Contractor Check List
1. How much experience does your company have?
With new companies entering the industry you’ll want to ensure that you select an installer with experience and training, so it’s beneficial to find out how many years the company has been in business, how long they have been installing solar and the number of solar systems installed.
2. What licenses and insurance does your company possess?
Another way to evaluate a solar company’s level of experience are by the active licenses and certifications. Make sure you choose an installer that has the required local and state licenses (such as solar, electric and general contractors licensing). The best solar installers have staff members that are certified by the North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners (NABCEP).
3. Is your company accredited by the Better Business Bureau?
If a business has been accredited by the Better Business Bureau, it means the BBB has determined that the business meets accreditation standards which include a commitment to make a good faith effort to resolve any consumer complaints.
4. Does your company use subcontractors?
Be wary of installers hiring sub-contractors to complete portions of your install, as this makes it very difficult to track accountability. Ensure your install company will manage your project from start to finish, including design, installation and permitting and system maintenance.
5. Please provide me with customer references?
Your best way to screen a contractor is to ask them to provide two to three references. Contact these customers to make sure they are happy with the work performed.
What Is Solar Efficiency?
Solar panel efficiency refers to the amount of light that the entire module converts to electricity. The efficiency of a solar panel is lower than that of a solar cell due to the spacing between cells and because the glass covering reflects away some of the sunlight. Solar systems are often measured in terms of the amount of power they can produce, which is measured in watts or kilowatts.
We believe the most important factor to consider for your new system is the amount of actual (measured in kWh or kilowatt hours) electricity the system can generate during its lifetime, referred to the Levelized Cost of Energy or LCOE. High efficiency panels also mean fewer panels on your roof, which means shorter install times, fewer install components and less maintenance over the system life.