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Energy from the sun strikes the photovoltaic (PV) panel and makes DC energy.
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An inverter changes it to AC current which can be used by your home appliances, etc.
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Instantaneously, as the solar electricity is produced, your electric meter will slow down or could even spin backwards!
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The electric company will install a new bi-directional utility meter, at no cost to you, to accurately measure how much electricity your system produces versus how much you purchase from the electric company.
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We install a utility-grade electric meter to record the total kilowatt hours (kWh)of electricity your solar electric system produces over its lifetime. |
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sizing your solar electric system |
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A site survey and a detailed discussion with one of our solar technicians will help determine what size of a solar system will work for you. The size of your system is generally determined by your roof size, budget, and what % of your electric bill you would like to offset. |
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Read more... [sizing your solar electric system]
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View the CT self site survey
View the OR self site survey
- Analysis of the shingle age and roof design.
- Available roof space for solar panels, roof vent locations, other potential obstructions
- Distance from solar panels to the utility company electric meter.
- Electric service panel suitability including space for a single 2 pole 30 amp breaker.
- Orientation and pitch of roof.
- Analysis of tree shading and other factors that will affect sunshine hitting the solar panels.
- Proposed location of inverter (indoors, outdoors, etc).
- Any other factors impacting system price, energy production, etc.
From the site survey we can give you a complete proposal which includes:
- Sales Agreement
- Number, type and manufacturer of solar panels and inverter.
- Estimated energy production of the system
- Financial information including simple payback, annual electric savings and return on investment
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Shading has a significant impact on the efficiency of the solar panels and system. Ideally, the roof should be in full sunshine at least 75% of the year.
How much sunshine is on your roof during the day? Imagine what shade will be on your roof in the winter. What about the summer? Do you have suitable space on your roof to place the solar panels?
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In addition to the retail rates spinning off your meter, you can also get paid for the Energy Credits (REC) or Green Tags. Green Tags are a kind of currency used in the energy trade and are essentially the free market trading of the "renewable attributes" of your clean solar energy, which is essentially the lack of pollution. Green Tags are simply the sum of the environmental benefits resulting from non-pollution energy production.
The market place for Green Tags is constantly changing and varies by region.
Visit: www.cleanenergychoice.org www.evolutionmarkets.com for more information. |
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What happens if you produce more solar electricity than you use?
Your bill is reconciled monthly and the bill should show you exactly how much electricity you produced and how much you bought from the power company.
If your electric meter spins backwards and goes below 0 for the month, each utility company has different means to recording and crediting for cases. In most cases however, customers will purchase more electricity from the utility then what their Solar Electric system produces.
For more information regarding this contact the Oregon State Public Utility Commission (PUC) at
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- Sunlight Solar recommends you wash your panels in order to keep your system producing at it's maximum efficiency!
- Do a visual check on your system (from the ground) to make sure that all wires are secure and there are no loose wires hanging from the panels.
- If you live an area that gets a considerable amount of snow, you should clear the panels if they accumulate over 6 inches. If there is under 6 inches of snow on the panels it can still cut into the system efficiency by 10-20%.
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Read more... [system maintenance]
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