September 3, 2010
Answers to Your Questions
There are many recent developments in the PV industry that have greatly reduced the installed price of systems. The interesting thing is that many of these innovations don't involve those actual wafers of silicon sitting out in the sun at all.
One of the first things a prospective grid-tied solar electricity buyer should check is what incentives are offered in your state and utility district. Although the incentives have been reduced as the price of solar has gone down, there is still plenty of assistance available, from federal tax credits to renewable energy credits.
There's no need to sign up for expensive classes just to learn the basics. There's very likely a renewable energy fair somewhere near your area every year, where you can learn at your own pace, ask questions of the experts and enjoy some local food, brew and live music at a bargain price.
It's time to get out the pencil, the calculator and the Internet and have some fun! It's exciting to find out how much solar energy potential your location has, because the incoming energy is free for the harvest.
The easiest solution for lowering your electric bill would simply be to install a big enough PV array to cover all your average yearly electricity needs. But there is another, highly recommended investment you can make first that pays back much faster: energy conservation. Every dollar spent on conservation can save you $3 to $5 on the cost of a PV system that can bring your electric bill to zero.
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory provides an online calculator called In My Back Yard that allows homeowners and small-business owners to obtain solar - and wind turbine - production estimates simply and easily.
Sifting through data compiled by the California Solar Initiative for the first months of 2010 reveals the state's most popular solar panel brands for homeowners, businesses, government and nonprofit agencies.
Solar-electric systems are surprisingly simple in operation. The complicated part is designing the proper system for a homeowner's energy needs and location in the first place. All solar-electric systems consist of four main categories of equipment: energy sources, energy storage, energy conversion, and everything else.
If you are already serious about installing PV, this is an essential reference book, even if you simply want to hire a contractor to install rooftop solar electric on your urban home to offset utility bills.
Thin-film and crystalline silicon solar technologies have been portrayed as locked in a battle for ascendance. But what are the facts about each type?
Feature: On the Road
to Grid Parity
Follow along as we visit community solar information sessions and bring back real questions and answers from homeowners thinking seriously about putting up solar-electric systems.
