What is PV Solar?
Solar cells are small, square-shaped panel semiconductors made from silicon and other conductive materials. They are manufactured in thin film layers. When sunlight strikes a solar cell, chemical reactions release electrons, generating electric current. Solar cells are also called photovoltaic cells - or PV cells for short - and can be found on many small appliances, like calculators, toys and even hats.
Individual PV cells are arranged together in a PV module and the modules are grouped together in an array. Some of the arrays are set on special tracking devices to follow sunlight all day long.
The electrical energy from solar cells can then be used directly. It can be used in a home for lights and appliances. It can be used in a business. Solar energy can be stored in batteries to light a roadside billboard at night. Or the energy can be stored in a battery for an emergency roadside cellular telephone when no telephone wires are around.
There are two primary PV markets. Off-grid systems are used where the cost of a PV system is cheaper than stringing electrical power lines long distances from the local utility. Grid-connected PV systems usually cannot compete directly with the cost of utility-produced power. Because of state incentives and federal tax credits, many people are considering grid-connected PV systems. If the PV system provides more power than the home or business uses, additional electricity is fed back into the grid for other people to use. This effectively spins an electricity meter backward in what is known as "net metering."
Incentives offered to homeowners and small businesses is helping develop a more robust PV industry in the United States. Additional, growing demand for PV cells, along with competition, can help drive down the per watt price of PV cells while, at the same time, create new jobs.
Photovoltaics or solar cells can be purchased in two formats: as a stand-alone module that is attached to your roof or on a separate system, or using integrated roofing materials with dual functions - that as a regular roofing shingle and as a solar cell making electricity.
Because they do not produce polluting air emissions or water effluents, solar PV systems are prime candidates for supplying electricity at locations where such environmental impacts are unacceptable. For example, in parks and places where preserving high levels of environmental quality is important.
Is PV Solar Power Costly? Is it Reliable?
How much does a PV system cost? The cost of a PV system depends on the system's size, equipment options, and labor costs.
Prices vary depending on other factors as well, such as the PV provider, whether or not your home is new, if the PV is integrated into the roofing materials or mounted on top of the existing roof, and the PV manufacturer.
Small systems funded through California's Energy Renewables Program, through the end of 2006, have been averaging $7.00 / watt, after rebates.
Are PV systems reliable? PV systems have no moving parts. There is nothing that can wear out.
They are essentially silicon or glass panels, like a window. They are made to withstand hot, direct sunlight and harsh weather conditions. They will continue to work as long as sunlight falls on the surface.
It's estimated that PV panels should last 20-25 years or longer.
How do Solar Panels and HOAs Get Along?
What are my rights regarding access to the sun? Solar Access State laws in California protect homeowner's access to the sun for solar systems.
A portion of the Warren-Alquist Act - Public Resources Code Section 25980-25986, the Solar Shade Control Act, states:
"...It is the policy of the state to promote all feasible means of energy conservation and all feasible uses of alternative energy supply sources. In particular, the state encourages the planting and maintenance of trees and shrubs to create shading, moderate outdoor temperatures, and provide various economic and aesthetic benefits. However, there are certain situations in which the need for widespread use of alternative energy devices, such as solar collectors, requires specific and limited controls on trees and shrubs."
Solar and CC&Rs According to the U.S. Department of Energy's report Bringing Solar Energy to the Planned Community: A Handbook on Rooftop Solar Systems and Private Land Use Restrictions, many homes today are part of planned communities which require a uniform and consistent appearance within the development.
According to the Community Association Institute's 1999 Factbook, 42 million Americans now live in community associations.
The number of community associations has burgeoned from 10,000 in 1970 to over 200,000 today.
Unfortunately, planned communities could limit the growth in the use of solar energy.
The report says, "The problem arises in the context of the association's architectural controls, commonly found in its declaration of covenants, conditions and restrictions (CC&Rs). The developer creates these CC&Rs to ensure the uniform appearance and preserve the 'curb appeal' of the project throughout its construction and build-out phase. After the development phase is completed, the responsibility for interpreting and enforcing the architectural controls is passed onto a Homeowner Association and its Architectural Review Committee made up of elected members of the community. In the hands of an overzealous ARC, CC&Rs can become a straightjacket to solar development."
You can download this report as an Adobe Acrobat PDF file (62 pages, 1.0 MB)
If you have questions regarding solar access or how covenants, codes and restrictions may limit you from installing solar, please check with your legal advisor or attorney, county building officials, or your solar equipment installer.
Grid or Off-Grid? That is the question!
If a grid-intertied solar electric system produces more power than needed during the day, the electric "credit" is used at night. A properly designed system will produce enough power for one day with credits rolling to the next day and beyond. The good news is that if the sky is cloudy, the homeowner won't be without power; they will just pay for the extra power taken from the grid. And some power companies have "time of use" metering. That means that the power that a homeowner may receive "credits" at the more expensive daytime rates and can "buy back" at night when rates are typically lower. Power "credits" that come from over-production in summer can be used the next winter too!
A gridtie system is not a "back-up" system. although you CAN add a back up system. Because it is tied closely to the grid, if the grid goes down so do most of the systems unless they are designed with extra, more expensive, battery components. So if you live where the power is stable, just expensive, the battery-less, gridtie system is for you. If you are in the country where power is less reliable think about the grid-tied systems with battery back-up.
California Energy Commission: Consumer Guides
Buying a Photovoltaic Solar Electric System: A Consumer's Guide:
www.energy.ca.gov/reports/2003-03-11_500-03-014F.PDF
A Guide to Photovoltaic System Design and Installation:
www.energy.ca.gov/reports/2001-09-04_500-01-020.PDF
Installing Your New System
We sell our systems either delivered curb-side or installed, so that the customer has the choice to hire an electrician/install it themselves or having one of our licensed, experienced contractors do it for them. Take time to familiarize yourself with the installation process by viewing the videos below: