Solar Electric Systems:
Solar Electricity is also known as Photovoltaics or PV
for short. PV systems can be mounted on a roof or on the ground. They provide
electricity for buildings such as your home or office; they can also provide
electricity for factories or utilities.
How
it Works:
- Light from
the sun strikes the PV module (also known as the PV panel) and
makes DC electricity. DC means Direct Current. It is the same kind of
electricity that batteries produce.
- Your home
runs off AC electricity, or Alternating Current. To convert the DC
electricity from the panels to the AC electricity for your home, we
install an inverter (see the diagram).
The inverter is usually installed in your garage or basement. We try to
install your inverter as close as possible to your circuit breaker panel.
- The
inverter will be wired to a new breaker in your panel which will feed
electricity into your home, rather than pull it from the grid.
- During the
day, this will cause your utility to meter to slow down or spin backwards.
Now the solar panels are supplying your house with electricity, not the
utility grid.
- You will
only be charged for what you pulled from the grid at night if it is more
than what you produced during the day. We can provide customized systems
that provide close to 100% of your electric needs so that your utility
bill will be negligible.
System Sizing:

For
solar electric systems, a site survey and a detailed discussion with one of our
Systems Designers will help determine what size of system will work for you.
The size of your roof, budget, and what percentage of your electric bills you
would like to offset. If you have a utility bill on hand or know your average
monthly electric costs, contact us
and we can help you determine what size system you will need.
Our
Systems Designers can also help determine the numbers of solar panels that
would work best for you. After collecting information about your existing
ENERGY set-up and demands, we can size a system to suit your households
domestic needs. Contact us
today for a free quote!
Site Survey,What is it?

When
you are ready, we can send a Systems Designer to your home to evaluate your
site. The Systems Designer will record, measure, or analyze the following
information:
- Roof
design, shingle age and condition
- Orientation,
height, and pitch of roof(s)
- Available
roof space for solar panels, roof vent locations, skylights, etc
- Electric
service panel suitability, including extra space for a new dedicated
breaker
- Existing
hot water set-up, including tank
- Tree
shading and other factors that will affect system production
- Any
other factors impacting system price and performance
After
the Systems Designer has gathered this information he or she can discuss your
potential options for a solar electric system. He or she will be able to
provide you with the following information:
- Suggested
number, type and manufacturer of solar panels or collectors
- Estimated
energy production of the system
- Financial
information including rebate details, tax credits, annual electric
savings, and return on investment
-
Any
Solution To Power Outages?
Yes!We've Got The Solution!
With
a standard grid-tied solar electric system, if utility electric power becomes
unstable or is lost, your solar electric system automatically turns off and
your system does not produce electricity. This ensures that you do not send
extra electricity onto the grid when people may be working on the power
lines.We can offer three options for you to supplement your electricity loads
when the power goes out.
Sales
Proposal
Battery Back-up

If
you wish to have your solar electric system supply your home with electricity
during a power outage, it is possible to install a bank of batteries that act
as an emergency back-up. The energy stored in these batteries can feed
electricity into critical electrical loads in your home (i.e. refrigerator, a
few lights, well pump, etc). Though it is a technologically feasible
solution, the batteries can be expensive relative to other forms of back-up
power. Please contact us if you are
interested in getting a quote for a battery back-up system.

Generators
Another option is to supplement your electricity
needs with a generator. Sunlight Solar is now installing sub-panels to give our
customers the options to run critical loads when the power goes out. Customers
can work with our team to identify important appliances that are necessary
during power outages and we will help size a generator to meet those loads.
This means that when power goes out, all you have to do is flip a switch to run
only the most important of electricity users and start up your generator.

Inverter Auxiliary Power
The world’s largest manufacturer of
solar electric inverters, recently announced a new line of inverters that will
provide a small amount of daytime power during a power outage. This special
line of inverters has a dedicated outlet that can provide up to 1,500 watts of
power. Though this will not power the high electric-consuming items in your
household, you can use it to charge your cell phone, laptop, etc.

