PV Solar has the ability to make a positive impact on you and your home and your family in many ways.  But, there are some key components to buying and then keeping up your solar system that everyone should understand.

As we have talked about in previous articles, you want to receive several bids from several different solar contractors in your area before deciding on one.  This is going to be an expensive purchase, and one that is a long term investment, so take your time with this phase of the decision making.

You should seek a contractor who details the warranty and maintainence schedule on the proposal prior to making any final decisions.  Specifically, you want to make sure your contractor will be there to fix any problems that arise with the installation of the solar panels or the inverter or any other parts of the solar electric system.  A properly installed solar electric system should have very little maintaining needed, in fact, many owners of solar electric systems can go over ten years without needing to do a single thing to their properly installed system!

As for warranty information, be sure to figure out exactly what the warranty information is going to be on the solar panels and the inverter and any mounting gear that is part of the solar electric system.  Most solar panel makers offer a 20 year warranty, and usually the minimum warranty for solar electric inverters is 10 years, so make sure your contractor explains that to you.  Just so you understand as well, most local solar contractors have partnerships with local or national wholesalers of solar equipment.  They may even call themselves “authorized dealers” of certain types of solar electric equipment.  With this potentially being the case, they will know exactly the warranty information on the solar electric equipment.  If they do not know the warranty information, that might be a GREAT sign that you are dealing with an inexperienced “solar professional” and my advice would be to seek other options for your needs.

How to clean your Solar Electric System:

This is something that is simple. Usually, the rain will take care of all needed cleaning of the solar system, so you don’t need to worry about doing anything yourself.  Actually, in most cases, homeowners who try to get ontop of their roofs to “clean” their solar panels often cause more damage than good to the panels, so it is advised not to do much cleaning other than making it rain.

Another related article is about buying a 3 to 4 kw solar system

Today we are going to find out how many kilo watt hours of electricity a PV solar system will produce if it was located in the city of Chicago, and of course if there was no shade on the PV system.

There are a few different ways to figure this out. This post will explain the simplest way to determine the solar energy production.

-The size of the solar system that we will be measuring is going to be a 5.0 kw PV solar system. That is equal to a 5000 watt solar system because there are 1000 watts in a kw.(1000×5= 5000watts=5kW)

-The location that we will use to come up with an average sunlight hour number is Chicago, IL. The average number of sunlight hours there is about 4.4 hours per day.(Of course there are many more hours where people would consider it to be “light out”, but all “light out” hours are not equal, we need to average number of hours that solar panels would operate at maximum efficiency, othewise the math that would be needed for “its light outside hours” gets very complicated and returns the same answer.

-We will use an energy loss amount of approximately 15% when the current goes from DC to AC(yup, there is always going to be some energy loss in the form of heat mainly, and right now with todays technology(which is really good) the energy loss is unavoidable.)

So, here is the equation:
5000 wattsDC X 4.4 hours/day = 22,000 watt hoursDC/day = 22.2 kwh/day on average in DC

Next, we will factor in the energy loss of 15%:
22.2kwh X .15= 3.3 kwh of lost energy in the conversion to Alternating Current

Next we will figure out how much AC current is left to use:
22.2kwhDC-3.3kwh(lost)= 18.9 kwh AC produced per day

Next, we will figure out how many kilo watt hours are produced each month on average:
18.9 kwhAC/day X 30(days in the average month) = 567 kwh AC produced on average per month

Next, we will figure out how many kilo watt hours are produced on average per year:
567 kwh AC per month X 12(moths in the year) = 6,804 kwh per year

SO, in Las Vegas, Nevada, you could expect a 5.0 kwh solar system to produce approximately 6,804 kilo watt hours of electricity per year.

One of the assumptions is that there would be no shade hitting the solar panels as that would adversely affect the electricity production. Just think of it like this, if there is shade from a tree hitting the solar system for 20% of the day, the electric production of the solar panels is likely to be exactly 20% LESS than the number above, that’s a BIG BIG difference, and something you want to avoid.

When you are buying a solar system in Chicago, be sure to ask the solar professional to explain the expected sunlight hours to you. This is quite possibly the most important bit of data you need to know before writting any checks.

Also, since Chicago is a very progressive city in some respects, you might just luck out and run into a great Chicago solar incentive program when you are speaking with the local solar installers. Make sure to ask them what the current incentives are, it can save you bigtime on the solar purchase.

One of the first questions that you will ask is: how many kilowatt hours (kwh) of electricity will my solar system produce where I live? That’s a great question, and one which everyone should ask themselves when you buy a solar system.

Las Vegas Solar Cells

There are several ways to figure this out. This post will explain the easiest way to determine the electric production for a solar system.

-The size of the solar system that we will evaluate is going to be for a 2.0 kw PV solar system. That is equal to a 2000 watt solar system because there are 1000 watts in a kw.
-The location that we will use to come up with an average sunlight hour number is Las Vegas Nevada. The average number of sunlight hours there is approximately 6.4 hours per day.
-We will use an energy loss amount of approximately 15% when the current goes from DC to AC

So, here is the equation:
2000 wattsDC X 6.4 hours/day = 12,800 watt hoursDC/day = 12.8 kwh/day on average in DC

Next, we will factor in the energy loss of 15%:
12.8kwh X .15= 1.92kwh of lost energy in the conversion to Alternating Current

Next we will figure out how much AC current is left to use:
12.8kwhDC-1.92kwh(lost)= 10.88kwh AC produced per day

Next, we will figure out how many kilo watt hours are produced each month on average:
10.88kwhAC/day X 30(days in the average month) = 326 kwhAC produced on average per month

Next, we will figure out how many kilo watt hours are produced on average per year:
326 kwh AC per month X 12(moths in the year) = 3,912 kwh per year

SO, in Las Vegas, Nevada, you could expect a 2.0 kwh solar system to produce approximately 3,912 kilo watt hours of electricity per year.

One of the assumptions is that there would be no shade hitting the solar panels as that would adversely affect the electricity production.

When you are buying a solar system in Las Vegas, be sure to ask the solar professional to explain the expected sunlight hours to you.  This is quite possibly the most important bit of data you need to know before writting any checks.

Leasing a home PV solar system is something that is a relatively new concept, but has been around for about 4 years now. The idea of a leasing solar came about due to the high cost of solar systems in the United States, with the goal of solar companies making the entry point much easier for a homeowner wants to buy a solar system. There are many advantages of leasing a solar system compared to buying a solar system, and I will discuss them within this article.

Low Up Front Cost to a Lease
If you are interested in buying a solar system, the solar lease might be the option for you due to the much lower up front cost. Since you would not be the owner of the actual system, you don’t need to buy the whole thing. That equals less up front money, its that simple. If you want to have solar electricity but can only claim a bank account of a few thousand dollars, the lease just might be your answer.

Some else will maintain the Solar System
When you are leasing the system, most companies who offer a solar lease will maintain the system on their dime. This is great because it keeps them vested in having the system in good health. If you are dealing with a company who does not cover up keep costs, negotiate that into the lease, THEY SHOULD.

You can Negotiate a Solar Performance/Output Contract
Before you sign any solar lease, you want to know exactly how much you will be paying each month, and exactly how much electricity you will be getting in return. You can put this into the lease contract too. If the performance of the system does not match what is gauranteed, you don’t need to move forward with your payments. If the solar company is not willing to do this, you should look for a different solar company to buy the solar panels from.

Every Solar Lease is different
One thing to consider when you are getting ready to get involved in a solar lease, each person’s home is different. Each home’s energy use is different too. Make sure to read through the entire lease agreement prior to purchasing/closing a solar lease. What might have worked for your neighbor may be different for you. And vice versa.

One company that is beginning to become a national player in PV solar is called SolarCity (Solar City). They specialize in PV solar leasing and have been doing it for quite sometime. But there are also several other solar companies that do solar leasing too.

One common question that many people have when buying a solar system is how temperature effects PV solar panels.  I used to think that when the weather was really hot, it was great for the solar panels, and should mean more electricity is being produced.  But that is not so much the case.  For each solar panel there is a specific temperature which is ideal for making electricity.  And it turns out that solar panels will be “more efficient” when the outside temperature is colder than 100 degrees, and closer to 50 degrees or even less.

The next logical question that most people should have is, How much does temperature effect efficiency? The answer is NOT VERY MUCH.  Infact, the effect that temperature has on the production of PV solar panels is so small that it is rarely talked about and pretty much forgotten as something to be concerned with.For the average homeowner who is buying a solar system, temperature will not be on the list of things to review.  For a large corporation that is deciding between which warehouse to place their multi million dollar PV system, they may consider the roof temperatures of various locations they are considering.

The major factors to consider with regards to having maximum output of your solar panels is shading, angle towards the sun, and making sure the solar panels strings are sized properly with the inverter you are using.  If you really want to optimize the output and efficiency of your solar system, take some time and ask your solar professional some questions about panel temperature, and what types of ideas he/she has to minimize the negative affects that temp can have.  One common practice it to have an airspace between the underside of the panels and the roof, this allows for venitllation of air and tends to keep things cooler during hot summer days.

Good Luck with your solar panels!

Here is another link about shade and solar panels

This is the average electric solar panel system purchased in the United States.

Most people who are interested in having a solar system on their home, want to make an impact in reducing their electric bill, and a 3.0 kilowatt to 4.0 kw PV solar system can do just that.  If you are interested in earning all kinds of extra income

175 watt Solar Panels

from a solar electric system, the chances are you would need quite a bit larger system than one which is only 3 to 4 kilowatts.

The exact amount of electricity that a solar panel system of this size is going to produce is going to depend on the usual factors for any solar system anywhere in the US.  These factors are: 1) Sunlight hours, 2) Shading and 3) Orientation towards the sun.  To a lesser extent, outside temperature will also affect the solar panels production of electrity, but that’s nothing to be too worried about.

Buying a solar panel system of this size is going to be eligible for at least a 30% federal tax credit, and probably other state and local solar incentives.  What you should do is talk with the solar professional prior to agreeing on any prices and make sure the details of the incentives you are eligible for are written down in writing before you pay for the solar system.

Purchasing or Financing the Solar electric system:

Make sure to explore your options when it comes time to buy the system.  For over a year now, there are many great state backed and federally backed financing programs for homeowners to purchase solar power systems.  One of the main reasons is that these solar systems are looked at as a long term investment, and they add value to your home, so banks are more willing to loan money to homeowners because of that.  Also, there is a instant generation of income or return on a solar investment which also make a loan for this more appealing to banks.  There are several Green Banks, which specialize in loans for solar systems which you should investigate as well.  These banks often know the process very well and make it much easier for homeowners to buy solar power systems.  The solar professional you work with will also know about some good financing alternatives for you to help you get started.