Answers to Common Questions

Who are the primary users of solar energy?
Recent years have seen rapid growth in the number of installations of PV on to buildings that are connected to the electricity grid. This area of demand has been stimulated in part by government subsidy programs and by green pricing policies of utilities or electricity service providers. The central driving force though comes from the desire of individuals or companies to obtain their electricity from a clean, non-polluting, renewable source for which they are prepared to pay a small premium.

What are Photovoltaics?
Photovoltaic devices, or solar cells, convert sunlight directly to electricity. It is an attractive alternative to conventional sources of electricity for many reasons: it is silent, non-polluting, and renewable; it requires no special training to operate; it is modular and versatile; it is extremely reliable and virtually maintenance free (with no moving parts); and it can be installed almost anywhere. The customer pays only for the system; the fuel is free.
Photovoltaic cells are made of a semiconductor material, usually silicon, and produce an electric current in the presence of light. Individual cells are combined to create modules that produce a specific amount of peak power. The modules, in turn, can be combined to create arrays that produce larger amounts of power. These arrays can be sized to meet the power requirements of the particular application.

Does a solar energy system offer significant environmental benefits?
Yes. Solar electric systems have an operating life of over 25 years, and spare the environment from thousands of tons of harmful emissions, by avoiding the production of electricity generated from traditional fossil-fuel burning power plants. These emissions include nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide and carbon dioxide, which are major contributors to smog, acid rain and global warming.

What is passive solar heating and cooling?
Buildings designed for passive solar and daylighting incorporate design features such as large south-facing windows and building materials that absorb and slowly release the sun's heat. No mechanical means are employed in passive solar heating. Incorporating passive solar designs can reduce heating bills as much as 50 percent. Passive solar designs can also include natural ventilation for cooling. Windows are an important aspect of passive solar design.
Proper building orientation, so the longest walls run from east to west, allows solar heat to enter the home in winter, while allowing in as little sun as possible during summer. Shading and overhangs also reduce excessive summer heat, while still permitting winter sun.

What's the difference between passive and active solar?
Passive solar uses building and site elements and natural processes to accomplish a given task (comfort, water heating, air movement, etc.) with no, or minimal, mechanical and electrical equipment.  Active solar utilizes mechanical and electrical equipment.

I have a 2500 sq. ft. home. How much will it cost to power it with solar?
Unfortunately there is no per square foot "average" since the cost of a system actually depends on your daily energy usage and how many full sun hours you receive per day; And if you have other sources of electricity. To accurately size a system to meet your needs, we need to know how much energy you use per day. If your home is connected to the utility grid, simply look at your monthly electric bill.

Solar technologies are cost-effective in many niche applications today, for example, the use of photovoltaics at remote installations not on the power grid. A solar energy system's cost can also be reduced by Federal, state, and local tax incentives and other financial support. Additional cost reductions are possible through the use of state-implemented net metering options. Financing assistance can, in some cases, reduce the cost of solar energy systems to the point where monthly payments for the system are less than the savings on the monthly energy bill.

What is the "payback" on my system?
This is an often asked question . If we bought a car based solely on financial payback we would all be driving the cheapest form of transportation available. Solar electricity is the least expensive, most reliable clean source of energy available. The cost of your grid electricity does not subsidize the air and water pollution it creates. The cost of these things in the long view are immeasurable. A single 75 watt solar panel will prevent 7000 pounds of carbon dioxide from being emitted into our atmosphere over its lifetime. What is the value of independence? One of the things our customers appreciate more than anything else about their alternative electric systems is that feeling of independence they get when grid power goes down and their neighbors homes are all dark. These and many other things contribute to the unforeseen payback we experience off the grid which really is rarely taken into consideration.

Is it possible to retrofit my turn-of-the-century home for solar energy?
Yes. Solar PV modules can be retrofitted on to a pitched roof above the existing roof-tiles, or the tiles replaced by specially designed PV roof-tiles or roof-tiling systems.

I am building a home in a remote location, away from power lines. Would this project be a candidate for a solar energy system?
Photovoltaic Systems are frequently the preferred solution for homes which have no access to the electricity grid. These solar systems are configured to meet power needs less expensively than extending the grid to reach your location. Remote homes in sunny locations can obtain reliable electricity to meet basic needs for lighting (using energy efficient fluorescent lamps) and radio or television with a simple PV system comprising a PV panel, a rechargeable battery to store the energy captured during daylight hours, a regulator (or charge controller) and the necessary wiring and switches. Such systems are often called "solar home systems" or SHS for short.

What is the Million Solar Roofs Initiative?
Million Solar Roofs is a federal initiative to install solar energy systems on one million U.S. buildings by 2010. President Clinton announced the initiative on June 26, 1997 in a speech before the United Nations Session on Environment and Development. The initiative includes two types of solar technology: photovoltaics that produce electricity from sunlight and solar thermal panels that produce heat for domestic hot water, space heating, or heating swimming pools.