If you’re considering installing a solar panel system, you’ve probably spent some time researching financing, tax breaks, and solar installers. However, you should also educate yourself about the solar energy equipment your system needs to get up and running. While the components of a PV system are simple, the different product options and brands can make the equipment selection process fairly complex. We’ll break down all things solar power equipment in order to best prepare you to select your hardware.
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How do solar panels work? The science, explained
Solar panels use the sun’s energy to generate usable electricity. At a high level, solar cells interact with incoming light to generate an electrical current through the “photovoltaic effect”. In this article, we’ll break down exactly how solar panels produce renewable energy for your home.
Continue readingSolar panel installation: a five-step guide to installing home solar panels
Last updated: 03/09/2022
More than a million homes have already gone solar in the U.S., and many more homeowners are considering installing solar PV systems. If you’re in the market for a clean energy system like solar,, you probably want to know what actually happens during a solar panel installation or even how to install solar panels yourself. There are five main steps that need to happen between signing your contract and your home being powered by solar electricity. Most of that is behind the scenes. To show you what you can expect, we’ve outlined a simple five-step guide for the typical solar installation process.
Continue reading11 facts about solar energy that you didn’t know before
The U.S. solar industry has witnessed remarkable growth in the past decade while the cost of solar has declined by nearly 70 percent. Prices reached an all time low in Q4 of 2020 across all segments of the industry, meaning solar energy has never been more affordable and accessible. Now that solar has entered the mainstream, everyday homeowners are starting to wonder how much solar could save them and how simple making the switch really could be. If you’re starting to think about installing solar panels, it’s helpful to understand the big picture for solar power. In this article, we’ll break down ten solar energy facts that shed some light on key parts of the industry.
Continue readingWhat are solar panels made of? Cell types and parts of a solar panel explained
Solar has entered the mainstream as the world’s cheapest energy source, leaving many people wondering how solar PV can be so efficient and inexpensive while still providing “green” energy. Answering that question means understanding how solar energy work, how solar panels are manufactured and what the parts of a solar panel are. Most panels available on the market are made of monocrystalline, polycrystalline, or thin film (“amorphous”) silicon. In this article, we’ll explain the different ways solar cells are made and what parts are required to manufacture a solar panel.
Continue readingHow long do solar panels last? Solar panel lifespan explained
The industry standard for a solar panel’s productive lifetime is 25-30 years. However, a solar panel won’t die after 25-30 years, rather, their output will decrease a significant amount below what the manufacturer projected. It’s hard to understand the upfront cost of going solar without knowing how long you can expect your rooftop panels to produce ample energy. Your solar panels will be able to offset your electricity use for decades, but it is also important to understand industry projections and degradation rates.
Continue readingHow much do solar panels save?
Solar panels aren’t just good for the environment – you can benefit from serious savings over the lifetime of your solar panel system.
Continue readingWhat is a solar home?
What does it mean to have a solar home, or to “go solar”? Photovoltaic technology is rapidly spreading and becoming more accessible, and more and more homeowners are going solar daily. In this article, we will explore what it means to have a solar house.
Continue readingSolar carports: how do they work and how much do they cost?
A solar carport is a canopy that captures solar energy placed over a parking area. They provide a huge opportunity to use otherwise wasted parking lot space to create renewable energy. While a typical carport or patio cover provides shading and is undoubtedly a value-add for a home or automobile owner, its one-dimensional simplicity is a missed opportunity. If you’re a PV fanatic following emerging technologies in the solar industry, you may have already spotted the solar industry’s solution: solar canopies, also known as solar carports .
Continue readingSREC prices: explaining how to sell your RECs in the U.S.
If you’ve been researching the best solar energy incentives available, you have likely heard something about solar renewable energy credits (SRECs). SRECs are a tradable commodity that you obtain from owning a solar panel system and producing clean energy. Because of a common state requirement known as the Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS), many utilities must generate a certain percentage of their energy from renewable sources, typically at least 20 percent. In several states and Washington D.C., the RPS specifies that a certain percentage of the renewable energy produced must come from solar power. States with this type of “solar carve-out” are willing to pay significant amounts of money to take credit for the power generated by solar homeowners.
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