Many solar companies recommend pairing a solar array with power optimizers and a central inverter to enhance the performance of a solar panel system. While many people install power optimizers and panels as separate components, your installer may recommend a solar panel that integrates both components into one, also known as a smart module.
Continue readingTag Archives: solar panel quality
How does solar panel degradation impact savings?
The word “degradation” can be scary, but don’t let it frighten you too much: every product, from your cell phone to your shoes, degrades over time, and solar panels are no exception to this rule. Fortunately, solar panels degrade at a very slow rate relative to other technologies – in fact, even after 25 years, most solar panels will still generate at least 80 percent of their original solar power output!
Continue readingBankability: what is it and how do you assess it?
If you’re thinking about installing solar panels, you know that it’s a long-term investment. Solar panels are built to last and many manufacturers offer warranties extending 25 years. So how do you ensure that the manufacturer of your panels will be able to uphold this warranty? One indicator is your manufacturing company’s bankability.
Continue readingThe most common solar panel defects
Solar panels are incredibly reliable, and have proven to be not only great for the environment, but a superb investment as well. Their reliability comes from the fact that they are solid state electronic devices, meaning that there are no moving parts. This nearly eliminates the risk of mechanical failure and allows panels to be extremely low maintenance for long periods of time. However, nothing is perfect, and solar panels can develop defects over the course of their lifetime. We’ve put together a list of the most common problems that can occur with your solar system.
Continue readingHow much solar power can my roof generate?
Have you ever wondered how much electricity you could produce from solar? In this article, we’ll walk through how to calculate the amount of solar power you could technically generate on your roof, as well as why our calculations aren’t all that helpful for any single homeowner.
Continue readingSmall solar panels: what are your options?
There are many solar products available beyond the traditional 60 or 72-cell panels used for rooftop, ground-mounted, commercial, and utility-scale solar panels. For solar shoppers looking for small solar panels, we’ll walk through some of the options available.
Continue readingTypes of solar panels
Most of the solar panel options currently available fit in one of three types: monocrystalline, polycrystalline (also known as multi-crystalline), and thin-film. These solar panels vary in how they’re made, appearance, performance, costs, and the installations each are best suited for. Depending on the type of installation you’re considering, one option may be more suitable than the others.
Continue readingSolar panels and wind: are your panels made to last?
Weather events like hurricanes are accompanied by wind speeds up to 200 miles per hour, and tornadoes can bring even higher speeds that threaten to damage rooftop and ground-mounted solar energy systems. If you live in a windy area of the country, it is especially important to know how your solar energy system will hold up during a storm.
Continue readingSolar panels, rain, and flooding: are your panels made to last?
Floods and heavy rains can knock out utility poles and other electrical infrastructure, often causing power outages for long periods of time. As an expanding provider of resilient energy, it is important to understand if and how solar panels and solar energy systems hold up in floods and heavy rains.
Continue readingTypes of solar companies
Just like with any industry, there are a lot of players in the solar business. As someone considering your options, it can be helpful to understand the different solar companies that may play a part in your installation.
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