Mosaic is a company that provides financing for large home improvements, finding plans that help both contractor and homeowner recognize what they can truly afford. Too often, families will look at the high total costs for a solar rooftop upgrade and assume such a measure is out of reach for them. Even worse, other families simply think solar installations will be too costly and don’t even look into the numbers. Unfortunately, these kinds of financial restrictions tend to be most common on lower income households that could benefit the most from rooftop solar that could offset their power bills.

Looking to bridge the gap and show what’s possible, Mosaic has long offered financing for home upgrades, and recently they’ve launched their next generation of residential home solar loans known as PowerSwitch 6. After having already assisted almost 100,000 homes afford solar in just six years, this move represents an evolution that incorporates solar plus storage, efficiency measures, and prepares homeowners for the stepdown of solar tax credits.

Any program that enables the common family to embrace the energy and monetary benefits of personal solar is a winning venture. I had the opportunity to find out more from Erin Talbot, the GM of Solar at Mosaic, to learn more about this program and the company’s endeavor of making solar more accessible.

Mosaic

Matt Chester: Thanks so much for taking the time to share your story with Solar Tribune. To start, can you tell me a bit about your background and how you got involved in the solar field?

Erin Talbot: My background is in fintech and consumer lending, having previously held a variety of senior roles at E*TRADE as well as LightStream. So, while I’m new to the solar industry, my experience was a perfect fit for managing Mosaic’s next-generation solar financing platform, and I was excited to put my skills to work for a company with such an inspiring mission.

MC: Regarding Mosaic, why did you find it necessary to come up with a new structure for residential home solar loans, the PowerSwitch 6? Why are solar installations hard for households to pay for and how were existing loan structures falling short of meeting those needs?

ET: We think of PowerSwitch 6 not as ‘necessary’ to fix anything, but as the next step in the long-term evolution of solar financing, with benefits for both contractors and homeowners. One of the biggest innovations on the homeowner side is the ability to use combined total household income to qualify for a solar loan, which is unique in the solar industry. Households with multiple income sources should be able to count all of them towards their home solar loan application, and we think this will expand access to solar and all the cost savings that come with it.

MC: Within that program, you’ve also unveiled a new type of loan program, the PowerSwitch PLUS, which enables homeowners to package solar loans with re-roofing or other energy efficiency upgrades in the home. How does this package work and what are the benefits to the consumer?

ET: PowerSwitch PLUS is a flexible, one-stop solution for homeowners that want a single loan to finance everything they need for a home energy upgrade. Re-roofing is an obvious need–  no one’s going to put solar on a roof that they’ll need to replace in two years– but energy efficiency improvements are also important to get the maximum value out of your solar panels. In addition to the simplicity of using one loan to cover a range of home energy upgrades, PowerSwitch PLUS offers terms of 10, 15, and 20 years, which are hard to find with traditional home improvement loans that homeowners might otherwise use.

Photo Source: JoinMosaic.com

Results

MC: What have the results of these loan programs looked like? How many homes have used your loan programs and for how many of those homes would solar installations have been out of reach if they had to deal with the other options on the market?

ET: We’ve helped nearly 100,000 households go solar with our loan financing platform over the past six years, and we believe the innovations in PowerSwitch 6 will continue expanding on this growth by making solar and other energy efficient home improvements more affordable and accessible.

MC: With regard to PowerSwitch PLUS, do you have any data on what types of energy upgrades and total savings — both energy and costs– average customers are able to achieve?

ET: No data yet, since PLUS has just launched and we can’t share data from our pilot program. But for perspective, the average homeowner going solar with a Mosaic loan saves over $30,000 over the life of their solar installation. We anticipate even greater savings when bundled with energy efficiency improvements, which can pay back even more quickly than solar.

Source: Wikicommons

Looking Forward

MC: One key feature is that the PowerSwitch PLUS loan does not assume tax credits will be used to pay down the principal– can you talk about why that is and how that might benefit both the customer and the wider industry?

ET: The benefits are two-fold. For customers, it simplifies the process of combining solar with other home energy upgrades, and it allows them to use the tax credit for whatever they want instead of paying down their loan principal. For the wider industry, it helps our contractor partners get ahead of the coming stepdown for the federal tax credit that begins next year. By giving our contractors more options, including an option that isn’t structured around the tax credit, they are better positioned for long-term success.

MC: What’s Mosaic’s strategy for finding customers in the market for solar financing and engaging them with your offerings? What’s that sales cycle look like? 

ET: Mosaic is a B2B2C company. While we ultimately provide loans to homeowners, our primary customers are actually solar contractors. So, in addition to making PowerSwitch 6 loans more appealing to homeowners for all the reasons we’ve discussed, we’ve also made them more appealing to contractors in specific ways.

For example, daily funding will cut the time for a contractor to receive funding to one to two business days, and earlier disbursements and simpler milestones will also improve contractor cashflow. Ultimately, our strategy for engaging our partners is to give them the best possible tools to build their business.

MC: The various products you offer are clearly a sign of the rapidly evolving solar industry and responding to those changes. DO you have any predictions for how the industry will continue to evolve and what that might mean for the solar financing market? 

ET: We think that homeowners will continue to ask for more than just solar when it comes to home energy upgrades, whether that’s new technologies like batteries and smart home devices or established efficiency solutions like insulation and windows. Thus, we expect to see lines continue to blur between solar, storage, and other home energy efficiency loans, and we also expect customers to demand more ease of use, flexibility, and accessibility from financing products.

To keep up with these changes, solar financing providers need a commitment to innovation as well as strong backing from financial markets, and Mosaic has proven itself to be an industry leader on both accounts.

Photo Source: Prosperous America

For more information on Mosaic, visit their website for regular updates.

About the author: Matt Chester is an energy analyst in Orlando, studied engineering and science & technology policy at the University of Virginia, and operates the Chester Energy and Policy blog and website to share news, insights, and advice in the fields of energy policy, energy technology, and more. For more quick hits in addition to posts on this blog, follow him on Twitter @ChesterEnergy.

The post Mosaic’s PowerSwitch 6 Residential Home Solar Loans: An Interview with GM of Solar, Erin Talbot appeared first on Solar Tribune.

Does it feel like the holidays are all about consuming? Let solar energy bring a little sustainability to your seasonal celebration! We at Solar Tribune are dreaming of a greener Christmas, so here is our seasonal solar gift guide!

In the Northern hemisphere, the days are growing short as we approach the winter solstice- the shortest day of the year. It may seem like a strange time to be thinking about collecting energy from the sun, but with the holiday shopping season kicking off this weekend, it’s actually an excellent time to consider adding a little solar power to Santa’s celebration. You don’t have to cover your roof with solar panels to enjoy saving energy, money and reducing your carbon footprint with solar.

Cool Solar Toys

Solar toys can be educational as well as a lot of fun. There are a lot of great kits out there that give kids a chance to experiment and learn, and others are just plain entertaining. A few of our favorites include:

NSI Smithsonian Eco Rover

Kids 8 and up can build their own working rover with the NSI Smithsonian Eco Rover. The bright orange and green rover is easy to assemble, sturdy, and operates in forward and reverse. One cool feature- in case of cloudy days, it comes with a nifty hand-crank generator to provide power. A great hands-on experience!

Best Online Price: On sale for $37.99 at Kohls.

4M KidsLabs Solar Mechanic Science Kit

Like the Eco Rover, this Solar Mechanics kit comes with both solar panels and a hand crank generator. It can be assembled to power a vibrating robot that slides across the floor, A cooling fan, an illusion and more. The fun and the power are unlimited. This green science kit is environmentally friendly and uses repurposed materials. Again, for kids 8 and up.

Best Online Price: $15.95 at Walmart.

Solar Powered Thomas Edison Figurine

Wait, What? I know it’s goofy, but I love this one. Set the great inventor in the sun, and when he is charged up, you can turn on the lightbulb in his hand! How cool is that? Well, if Edison isn’t your favorite, you can also get a solar Einstein, a solar Pope, a solar Napoleon, or a solar Queen Elizabeth. They are all made by novelty company Kikkerland, who makes other nifty solar gizmos as well.

Best online price: $25.00 from Kikkerland

Solar Decorations

LED Solar String Lights

These unique droplet-shaped lights add a unique effect to outdoor holiday lighting. Place the small solar panel in the direct sun during the day for 8 hours of light at night on a full charge. The kit includes a 20-foot-long string of 30 lights with solar-rechargeable battery.

Best online price: $10.95 Amazon Prime

Solar Star Lanterns

These lanterns add a lot of impact and are easy to put up and take down. They are high-quality, durable, have an integrated solar panel on top and an auto on/off feature to bring them on at dark. I also like that they have an easy to replace rechargeable battery, unlike so many of the cheap solar yard lights.

Best online price: $34.95 at Plow and Hearth

Solar Nativity Scene

For a traditional Christmas display powered with safe, clean solar power, this is a pretty nifty-looking product. According to the manufacturer: Crafted from iron, this celestial figure is powered by the solar panel attachment. The solar panel requires 1 AA battery to operate, which is included. When fully powered, these garden stakes glow for up to 8 hours. The Size is: 23″x28″.

Best online price: $39.99 at Cokesbury

Solar Gifts

Solar Backpack

There are a lot of backpacks and laptop bags with integrated solar panels these days, but in a lot of cases the panel and battery isn’t big enough to give a lot of charge, and they are light on features. Not so with the Ghostek NRGsolar Series 40L Eco Laptop/messenger backpack. This bag is well built and compact but has a compartment large enough for a 15” laptop. It also features a 16,000mAh Battery + 8.8-Watt Solar Panel, 5 USB Ports Total (2-Ports On Solar Panel, 2-Ports Inside Backpack, 1 External Port) and an Integrated LED Power Bar Indicator.

Best Online Price: $99.95 at Amazon Prime

All-American Sun Oven

This solar cooker has been around for a while, and anyone who has used one knows how fun and effective they are! The Sun Oven is American made by a small mom & pop company, which I like. It is perfect for cookouts, campouts, scout troops, 4H clubs and schools. It will bake bread or cookies, cook a dutch oven meal, make jerky or dehydrate fruit and vegetables for storage. Since it uses no flame, it’s great for using at parks or on a boat!

Best Online Price: $261.00 at Solar Home

Homepower Magazine Subscription

If you know someone who is into renewable energy, there is no better publication than Home Power. A subscription will keep them up to date on the latest in solar, windpower, micro-hydro, electric vehicles… whatever is out there, Home Power covers it. AND- the online archives go all the way back to 1987! It’s fun to go back and read about the real pioneers in the field, and there are some pretty cool DIY projects that are still relevant and educational. Endless hours of fun!!

One year subscription: $14.95 at Home Power

Charitable Gifts

While you are enjoying all of your blessings this holiday season, please remember those less fortunate. This year, you can give a charitable gift that will deepen your commitment to solar energy while helping our fellow Americans who are without electricity.

From the Solar Saves Lives website:

In September 2017, Hurricanes Maria and Irma swept across Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, devastating the lives of 3.5 million American citizens. Several weeks after the storms, the islands remain in urgent need of reliable electricity, clean water, and food. Full restoration of the power grid is expected to take months. Remote and rural locations have been hit especially hard.

The American solar industry has a unique and immediate opportunity to help. Solar and solar + storage technologies can help communities restore electricity and provide essential services like lighting, refrigeration, and fresh water. This will help address immediate, short-term needs while building a more resilient electricity grid for the future.

Solar Saves Lives is an initiative led by The Solar Foundation to coordinate the delivery and installation of donated solar equipment to areas in need.

The post Holiday Guide To Solar Gifts appeared first on Solar Tribune.

Storing Photovoltaic Energy

Solar panels can not produce energy at night or during cloudy periods. But rechargeable batteries can store electricity: the photovoltaic panels charge the battery during the day, and this power can be drawn upon in the evening.

Storing Thermal Energy

Residential solar hot water systems – which use the sun’s thermal energy to heat water for the home – have a simpler storage system. Water flows through solar collectors on the roof, and then goes to a storage tank where it can be drawn upon as needed.

Concentrating solar power(CSP) plants use thermal energy to power a generator. While some CSP facilities use water as the heat transfer medium, most new systems us oil or molten salt. These fluids allow the heat energy to be stored for use during cloudy periods or at night.

The History of Solar Batteries

With the cost of batteries dropping and a bevy of solar companies now offering residential backup systems, it may seem like the “solar with storage” revolution is just getting started. In reality, batteries helped launch rooftop solar decades ago. When it comes to solar with storage, everything old is new again.

The solar revolution got its start in the 1970s when enthusiasts and “off-gridders,” spurred by the energy crises of the day, paired rooftop solar with old-school, lead-acid batteries. This state of affairs continued through the mid-1990s, when the spread of net metering made tying into the grid more attractive.

Lead-acid battery. Photo credit: Shaddack assumed (based on copyright claims). Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

Battery Adoption Sputters Amid Net Metering

Net metering appeared on the solar scene in the 1980s. The ability to sell excess energy to the utility solidified the economic case for residential solar but also reduced the need for personal storage. 

• 1980: Utilities in Idaho begin to adopt net metering
• 1981: Utilities in Arizona begin to adopt net metering
• 1983: Minnesota passes the first statewide net metering law
• 1996: California passes its own law creating incentives for grid-tied solar

While the commercialization of lighter, more energy-dense lithium-ion batteries in the early 1990s represented a major advancement in storage, they were still too costly, complex, and impractical for widespread use. The Y2K scare temporarily spiked demand for storage systems, but interest dropped off after the supposed threat had passed. Batteries fell by the wayside as more and more states implemented net metering programs to incentivize solar uptake.

War on Net Metering Revives Interest in Battery Storage

Utilities have begun targeting net metering in recent years, charging that solar customers aren’t paying their fair share to use and maintain grid infrastructure. Some utilities have slapped new fees on solar, while others have sought to eviscerate state net metering programs altogether.

Net Metering Flip-Flops and Uncertainty in Nevada

Nevada is one example. Regulators there issued a decision to phase out net metering and increase fees on solar households in 2015. Following public outcry and legal action, the Public Utilities Commission of Nevada reinstated net metering the following year. Utility company NV Energy is challenging that decision.

Hawaii Halts Net Metering Program

Hawaii has experienced similar roadblocks. Abandoning the grid for solar with storage is a popular option in that state, where the need to import fossil fuels makes traditional energy 2-3 times more expensive. The state’s Public Utilities Commission ruled to close Hawaiian Electric Companies’ net metering program to new participants in 2015, accelerating battery adoption among solar customers.

Without net metering (or with additional fees), the savings from grid-tied solar are often anemic or nonexistent. The solar industry has taken a hit in states where utilities are pushing back against net metering as a result. By allowing solar customers to use their own excess energy instead of feeding it to the grid (and paying the utility for use of the infrastructure), affordable battery storage may salvage rooftop solar in those regions.

Battery Prices in Dramatic Decline

Recent improvements in battery technology have significantly trimmed the cost. Lithium-ion battery prices have fallen by nearly half since 2014 and by 11% from 2015 to 2016, largely due to the growing popularity of electric vehicles.

Musk Debuts the Tesla Powerwall and Powerpack

Storage finally became a reality for residential solar customers when Tesla announced the Powerwall and Powerpack in May 2015. Suddenly, home energy storage was affordable, simple, and sexy. The “star power” of Tesla CEO and serial entrepreneur Elon Musk was also instrumental in catapulting battery backup into the mainstream. The Powerwall sold out through the following year almost immediately. Sunrun, LG, Orison, Sunverge, Mercedes-Benz, German company Sonnen, and a handful of other companies currently offer comparable home battery storage units.

Gigafactories Driving Prices Down

Tesla’s gigafactory in Reno, Nevada—the world’s largest factory building—will been instrumental in scaling the technology and reducing prices further. While the factory only began producing battery cells for Powerwalls and Powerpacks in January 2017, Tesla already has plans to expand the facility. Once the factory is in full swing, Tesla expects production to drive down the per kilowatt hour cost of its battery pack by more than 30 percent.

In Tesla’s investor newsletter, Musk said: “This will allow us to achieve a major reduction in the cost of our battery packs and accelerate the pace of battery innovation. This will also allow us to address the solar power industry’s need for a massive volume of stationary battery packs.”

New Gigafactories on the Horizon

Earlier this year, Tesla said it plans to announce 2-4 new gigafactories in 2017, though it’s unclear whether they’ll produce solar panels, batteries, vehicle components, or a combination of those products to support their business plans. AES Corp. and Altagas Ltd. also opened their own battery factories in southern California in January. Unsurprising, that state is fully embracing battery technology; the government there has mandated that utilities add more than 1.32 gigawatts by 2020.

The well-timed drop in battery prices may be able to compensate for the loss of net metering, at least in part. Today, solar customers in areas fighting net metering can simply install one of several affordable home storage systems to provide their own backup and overnight power, bypassing the utility entirely.

One state is even encouraging residents to add battery storage. In a move to help homeowners cope with high energy costs, Maryland became the first state to pass a tax credit for installing energy storage in April 2017. If other states follow Maryland’s example, positive incentives may speed storage uptake.

The Future of Solar With Battery Storage

While battery storage has come a long way from its modest beginnings, the numbers still don’t add up for many businesses and homeowners. Its time is coming soon, however. The energy storage market will balloon to $250 billion by 2040, Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF) predicts, and battery storage will automatically come with rooftop solar systems by the 2030s. When it does, solar may well become one of the dominant power sources in the global energy mix.

The post How is Solar Energy Stored? appeared first on Solar Tribune.

Just a few years ago, microinverters were the hot new technology in the solar business. Following the introduction of Enphase’s widely successful M175 microinverter in 2008, microinverters gained popularity quickly. Now, power optimizers are offering many of the advantages of microinverters with the lower cost and convenience of central string inverters. What is the best choice?

For readers who may be exploring inverter options for the first time, here is a quick rundown of the three inverter options commonly available on the market today.

“String” Inverters

The oldest and most widely deployed grid-tied option available is called a “string” inverter. This is because there is only one inverter for the array, and the DC panels are wires together in series “strings,” which are converted to grid AC by the central inverter. String inverters are known to be reliable and lower cost than microinverters. However, their performance can be seriously affected by shading, snow cover or broken panels, since all of the panels feed one inverter.

Microinverters

Microinverters have made a big splash in the solar market. Mounted directly on the frame or rack, these little units handle just one panel each. The big advantage of the microinverter is that any shading, snow cover or malfunction affecting one panel does not bring down the performance of the rest of the system. Of course, having lots of tiny inverters is going to be more expensive than one large inverter, in most cases. Plus, with all of the new microinverters on the market, reliability and longevity is still a bit of a question mark. Also, maintenance is more of an issue- replacing one microinverter in the center of a roof-mounted array can be a real headache, compared to swapping out a central inverter in the basement.

Power Optimizers

Power optimizers are similar to microinverters in the respect that they isolate each panel from the rest of the system, maximizing efficiency and minimizing shading issues. Therefore, both Microinverters and power optimizers are categorized as module-level power electronics (MLPE). However, they do not convert the DC power to AC. That is still done by a central string inverter. The beauty of power optimizers is that they bring a lot of the advantages of microinverters to the system design without the additional cost. In fact, they can bring the system cost down as much as 20 cents per watt, over microinverters.

Microinverter manufacturers insist that their product is inherently safer, because there is no high voltage DC wiring on the roof, Also, they point out that the primary issue with string inverters remains- if your inverter fails, the entire system goes down. If one or more microinverters fail, the rest of the system functions normally.

Power optimizer proponents point to heat issues when mounting microinverters directly under panels– issues that they claim are not present in optimizers. They also point to the linear nature of microinverters. The more panels you have, the more microinverters you need. This means that the larger the array, the greater the savings, when less inverters are needed.

With solar panel prices continuing to decline, microinverter prices have remained relatively flat in the last few years. Enphase continues to dominate the market, with competition from companies like Power One, and more recently, string inverter giant SMA has released a line of microinverters. However, just as some of the inverter industry big boys are dipping their toes into the microinverter market, the power optimizer is rising quickly in popularity, breathing new energy into the central string inverter market. It would appear that power optimizers and so-called AC panels (panels with integrated microinverters) may be headed for a battle royale as solar pushes forward toward ever more efficient system design.

The post Power Optimizers vs. Microinverters: How to Choose appeared first on Solar Tribune.

image: nrel.gov

The first two loans will be awarded to Rural Electric Cooperatives in Arkansas and North Carolina.
North Arkansas Electric Cooperative, Inc. will use a loan of $4.6 million to fund primarily energy efficiency measures, as will Roanoke Electric Membership Corporation, which will receive up to $6 million. However, future loans could be used by RECs to assist their customers in the installation of solar equipment, and the loans will be paid back through utility bills. The program is designed to increase economic activity in rural areas, and is expected to improve opportunities for distributed generation in rural area, which often have more potential for wind or solar power than urban dwellers.

For more information, visit USDA.GOV

The post USDA Announces New Loans For Solar appeared first on Solar Tribune.

Market Conditions

Over the past few years, a market oversupply has led to a sharp decline in solar panel price. According to a Department of Energy report, the average pre-incentive cost of installing a PV system fell by 17 percent from 2009 to 2010 thanks to:

• declining wholesale module prices
• falling non-module costs (mounting hardware, labor, permits and fees, shipping and taxes)
• economies of scale: as installations increase, cost decreases.

Because of rising grid electricity price and the decrease in the cost of PV, some argue that residential PV systems have already reached grid parity(when the cost of solar is the same as drawing energy from the grid). But local factors, described below, will be key in deciding whether going solar is cost effective for your household.

First Solar employees at an installation in Nevada. Credit: First Solar

Local Factors

Various factors that are contingent on your location impact the cost of going solar. These include:

• available solar radiation: the more sun that hits the panels, the more electricity is produced.
• panel placement: panels should be mounted to maximise the amount of radiation that reaches them. In the northern hemisphere, the optimum solar panel location is a south-facing roof. Usually 100 square ft of unshaded south-facing roof can produce 1 KW of electricity.
• energy demand: The more energy your household uses, the more solar panels you need. According to the DOE, systems rated between 1 and 5 KW are usually enough to meet the needs of home and small business owners.
• system efficiency and size: generally, the bigger the system, the lower the cost per kWh.
• grid-tied vs. going off the grid: most households opt to stay connected to the grid. Going off the grid requires batteries to store power – these batteries can be quite expensive.
• tax credits: there are a variety of federal and state tax credits for home solar.

These factors strongly impact how long it takes for the savings from going solar to pay for the original system (the payback period). Households that already take measures to conserve energy, and that are located in regions with plenty of sun and preferable tax credits, will find going solar most affordable.

Financing Options

Nowadays there are a variety of ways to pay for home solar energy systems. While the cost of buying and installing a home solar system has fallen over the past few years, other options exist for those not looking to pay thousands of dollars up front. These include:

• energy efficient mortgages are offered by banks for purchases of new homes with solar energy systems, as well as refinancing options for the addition of a solar energy system to an existing home.
• leasing a home solar energy system
• solar PPAs are agreements wherein a third party owns the system, and the customer only pays for the electricity generated.

Third-party owned systems (whether leased or under a PPA) are gaining popularity, and make the switch to solar much more affordable.

So is going solar more expensive than staying on the grid?

Unfortunately, there is no clear cut answer to the question “why are solar panels expensive?” As detailed above, the cost of going solar really depends on your location. Solar energy is already viable in most states in the U.S. And for households who want to avoid the up-front cost, third-party owned home solar energy systems are the most cost-effective option.

The post Why are solar panels so expensive? appeared first on Solar Tribune.

The warm liquid flows to a storage tank or a heat exchanger. The heat is then spread through the home via one of the methods described below.

Radiant Floors

An example of radiant flooring. Photo Credit: Savings by Design

Heated liquid from the solar collector travels through pipes in a concrete slab flooring, usually covered with tiles. The heat radiates to the room.

This kind of solar home heating system can work without a heat storage tank, although a tank is needed to control the temperature.

These systems take longer to warm up but, once operating, provide a consistent temperature. Carpets and rugs will reduce the effectiveness of radiant floors.

Hot Water Baseboards or Radiators

These need water heated between 160° and 180°F (71° and 82°C). However, flat-plate solar collectors – the most common type of collector – heat liquid to a lower temperature. In this case, the liquid from the collectors needs to be heated more by the backup system, or that a higher temperature collector be used (such as an evacuated tube collector).

Central Forced-Air System

This kind of system works through a heat exchanger in the air duct. As air from inside the home passes over the heat exchanger, the liquid inside heats the air. The coil must be big enough to transfer enough heat to the air at the collector’s lowest operating temperature.

The post Liquid Solar Space Heating appeared first on Solar Tribune.

Air in the solar collectors cannot freeze in the winter, and small cracks in the collectors or piping are not problematic. But air is a less efficient than liquid for transferring heat.

Photo Credit: GenPro

Air space heating systems are usually room air heaters, which directly heat individual rooms. A fan pulls air from the room into the collector. The air is heated as it travels through the collector, and is then blown back into the room. There are two ways to mount a solar air heater:

• roof-mounted room heaters need ducts to transport air from the collector to the room
• wall-mounted room heaters are placed on a south-facing wall, with holes cut through the wall to allow the air to pass through to the room

The post Solar Air Heating appeared first on Solar Tribune.

Advantages of Building Your Own Solar Panels

Proponents of complete DIY solar panel systems cite the cost of buying PV panels and paying for installation as a primary motivation to do it yourself. If you do choose to build your own solar panels, you can save money on installation and parts.

Building solar panels can be a fun and fulfilling project and many people may have the requisite skills to competently build and install a full home solar system.

To be successful, we recommend purchasing video instructions from trained professionals to help guide your DIY project. We have heard good reviews of this video instructional guide to DIY solar panel construction and installation. We also like that this course provides a 60 day money back guarantee–this allows you to see if you’re up to the challenge with no risk. Viewing instructional videos is about the best way to get a sense of what’s involved in this DIY project. If it looks too demanding, just return the video lessons and get your money back.

Polycrystalline Solar Panels

Disadvantages of Building Your Own Solar Panels

Many websites sell DIY instructional guides that claim you need “little knowledge and only a few basic tools” to build and install a home solar panel system. But to build solar panels, you will need to do a lot of soldering and other delicate tasks, so the process is not as simple as it may sound.

If your system doesn’t work, you may have difficulty diagnosing the precise problem and knowing how to repair it. The individual parts may not have a warranty, so if you do not correctly set up your system from the start, you may end up spending more on replacements than if you bought a ready-made system.

Regarding cost, some say that taking the conventional route can cost up to $40,000, but such claims are simply inaccurate. Aside from the drop in cost of panels in the past few years, there are also now a variety of ways to pay for solar such as solar leasing.

Finally, if you are mounting the panels on your roof, be wary of the actual installation process: working on the roof can be dangerous.

Other Alternatives

Some firms like Westinghouse have developed “all-in-one” rooftop solar kits that include PV panels and all necessary components. Proponents claim that these systems take less time to install — so fewer labor hours mean lower installation costs. But as mentioned above, there are now many ways to pay for solar that avoids a high up-front payment.

The post Homemade Solar Panels appeared first on Solar Tribune.

PV solar panels usually have a warranty of at least 20 years. Thin film solar products tend to be less durable than conventional crystalline panels. Warranties for thin film can vary from 3 to 20 years.

After decades of use, the efficiency of solar panels does decrease – most arrays will fall below 80 percent of their original efficiency within 20 years. However, if your panels still produce enough electricity for your needs, then there is no need to replace the panels.

A 2009 study found that solar panels made in 1984 were, on the whole, still generating at least 80 percent of original output. Further, many homeowners claim to still be using solar panels installed in the 1970s. It follows that panels made today are even more durable. However, other parts in a home solar energy system – batteries, inverters – may need replacement every five to ten years.

There are some simple steps you can take to keep your home solar energy system in top condition. Solar panels need unimpeded sunlight to function at maximum efficiency. Be sure to regularly clean your solar panels by removing any dirt or snow. Also clear away any fallen leaves or tree branches.

The post How Long Do Solar Panels Last? appeared first on Solar Tribune.

Off grid electricity is common in rural areas far from the municipal grid — especially in remote villages in poorer countries.

Photo Credit: Natural Resource Conservation Services

Off Grid Solar Design

There are two types of off grid solar energy systems:

• direct-coupled systems consist of a solar array directly connected to a DC load. The energy is not stored in a battery and thus is only able to provide electricity during the day. Not all appliances can run on DC power.
• stand-alone systems use batteries to store excess energy and provide it at night. A charge controller regulates the flow of electricity from the array to the battery bank and the load. Inverters convert DC to AC electricity as most household appliances run on AC power.

Benefits of Going Off the Grid

• environmental: you will know that your home is powered in full or in part by clean, renewable energy, effectively lowering your carbon footprint.
• financial: while going off the grid has higher up-front costs than grid-connected solar, in the long-run the system will pay for itself. That means no more electricity bills! In remote locations, off-grid systems can be cheaper than extending a power line to the municipal grid.
• energy independence: your home will not be subject to power outages from the grid.
• lower energy use: many homeowners go off the grid for environmental reasons. People with such a concern often try to conserve energy by also reducing appliance use.

Disadvantages of Going Off the Grid

• off-grid systems must be carefully designed so that all components harmonize with the electrical load.
• potential for loss of power if your off grid residential solar power system fails.
• battery technology is still in development, and is not the most efficient way to store power. Batteries can also contain toxic chemicals.

Photo Credit: Jetson Green

How Do You Get Power at Night?

Deep-cycle batteries store energy from the solar modules to provide power at night, and can recover about 80% of the energy they receive. These batteries last five to ten years and can be recycled. Learn more about solar panel batteries.

Is it Expensive to Go Off the Grid?

The up-front cost of off grid solar electric systems is more than grid-tied systems, but in the long-run the system will pay for itself – especially if you concurrently reduce your electricity use. If you live in a remote location, going off the grid is often cheaper than connecting to a grid that is far away.

How Do I Know if My House is Suitable for an Off Grid Solar Panel System?

The main factor for both grid-tied and off-grid solar energy systems is the solar resource: most regions are suitable for solar energy generation. However, some locations may not be able to be fully solar powered and require a wind turbine or diesel generator. You can use the In My Backyard tool from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory to estimate how much electricity solar panels can generate on your roof.

If you use a lot of energy — for example, from computers or TVs – it may be difficult to generate enough energy to offset your use.

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Energy Consumption

• How much energy do you use per year? Check your electricity bill to get an idea. Electricity is billed by the kilowatt hour. Solar panel energy output is also measured in kWh per square meter of panel surface. The average electricity consumption for a household in the United States is 8900 kWh per year.
• A 1kW solar energy system generates almost 1,000 kWh per year in cloudy regions, and almost double in sunny climates. Whether the system generates the stated amount of electricity depends primarily on the amount of solar radiation reaching the solar array. According to the Department of Energy, systems rated between 1 and 5 kilowatts are usually enough to meet the needs of home and small business owners.
• How much of your energy do you want to come from solar panels? Some homeowners choose to source only part of their energy from solar panels. Obviously if choosing to go off the grid, you would want to make sure you correctly estimate the amount of energy you use in a year to have enough solar panels!

Available Sunlight

Photo Credit: NREL.gov

But the amount of energy a panel can generate depends primarily on the amount of available sunlight – or solar radiation – in your area. The more solar radiation reaches the panels, the more energy each panel will generate.

To maximize the amount of sun reaching the panels, panels should be mounted on an unshaded south-facing roof. Alternatively, you can mount panels on poles in your yard. You can use the In My Backyard tool from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory to estimate how much electricity solar panels can generate on your roof.

Type of Solar Panels

Once you’ve decided how many watts of solar panels you need, you can choose a type of solar panel based on efficiency – the proportion of sunlight hitting the panel that is converted into electricity.

Essentially, more lower efficiency panels (usually thin film) are needed to produce the same amount of energy as higher efficiency panels (crystalline panels). If you do not have much roof or yard space, then it will likely be necessary to get higher efficiency panels. The table below shows approximately how much roof space needed for panels with different levels of efficiency.

Photo Credit: EnergySavers.gov

Remember, this page is just a guide: a solar panel installer will help you make precise calculations based on your home’s specifications.

The post How Many Solar Panels to Power a House? appeared first on Solar Tribune.

Photo Credit: NREL.gov

The customer enters into a contract to buy the electricity generated by the system, but not the PV system itself. The price for the electricity is equal to or less than the grid price.

The PV system is connected to the grid, and if the local utility has a net metering arrangement, the owner of the PV system collects any credits for electricity funneled into the grid.

PPAs can last from 6-20 years, making them suitable for the longer-term. This arrangement is suitable for small businesses, homes and landlords of rental properties who want to provide solar power for tenants.

With some specific changes to the terms and conditions of your home lease agreement, power purchase agreement can be a viable option for renters.

The post Solar PPAs appeared first on Solar Tribune.

This arrangement is in contrast to a solar PPA, where the homeowner only pays for the electricity used and the system owner receives credits from energy fed into the grid.

A solar lease usually lasts for at least five years. Some solar leasing arrangements have a purchase option at the end of the lease period.

Solar leasing avoids the high initial costs of buying and installing a system. Furthermore, many solar lease packages include operation and maintenance services. This option also lessens the cost and the inconvenience for homeowners interested in going solar.

The post Leasing Solar Panels appeared first on Solar Tribune.

Photo Credit: ASE.org

EEMs allow borrowers to include solar PV and thermal systems in the mortgage itself, and thus stretch debt-to-income ratios needed to qualify for a loan. Borrowers can obtain a larger loan amount for a more energy-efficient home.

A certified home energy rater must conduct an energy rating inspection before a bank approves financing. The rating will provide the lender with an Energy Savings Value – an estimate of the monthly energy savings.

Another option is an Energy Improvement Mortgage (EIM), which is used to purchase homes that will have energy efficient improvements made to them in the future. Borrowers can include the cost of the improvements (e.g. PV panel installation) in the mortgage without any increase in the down payment.

Learn more about EEMs at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development or check out this EnergyStar factsheet.

The post Energy Efficient Mortgages appeared first on Solar Tribune.

• Some banks offer energy efficient mortgages for purchases of new homes with solar energy systems, as well as refinancing options for the addition of a PV or solar thermal system to an existing home. Learn more about energy efficient mortgages.

• Federal and state governments offer tax credits for PV and solar thermal systems. Learn more about solar tax credits.

• Some PV providers offer solar leasing. Learn about leasing solar panels.

• Solar PPAs are agreements wherein a third party owns the system, and the customer only pays for the electricity generated. Learn more about solar PPAs.

The post Solar Panel Financing appeared first on Solar Tribune.

To apply the solar tax credit to solar thermal systems, at least half of energy used to heat water for the home must be derived from the solar thermal system. There are no such conditions for the tax credit for photovoltaic panels.

In addition to this federal energy tax credit, many states offer additional tax incentives. These can be found on the Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency (DSIRE). Instructions for claiming the federal tax credit are also available at EnergyStar.

If you’re considering a solar panels for your home, we highly recommend you purchase this comprehensive guide to solar panels by Daniel Page.

The post Solar Tax Credits appeared first on Solar Tribune.

Solar radiation is the energy from the sun that reaches a particular location at any time.

How is solar radiation measured?

The amount of radiation, which depends on the atmospheric conditions and the location of the sun, is called the solar resource. Radiation is measured in kilowatt-hours per square meter (kWh/m2) for PV systems, and in British thermal units per square foot (Btu/ft2) for solar thermal systems.

The atmospheric conditions determine the type of radiation. Total solar radiation – also called global radiation – is made up of diffuse and direct radiation. As sunlight travels through the atmosphere, some is scattered and reflected by:

• dust, pollutants, smoke from forest fires, and volcanic ash
• clouds: local geography and season impact cloud formation

What is the difference between direct and diffuse radiation?

This obstructed light is diffuse radiation. Radiation that reaches the Earth’s surface unobstructed is called direct beam solar radiation.

Photo Credit: ETFtrends.com

Due to the shape of the Earth and the rotations around the sun, sunlight reaches the earth at different angles. The longer rays travel through the atmosphere, the less concentrated the radiation. The location of the sun in respect to the Earth determines how far rays must travel. Most energy reaches a point when the sun is directly above it. Radiation is also strongest during summer, when there are more hours of sunlight.

The solar resource is key to the functioning of PV and solar thermal systems. The more radiation that reaches the panels, the more electricity is produced. In the northern hemisphere, panels should face south, though other factors also determine the best solar panel orientation. A solar resource assessment of your location will determine whether using solar energy to generate electricity or thermal energy is viable.

For more information about the solar radiation in your state, check out this solar radiation map from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.

The post How much solar energy is there? appeared first on Solar Tribune.

First, decide how much electricity the PV system must produce – all or just part of your household consumption? Check past utility bills to find out how much electricity you use. The size of the PV system depends on:

• the power needed to meet your energy demand
• solar radiation resource: the amount of available sunlight
• the efficiency of the type of PV panels you choose
• available space
• orientation of your panels

PV systems are rated by their power output. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, systems rated between 1 and 5 kilowatts are usually enough to meet the needs of home and small business owners. The table below is a rough guide to sizing your PV system.

Photo Credit: EnergySavers.gov

Not everyone pays the same price for solar. The people who get the best deals have done their homework and know the right questions to ask. Read SolarTribune’s step-by-step guide to getting the best possible deal on solar.

The post What Size Solar System Do I Need? appeared first on Solar Tribune.

Photo Credit: Total.com

Photovoltaic energy has been used to power small items like wristwatches and calculators. But there are ways to use solar PV technology to generate electricity on a much larger scale:

Monocrystalline silicon, polycrystalline silicon and thin film solar panels use small squares – cells – of conductive material to produce electricity for homes and businesses.

Photovoltaic cells are combined onto a panel (also called a module). A collection of panels is referred to as an array. Learn more about types of solar panels.

Concentrated photovoltaics are used for large-scale applications. These use mirrors to direct sunlight to a very small area of highly efficient photovoltaic material. In concentrating solar power systems, the sunlight is converted to heat energy, which is then used to drive a generator or steam turbine.

Learn more about the advantages of solar energy.

The post How Solar Energy Works appeared first on Solar Tribune.

• system type generally, the bigger the system, the lower the cost per kWh
• cost of financing interest on loans
• location an area with more solar radiation will provide more electricity, and thus will have a faster solar energy payback time

Even though producing solar power is more expensive than drawing from the grid, the above factors can be altered to lower the cost per kWh through:

• subsidies or rebates on PV systems from utilities or government energy agencies
• preferable financing from banks, such as low interest loans specifically for PV systems
• tax incentives such as sales tax exemption on PV systems, state personal income tax credits or property tax exemptions

To calculate the cost per watt ($/W) of your PV system, divide the cost of the system by the wattage. For example, a system producing 2200 kW per year that cost $13,000 would have have a cost of $6.2/W.

From the graph, you can estimate the payback period of your PV system. If your grid-drawn electricity rate is US$0.35 per kW hour, and your PV system cost is US$6 per watt, then your system would pay for itself in about 13 years.

The post The Costs and Payback Period of Solar Panels appeared first on Solar Tribune.

How efficient are solar panel batteries?

Deep-cycle batteries recover about 80% of the energy they receive, unlike shallow-cycle batteries that only recover about 20%. These batteries last five to ten years and can be recycled.

Photo Credit: wholesalesolar.com

Where should solar batteries be stored?

Because most batteries for solar panels have some level of off-gassing, and contain toxic chemicals, it is best to store them in a well-ventilated area away from living spaces and electronics, but a space that can be easily accessed for maintenance.

Solar panel batteries must be sized appropriately for your home, taking into account climate, days of autonomy desired,  the size of the PV array and other input devices. The cost varies accordingly.

A small gasoline or propane powered back-up generator is the perfect compliment to a PV system.  Not only will it be available for unanticipated outages of the array, a generator will allow for a reduction in the size of the battery bank, as well as the array.

The post Deep Cycle Batteries for Storing Solar Energy appeared first on Solar Tribune.

Photo Credit: jutasolar.com

When the battery is full, the solar panel charge controller stops the flow of electricity from the solar array, or diverts the energy (for example, to an electric water heater). Once the batteries are full, the charge controller will send the excess power not being used to a dump load, or out through the inverter and onto the grid if the system is grid-connected.

The cost of a charge controller depends on the size of your solar electricity system and the monitoring features you choose.

The post Solar Charge Controllers appeared first on Solar Tribune.

• power output of the array
• whether it is grid-tied or off-grid
• incoming electrical service (if applicable)

Photo Credit: Los Angeles Solar

For a grid-tied system, you must ensure the inverter transforms DC to AC that matches the characteristics (voltage, phase, frequency, and sine wave profile) of the electricity of your local grid. You can contact your power provider to find out which models of inverters are suitable for your grid.

An off-grid system has the added complexity of batteries, and often a generator.  The main factors for an off-grid inverter is the amount of load to be supplied on the AC side, generator connections (and size of generator to be connected), and available incoming DC power from the charge controller.

When sizing your solar panel inverter, keep in mind any future expansion of your PV system. It is often cheaper to get a bigger inverter than to replace everything later. Each manufacturer has a full line of inverters to match any sized array. Literature on sizing is usually available on a manufacturer’s website.

Micro-Inverters

These are connected to each individual panel. Using micro-inverters allows almost full generation of energy even if one panel in the array is shaded. Any problems with a single panel are isolated and do not put the whole array out of commission.

The initial installation is simpler, as is the future addition of more modules to an array.  With monitoring technology, pinpointing problems is fast and easy.  However, with the inverter(s) on the roof, reaching the problem might be more difficult than if the inverter was down at ground level.

Some claim that micro-inverters are in fact more durable than central inverters because they process smaller amounts of energy – that is, the combined energy output is divided between multiple inverters, meaning each inverter experiences less stress from use. The leading brand of micro-inverters has a warranty of 25 years.

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Power meters monitor your systems battery voltage, the level at which your batteries are charged, and the amount of power you consume. In the U.S., power providers are legally required to buy excess power from grid-tied small renewable energy system at the ‘avoided cost.’ The avoided cost of electricity is the cost to the provider to produce the power itself, and is lower than the retail cost. The monitoring process can be done in several ways. Let’s take a look at a few:

Net Purchase and Sale

How many meters do I need?

Your provider may install two meters, with one monitoring power drawn from the grid, and another recording extra electricity generated by your system that is fed back into the grid. In this case, you pay the retail price for electricity drawn from the grid, while your excess power is bought at avoided cost. However, most often, excess power is forfeited to the utility, as in the case of the net metering system detailed below.

Photo Credit: General Electric

Solar Net Metering

Net metering involves one bi-directional meter. The meter spins forward when drawing electricity and backward when your system provides power to the grid. When winding back, it is equivalent to the provider paying you the retail price for that energy. If you use more electricity from the grid than feed back in a month, you pay the  retail price for that extra amount. If you have provided more than drawn, the power provider usually pays you the ‘avoided’ cost. Financially, this method is better for the consumer.

Can extra electricity be carried over to the next month?

Some providers let you carry over extra electricity your system generates over to the next month. This provision can be beneficial if the amount of power your system generates monthly varies (say, due to weather). At the end of the year, if you’ve produced more power than you’ve used, the excess power is forfeited to the provider.

Where us net metering available?

As of November 2010, net metering was available in 43 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico.

Other Alternatives

Is solar energy sold at peak rates?

Favorable arrangements for PV owners call for power providers to pay the customer based on the extra power being produced at the “peak rate” cost of production in the mid-afternoon time when grid demand is highest. This corresponds to when PV arrays produce most of their power. The utility pays the PV owner “peak rate” for the extra power. At night, when the PV owner draws from the grid, the utility only charges the lower “off-peak” rate since grid demand is lower.

Credits are not forfeited at the end of the year and extra kWh’s are paid for by the utility to the PV owner. A myriad of other options exist and vary greatly from location to location.

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