SOLAR ELECTRIC / PHOTOVOLTAICS
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What is Solar Electric / Photovoltaics?
Solar electric, what's called Photovoltaics, is probably the most romantic and coveted way of using solar energy. With these solar systems you can actually slow how fast your electric meter spins or even spin it backwards! The way this is done is by installing some Photovoltaic panels on your roof. Solar Energy Solutions, Inc. has been selling and installing solar electric systems since 1992.

How Much Does it Cost?
Photovoltaic systems cost between $9.00 and $12.00 per watts installed. The cost varies depending on the complexity of the installation and the materials used. This means that a relatively small 3 kilowatt system, which would generate about 3,000 kilowatt hours in a year, would cost between $27,000 and $36,000.00. There are many incentives in place here in Oregon to encourage people to go solar.

Where Can I Install the Panels?
You will need a sunny South or West-facing roof for your Photovoltaic panels. Photovoltaic panels take up a lot of roof space. So, you will need a very large and sunny, rectangular and ideally contiguous roof space to place them on. This roof space should have little or no tree or building shade falling on it year round.

Does it Only Work on Sunny Days?
The Photovoltaic panels will generate electricity better under sunny conditions but produce electricity even when it is raining.

How Does it Connect to My Electric Meter?
The power from these panels goes to an inverter. The inverter makes the electricity generated from the photovoltaic panels compatible with the power coming into your house. From the inverter, the electricity the photovoltaic panels generate goes to your electric meter. The electricity your photovoltaic panels generate goes against the flow of electricity going into your house. The less power you consume, and the more power your photovoltaic system produces, the greater the impact the photovoltaic system has.

How Many Panels Will I Need?
There are basically three ways to figure out how big or small of a grid-tied Photovoltaic system you should install. The first way of sizing a system is by how big your roof is. The second is by figuring out what your yearly electric energy consumption is (how many kilowatt hours your house uses in a year) and then deciding what percent of this consumption you wish to replace with a Photovoltaic system. The final and most popular way of figuring out what size system you wish to install is by determining how much money you would like to invest in this kind of a solar system. Unlike other solar energy applications, there is really no limit as to how big or small of a system you install. It is solely based upon the above factors.

What Else Can I Do To Lower My Energy Consumption?
It is important to think about energy conservation when thinking about your Photovoltaic system. However, it is not essential. It is just that this kind of solar technology is very, very, VERY expensive. If you want a photovoltaic system to have the greatest impact on your electric consumption for the least amount of money, energy conservation would be the first step. If conservation is something you are open to, here are some things for you to think about. Think about replacing every single one of your incandescent light bulbs with compact florescent bulbs. Compact fluorescents consume 1/3 of the energy, are just as bright, and last up to 10 times longer than incandescent light bulbs. Think about replacing your refrigerator which is consuming 7-12 kilowatt hours a day with a highly efficient one which only consumes 1-2 kilowatt hours a day. Replace your top loading washer with a front loader. Eliminate electric loads that you are not using. For example clock radios that you have plugged in or other electronics that have lights on 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Turn your computer completely off at a power strip when you are not using it. Look for a microwave that does not have a clock on it. Basically and ideally, challenge yourself to examine your electric bill every month and figure out ways to make it smaller and smaller. This does not mean, nor should it, that you have to compromise on the lifestyle you have grown accustomed to. It simply means making some minor adjustments.

Which Manufacturer of Solar Electric / PV Panels Do You Install?
Solar Energy Solutions, Inc. has spent the last 20 years pouring over technical specifications on the various Photovoltaic panels, inverters and accompanying equipment. After endless hours, weeks and years we have landed on two name brand Photovoltaic panels we think are great and represent the best in the industry. The two Photovoltaic panels we carry are the Sanyo 200s and the Kyocera 200s. We have access to all name brands, but we have decided these two are the best. The Sanyo panels are the most efficient Photovoltaic panel known to man. This is because they incorporate two different solar electric technologies to produce power. The Sanyo panel is a mono-crystalline panel with an amorphous (thin film) layer over it. This is what makes the Sanyo panel such a superior performing Photovoltaic panel. The Kyocera panel is one of the top rated poly-crystalline panels. Poly-crystalline panels are the most prevalent of Photovoltaic panels. We install these systems using the Xantrex inverter. We like Xantrex because this company was a pioneer in the solar electric industry. They were here promoting solar long before anyone else. We like their devotion to the cause.

You can see the Sanyo Photovoltaic panel cut-sheet by clicking here

You can see the Sanyo grid-tied systems by clicking here

You can see the Kyocera Photovoltaic panel cut-sheet by clicking here

And their "MyGen" systems we install by clicking here

You can see the Xantrex inverters by clicking here