Producing Solar Energy Around the Clock

When people start doing their research into solar energy, one of the most common questions is whether or not solar panels produce solar powered energy at night. It sounds silly, but you have to wonder if solar panels produce renewable solar energy, then what happens at night? The truth is that with solar panels, homeowners are able to benefit from energy stored and produced during the day and turned into solar powered energy. There are multiple ways In which this happens:

Solar Powered Energy and Net Metering

Net metering is often misunderstood but it’s a simple concept. Homeowners connect their solar power energy panels to the grid and it functions similarly to a health savings account. In this way, solar power is gathered and if there’s excess, then it’s sold back to the electric grid. Because of the excess electricity gathered, homeowners are able to draw upon the solar power energy credits earned during the day. When homeowners’ solar panels store enough energy, not only are they able to use it at night, but the further excess is able to be sold back to the electricity company. This in turn could help homeowners make money back for their use of a solar power installation. Net metering allows homeowners to not only draw upon their bank of stored solar powered energy to use at night, but to also facilitate the flow of energy throughout homes, day or night.

Solar Power Batteries Keep Your Solar Powered Energy Flowing

Solar powered energy is extremely important, but especially with solar batteries. Solar batteries absorb energy directly from the sun. Instead of selling solar power back to the grid, solar batteries absorb the energy from the sun and the solar power energy battery provides stored energy to homeowners themselves. Homeowners are able to gain peace of mind for solar powered energy battery backup during power during outages or natural disasters. This allows homeowners the ability to gain a sustainable 24/7 source of solar energy, no matter the time of night.

The One-Two Punch of Both

The majority of solar powered energy systems actually combine net metering and solar batteries. What this means to the average homeowner with solar panels is that they are able to generate more energy, store this energy for use during the night or at later times, and even to make money off of solar powered energy due to selling electricity back to the grid system. The marriage of these 2 important technologies means that homeowners are better able to find a reliable and sustainable solar powered energy solution that provides energy when they need it and money back when they don’t.

No matter your choice, there are cost benefits and drawbacks to various aspects of a residential solar energy system. It’s important to consult the experts such as SunPro Solar who know how to help homeowners obtain the very best for their needs. Call SunPro Solar today at (951) 678-7733.

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How Solar Batteries Work to Help You Gain Energy Independence

When people hear the words solar batteries, it’s easy to conjure up an image of something similar to a car battery installed in your home.  However, today’s solar system batteries are more similar to cell phone or computer batteries based on their components, not based on size.  Today’s batteries are constructed of lithium-ion offering greater energy storage per square foot and weight.

What Types of Different Batteries are There?

Solar batteries are traditionally AC- coupled or DC- coupled.  In the case of AC- coupled batteries, solar power gathered throughout the day is converted through a grid connect inverter from DC to AC, before the battery inverter converts the power to DC power and stores it in the batteries.  When energy is needed, the inverter converts it back to AC power to supply to the load.

DC- coupled solar batteries directly channel solar power to a solar battery charger, regulating how the batteries are charged. Because solar panels produce DC power and batteries store DC power, there is no need to convert the power.

How Residential Solar Batteries Work

Throughout the day, your residential solar power system collects energy from the sun and then sends that energy to its batteries for either storage or immediate use.  SunPower systems integrate with various kinds of solar batteries allowing more freedom for homeowners.

Once the batteries collect the power, intelligent software automatically manages which power source you’re connected to and drawing energy from.  Your home could be connected to the power grid or it could be drawing power from the batteries in your solar system.  So on a cloudy day, if your battery is not full, you may be drawing power from the grid to keep the lights on in your home or to power your water heater.  When homeowners’ batteries are full, the energy necessary to power their home is drawn from batteries, not the grid.  This allows them to save money by not drawing power from the grid provided by the electric company. Similarly, these batteries can help offset peak energy usage at night when people are home from work.

As homeowners’ energy needs change, they can scale up their solar power system to meet their changing energy needs.  This includes adding more solar panels and batteries to meet these changing energy needs.  If a homeowner suddenly makes an electric vehicle purchase and needs to charge it, their residential solar power system will be able to meet the increase in demand for energy.

With the power of solar system batteries, homeowners can become less reliant on grid power, lowering bills.  Eventually, as they generate more energy and more energy is stored, they can also sell energy credits back to the electric company.  The answer to energy independence and significant savings lays in the form of the clean renewable energy of solar.

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Understanding How Solar Panels Work

As experts in solar power systems, we often are asked by nervous homeowners how solar panels work.  They’re interested in saving money on electricity, trying to sell credits back to the electric company, or even the sunsetting benefit of tax benefits tied to solar power.  It’s a valid question and something that most homeowners aren’t aware of- how do solar panels work to gather, convert, and store energy?  It seems mystifying to many and yet it’s not as complex as homeowners think.  In the following article, we’ll teach you how solar panels work and what you can expect.

What is Solar Energy

The sun is a huge source of energy.  Shining almost daily, the sun produces energy in photons.  Photons are light particles that penetrate our atmosphere to feed plants via photosynthesis and indirectly feed the animals and people who feed off of those plants.  While animals and people die over time, taking millions of years to become fossil fuels, solar energy does not take that long to produce power.  Instead, solar panels collect energy directly from the sun to power electricity including water heaters, and more.  While fossil fuels are finite in their collection and usage, solar power is not finite.  Instead, solar panels help to collect the power from the sun as a renewable clean energy source.  Solar power systems installed on residences and commercial systems help to minimize our carbon footprint because solar panels help collect clean green renewable energy.

How Do Solar Panels Translate Into Electricity- What’s the Process?

Electricity is a fascinating topic and one that few homeowners understand, whether from their own electric company or because they are obtaining electricity in other ways.  It’s something that homeowners often take for granted until they start to investigate solar panels and the power of solar energy.

Traditionally, electricity is the result of a current from charged particles.  This includes both positively and negatively charged particles.  As Paula Abdul once sang, opposites attract.  Solar panels include this same current of negatively and positively charged particles.  The sun hits the solar panels and creates a direct current from the negative side and positive side to create DC electricity.

As anyone who has bought new appliances knows, they traditionally run on AC power.  If solar panels connect DC power, how does that translate to AC electricity?  Solar power systems make use of an inverter to create AC electricity from the DC electricity that solar panels collect.

How Do Homeowners Cash In on their Solar Panels

Homeowners hear a lot that over time, their solar panels will pay for themselves or that they can become energy neutral as a result of their residential solar system.  This is true because electricity in California is on the grid system.  The grid allows for the production of energy that isn’t necessarily guaranteed.  When people gather solar panels credit, they are able to sell it back to the electric company.

Even though homeowners who have not yet collected enough solar power from their solar panels to make money off of it are still dependent upon the electric company, there’s potential to overcome that.  Over time, homeowners begin to walk away from needing to purchase electricity at off peak hours such as night time to earning enough credits to gain a check from the electric company based on their energy consolidation. At times, solar battery storage helps fill in the gaps as well.

Over time, the installation of solar panels is a very smart decision for homeowners. While the tax benefits are slowly going away, the benefits of reduced electricity bills and increased home resale value are huge for homeowners.  If you’re curious about the benefits of solar power and solar panels, call the experts at (951) 678-7733.

 

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America’s Great Potential to Generate Solar Energy

Recent Global Warming deniers have set back much of America’s energy policies and environmental policies by undermining efforts to embrace cleaner and more efficient forms of energy.  A recent report by the Environment America Research and Policy Center concludes that if America were to embrace even a fracture of the limitless and pollution free energy that shines on it every day, we could meet all of our energy needs.  This is the power of solar energy.  If more homeowners and businesses embrace solar energy, we’ll be able to leave behind a cleaner, more sustainable environment for our children and grandchildren.

The Potential for Solar Energy to Power More Energy than We Consume

Within the report, it states that the United States has the power to generate over 100 times more energy than it currently consumes by embracing solar energy.  Each state could in fact, generate more solar energy than its citizens and businesses consumes, freeing us from reliance on less clean energy initiatives.

The report offers a conclusion that states can obtain anywhere from 1 to over 100 times their energy needs from solar energy.  The majority of states that could obtain over 100 times their energy needs are largely a block from Middle America to the Southwest and Northwest. These states have populations that range from very dense to not very populated.  By embracing solar power, they can ensure they are able to generate more clean energy and leave behind a brighter future.

Solar Energy and You

Homeowners researching solar power installations can take comfort that their participation in this, by installing solar power systems, are able to contribute to a better future.  As more homeowners embrace solar power, they are able to generate more clean renewable energy, contributing to the self sufficiency of the state.  Moreover, they’re able to dramatically reduce their energy bills, and even make money by selling solar credits to the electric company.

It’s clear that solar power is the wave of the future and a smart bet for people and businesses to embrace.  Consider how we can minimize our carbon footprint, reduce the effects of Global Warming and help leave behind a better world for everyone.

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Creative Uses of SunPower Solar Panels

When considering whether or not to go green in your home, consider that with SunPower solar panels, you can produce over 70% more energy over the first 25 years.  Once you’ve installed SunPower solar panels, how you use that energy can be quite creative.  Consider the following ways in which you can use your new clean renewable energy:

 

Lighting Up Your Back Yard

With the clean renewable solar energy that you’re generating with SunPower solar panels, you can light up your back yard with colorful and creative lights.  You can impress your house guests and company when they come over with colorful light displays.  Imagine lighting up your pool, pergola, walk ways, trellaces, and patios with clean renewable energy.

 

Turning Up the Romance with SunPower Solar Panels

With SunPower solar panels, the energy you generate can be used to turn up the romance.  Picture how much you can enjoy powering and heating your hot tub sipping champagne.  With clean renewable energy, you can turn up the romance and not worry about how high your electric bill will be for your efforts.  You can take a dip every night and ignite the romantic spark in your relationship.  If you’re single, you can impress your dates with your elegant hot tub.

 

Powering Up A Holly Jolly Christmas Light Display

With SunPower solar panels, you can be the envy of your neighbors next Christmas with an intricate and bright light display.  You could deck your home out with every light you can find at the store and still be paying less for powering a massive display than your neighbors.  You can keep cozy all winter knowing that you’re producing more clean renewable energy and saving money at the same time.

There are many uses for clean renewable solar power that range from powering up your kitchen appliances to heating your home during the winter and keeping it cool in the summer. There’s no better way to do it than with SunPower solar panels.  If you’re ready to try out the many ways you can use solar power, give us a call at (951) 678-7733.

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Demystifying Solar Batteries

When considering switching from using traditional electric power to solar power, many home owners are confused about how solar batteries work.  It’s often one of the most misunderstood elements of a solar power system. It’s understandable as most homeowners don’t have a degree or specialty in science and engineering.  Not to worry, the experts at Sunpro Solar are able to demystify solar batteries for you so you understand exactly what you’re getting and what you can expect:

Solar Batteries Allow for the Generation of Solar Power to Turn into Electricity

When homeowners install solar panels on their homes, they do so to dramatically reduce their electricity bills.  The potential to generate a separate income from the energy produced and stored in solar batteries is also extremely appealing.  Over time, the installation of solar panels can pay for themselves when you consider that they can last approximately 25 to 30 years with proper maintenance and care.

Typically, when homeowners purchase a solar system, this includes solar panels at just the right pitch to collect enough energy from the sun.  A system also includes an inverter, and a performance monitoring system to ensure homeowners are able to track exactly how much energy they’re generating from the sun- a clean renewable energy source, and stored in solar batteries for later use.

In order to create electricity or energy to power your home, solar panels collect energy from the sun.  This is then passed through an inverter to convert it into a form of electricity and energy to power a home.  Solar batteries store this energy so that when the sun goes down at night, homeowners are still able to access energy to power their homes.  Just because the sun has gone down, it doesn’t mean that homeowners are living like our prehistoric ancestors by fire light.

Making Your Solar Batteries Work for You

Typically, homeowners’ solar panels and solar batteries are tied to an electricity grid.  In California, this could be Edison, for example. When your home solar power system is collecting more energy than you can consume as a homeowner, you’re energy neutral and reducing your carbon footprint.  You’re also eligible to make some money.  Excess energy from your solar batteries sent back to the grid can make you money in the form of energy credits towards future energy bills or a check cut to you.  It’s not a stretch of the imagination that this is a major caveat for homeowners considering the installation of a full solar system, from solar panels to solar batteries, and more.

Solar power has been exploding in popularity, but homeowners don’t necessarily know how they work.  If you’re still confused by the process by which solar batteries collect and store energy, please give our experts a call at (951) 678-7733

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3 Ways to Go Green with Your Home Renovation

After a number of years, it’s quite common that home owners get that itch to renovate their home.  It could start with an idea that you’ve always wanted a nicer kitchen or it could be a massive project involving multiple rooms, the exterior, the yard, or more.  No matter how small or large, there’s ample room to go green with your home renovation.  Consider the following ways in which you can go green with your home renovation:

Go Green with Energy Efficient Appliances

One of the easiest ways to go green during a home renovation is to seek out energy efficient appliances.  These are easy to spot in stores because they’re labeled energy efficient under the Energy Star program.  Energy efficient appliances use less power and over time, essentially pay for themselves in savings.  Energy efficient appliances are one of the easiest ways to go green in your renovation.

Install Solar Panels

If you’re able to do a major home renovation, installing a new solar panel system is one of the best ways to go green.  This is because solar energy is clean, green, and renewable.  By installing solar panels, you go green with your home renovation by severing your reliance upon fossil fuels that produce most electric power in homes now.  Over time, not only do solar panels save homeowners money in electric bills, but the amount of power generated can be sold back to the electric company, earning homeowners money in the process.  This is a great way to reduce your carbon footprint and to save some green in your pocket.

Install Low Emissivity Products

Low emissivity products such as doors and windows can prevent heat from escaping during the winter and the cool air from escaping during the summer.  This is accomplished with thin layers of items such as silver or other metallic particles. There are many different kinds of low emissivity products to meet your energy needs to go green in a home renovation.  If this is on your radar, then a consultant can help you to choose the right product to meet your energy needs.

Home renovations are often large projects, but even if you start small, you have options to make your home more environmentally friendly with your efforts.  If you’re looking to install a new solar panel system to maximize your potential to go green, contact Sunpro Solar at (951) 678-7733.

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How Long Do Solar Panels Last?

When homeowners start to think seriously about the benefits of installing solar panels, one of the most common questions that comes up is how long do they last?  Many homeowners are new to the process, not sure whether they’ll have high maintenance fees or if they’re at risk for additional replacement costs more often than they’d like.  The truth is that homeowners can breathe a sigh of relief.  Solar panels last a lot longer than you’d think.

How Long Can Solar Panels Last if Maintained?

The good news is after a solar installation, homeowners can look forward to your panels lasting in the range of 25 years.  Think about that- in 25 years, your children will grow up happy and healthy, your baby sapling trees will grow large and your car will have been replaced for the latest and greatest model multiple times.  25 years is a very long time.  It speaks to the durability of solar panels and their low maintenance.  These panels face the brunt force of the elements- wind, rain, sunshine, snow, or even hurricanes or twisters.  The good news is in California, we won’t have some of the most extreme weather and can enjoy some of the best weather.  However, maintenance is still necessary.

The average rate of degradation of solar panels is about .4% per year.  What this means is that even if they degrade over time, your new panels will be operating in the high 80’s to mid 90% over the years.  With gentle maintenance, you’ll still be reaping the benefits of solar panels for years to come.  A great solar power company can help you frame your expectations, teach you how to maintain your solar panels, and offer you support.

Tips For Extending the Life of Your Solar Panels

We can’t control the weather.  Depending upon the weather, your panels can experience debris, high winds, beating down rain or hail, and more.  This can wreak havoc on anything from your car to your motorcycle to even your home wherever you’re located.  However, you can do the following steps to extend the life of your solar panels:

• Find an Exceptional Solar Power Company to Partner With.  The best companies are all about customer service.  Would you consider buying a new solar power system from someone who would abandon you completely? No.  Do your homework and partner with an exceptional solar power company so you’re sure to receive the best customer service for installation and helpful hints throughout the life of your solar power system.
• Keep an Eye on Your Solar Panels.  You should actively monitor your solar panels, whether that means clearing debris off of them after high winds, or cleaning up the results of what appears to be sick birds.  It’s helpful to ensure your solar panels are not damaged, excessively dirty, or deteriorating from a lack of attention and maintenance.

Solar energy systems can potentially last you around 25 years.  That could be 25 years of your family enjoying freedom from high energy bills, earning money from energy credits, and reaping the benefits of solar power.  How long can your peace of mind last with clean, renewable energy?

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How to Determine Your Solar Savings

When homeowners hear solar savings, they have expectations that they’ll instantly be flush with extra cash.  However, solar panels take time to acquire energy from the sun and produce energy for your home.  This means that as more time goes on, homeowners will start to see more solar savings with reduced or completely eliminated electricity bills. Within months, you’ll begin to see your investment paying off and within years, a solar system can completely pay for itself.  Consider the following ways in which you can determine your solar savings with a new solar system:

Use a Cost Calculator to Determine Solar Savings

A free cost calculator can help you to predict how much you will save by switching from electricity to solar power. Generally speaking, a solar cost calculator can take into account geographic data, shade homeowners experience and monthly electric bills.  Using this data, a solar cost calculator will produce a general idea of what you can expect in solar savings.  This is a great first step to determining whether a home is a good candidate for solar panels and it also provides a great benchmark for determining solar savings as time progresses.

Keep Close Track with Net Metering

Most homes that are solar powered are connected to the grid via net metering.  This is a system of billing that keeps track of homes’ utility meter to determine the amount of energy produced.  The electricity homeowners’ solar panels generates is recorded in net metering and the solar savings are reflected in monthly electric bills.

Generally, homeowners can generate enough electricity to avoid paying an electric bill.  These savings can add up significantly for homeowners used to paying hundreds of dollars in electricity every month. If solar panels produce more energy than is actually used, then that energy is sold back to the grid and the electric company will reimburse homeowners for the extra power. A check every month can be a great way to keep track of the cost savings from switching to solar power.

The initial investment in a solar system can be daunting for some homeowners, but as they begin to see their solar savings for themselves it’s clear they made a smart investment.  Becoming energy neutral and paying nothing to your electric company is a great feeling, but as time goes on, your solar panels will pay for themselves and that is an amazing feeling.

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