Not To Worry, Summer Lightning Is No Match For Solar PV Systems

The first thing that comes to mind when one considers installing a solar photovoltaic system is the maitenance of the project. Will I have to monitor it? Clean it? Have it repaired? And most importantly, is it weather proof?While the keep-up of the systems is hot on everyones minds, we can assure you that PV systems can handle almost any storm (figuratively and literally). In order to assure this promise, we take special precautions when dealing with the most common summer threat to the systems; lightning. A lightning arrester is a device used on electrical power systems, or in our case, PV systems, to protect the insulation on the system from the damaging effect of the lightning. Metal oxide varistors (MOVs) have been used for power system protection since the mid 1970's. The typical lightning arrester also known as a surge arrester has a high voltage terminal and a ground terminal. When a lightning surge or switching surge travels down the power system to the arrester, the current from the surge is diverted around the protected insulation in most cases to earth. As we have seen by our recent project in Haiti which was recently struck by lightning and was left unharmed, these arresters do their job effortlessly and can be trusted to keep our PV systems safe.

New Jersey SREC Promotional Opportunity

New Jersey's renewable portfolio standard (RPS), requires each electricity supplier/provider serving retail customers in the state to include in the electricity it sells 22.5% qualifying renewables by 2021.One way these suppliers are meeting this quota is through the purchasing of SRECs, or Solar Renewable Energy Certificates.
For those who install solar photovoltaic systems, SRECs are awarded and eligible to be sold. Each time a system generates 1,000 kWh of electricity, an SREC is earned and placed in the customer's electronic account. SRECs can then be sold on the SREC tracking system, providing revenue for the first 15 years of the system's life.
In the SREC Trading market, buyers and sellers engage in an auction similar to the stock market. Buyers and sellers respectively call out prices they are willing to buy and sell their certificates for, and these prices are then lined up by price at the close of the auction. A supply and demand curve are created from these prices, and the intersection of the two is referred to as the closing price. This closing price is what all the certificates in that auction will be sold for. If a seller sold their certificates for under the clearing price, their profit will be more than what they originally sold their SRECs for. If a seller sold for higher than the clearing price, they will receive less than what they sold for. This process ensures a fair market and a fair selling price.

July 2010 Trading Statistics:
Low: $170
Average: $550
High: $685

Problem: Oil Spill, Solution: Clean Energy

As many of us know, oil spills make a huge impact on our lives and on the lives of animals and plants they interfere with.  From the Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska in 1989 to our most recent oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, they truly have an affect on everything.   Traces of oil can still be found in the Prince William Sound in Alaska nearly 21 years after the incident, and if not contained, the oil from the Gulf of Mexico could destroy the grassland areas in Lousiana causing the coastline land to erode away.  Animal and plant life is destroyed in oil spills, causing the death of millions of innocent animals, just trying to survive in their familiar habitat.

Clean energy, while not an immediate solution for destruction that oil spills cause, can prevent all of these problems by taking us away from our dependency on oil and fossil fuels.  Without this dependency, oil companies will have no choice but to downsize their oil drilling facilities, decreasing the amount of facilities that could potentially cause oil spills and other destruction of wildlife. Clean energy offers a means of protecting and preserving the environment for the future, while being cost effective and convienent!

   

A Buyer's Guide to Solar Panel Warranties!

While considering the purchase of a solar panel system, a few things should be taken into consideration first (most importantly the warranties on the products you are about to buy).  Here's a summary of what to expect as far as warranties on solar panels go:
-Almost all solar panels should have at least a five year installation warranty, meaning that the company installing the solar panels should cover the cost it would take for the manufacturer of the panels to repair any damages caused by errors in the installation of the panels.
-The actual manufacturers warranty should be for about 25 years.  Since solar panels are built to last (they are made to handle just as much damage as a rooftop could withstand) a long warranty is only logical.  This warranty  should cover the costs of either the repair or replacement of panels damaged by the everyday wear and tear of the weather and other natural causes.
(TIP: When buying solar panels, always be sure to inquire about the warranted minimum power rating of the system.  This is important because this minimum power rating is the only guaranteed amount of power that the system will produce).
-Also when buying solar panels, it's extremely important to be sure to find the panels that have the longest factory guarantee.  Some dealers may offer a guarantee that lasts longer than the actual factory guarantee ( be aware of this, some dealers may not be in existence by the end of the guarantee!)
-An inverter warranty should also always be included.  This warranty should last about 10 years.  It's important to have this warranty because the inverter (which converts the captured solar energy into energy usable for your home or business) is an extremely vital part to the solar panel system!

Taking warranties into consideration is extremely important when investing in a solar panel system.  Be sure to do your research beforehand to avoid any inconveniences and to be sure that your new investment is protected!