Why your solar system size is larger than the inverter?

Hello Solar friends, It's Channel from PurePoint Energy. We have been getting questions from clients about their solar system size and inverter size. "Why is the system size larger than the inverter?', "Is this dangerous?", "Am I wasting power?". I am here to answer all these questions!

Why oversize your system?

• The goal of designers is to ensure maximum energy harvest from each module in the system. By doing so, designers ensure the optimal use of this high-cost system component. 

• By maximizing production per module, designers achieve the optimal specific yield of the system.

• Since a larger array feeding a fixed size inverter will result in greater system annual production, the increased annual energy harvest is spread across the system’s fixed/semi-fixed costs, which include inverters, AC collection system, permitting, interconnection fees, engineering and overhead.

Are you wasting power/ Is this dangerous?

• When the available DC power from a PV array exceeds the inverter maximum power rating, the control logic in the inverter responds by moving the PV array off its maximum power point.
• Limiting power in this manner ensures that excess power is not dissipated as waste heat in the inverter.
• The inverter components are not exposed to this excess power under normal operating conditions.
• NO, it is not dangerous at all!

Here at PurePoint Energy, we strive for perfection when completing your custom solar proposal. We provide quality products for maximum efficiency. Schedule your FREE consultation with us to learn more about more solar! 

Solar Ownership vs. Leasing, Which one is better?

Hello Solar friends! This is Channel from PurePoint Energy. Installing solar panels on your home is an asset to your home's energy usage and home value. They save you money from your electric bill and increase the value of your home. There are two types of ways you can go solar for your home; Ownership and Leasing. Owning your solar panels means you have invested the money necessary to completely pay for the system. Leasing your solar panels means you have agreed  to finance your solar system and pay it off over time.  Owning or Leasing your solar panels can affect your homes resale value.

Ownership

• According to a study led by the U.S Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, found that home buyers are willing to pay more for homes with solar panels that are owned. 

• The study consisted of analyzing 22,000 sales of homes in eight states between 1999 and 2013 and almost 4,000 had solar panels. 

• They found that a solar power system is worth about $15,000 to home buyers or an estimate of about $4 per watt.

Leasing

• According to an article on npr.org, they say there isn't enough data to show whether the home value of a home decreases when there are leased solar panels installed.

• Bloomberg Business states, for potential buyers "a solar lease is a liability rather than an asset and may drive people away."

• A homeowner sold his solar paneled house for $140,000, when his asking price was $155,000. He had to lower the price three times, up to the point that the price of the house was lower than the price of the houses without solar to get people interested.

When going solar for your home, both options of of Ownership or Leasing have it's advantages and disadvantages. Thinking about the long term affects on your homes resale value is important when considering which option is best for you. 

Here at PurePoint Energy, we offer many financing options that can help with making the transition to solar affordable. If you do not want to finance your solar system, there are many solar rebates, tax credits and incentives that also help make going solar more affordable. One of them  is 30% Solar Tax Credit that will only remain until December 31, 2016!. Schedule an appointment with PurePoint Energy and go solar today!.

Solar Fun Fact for the Day

Here is your Solar Fun Fact for National Solar Awareness Month! Enjoy!

How to: Determining Energy Usage

Hello Solar friends! This is Channel from PurePoint Energy. After your solar system has been installed, there is plenty of useful information available to you. Here at PurePoint, we have been getting questions from our clients on how they can determine and understand their energy usage. I have listed below things you need in order to determine and understand your overall energy usage.

Here are a few things you will need:

• A Bill 
• Solar energy monitoring platform
• Correct billing cycle

1. From your bill you need two specific numbers:

• "Purchases from the utility" 
• "Sales to the utility"

2. From your Solar energy monitoring system:

• You can use the dates of the billing cycle on your bill to run a report on your solar energy platform.
• Once you have run a report, you will need the "total generation" number from your solar array.

3. Now that you have your total generation, sales to the utility and purchases from the utility, you will need these simple formulas to determine your energy usage:

•  (Total generation) - (Sales Utility) + (Purchases from Utility) = Total energy usage by the household for the billing cycle chosen.

• (Total generation) - (Sales Utility) = (the amount the solar array used in "real time")

• (the amount the solar array used in "real time") + (Purchases from Utility) = Total energy usage by the household for the billing cycle chosen.

Here at PurePoint Energy, we try to make our clients transition to solar as easy as possible. Make an appointment with PurePoint Energy today and go solar!

Are Solar Panels affected by any Fall or Winter weather?

Hello Solar friends! This is Channel from PurePoint Energy. We are entering into fall and winter weather here in Connecticut and some of our customers have some doubts or concerns about how effective solar panels are during these climates. I am here to tell you there is no need to worry, they still work! 

1. Do Solar panels work on a cloudy day?

• Solar panels can still produce electricity when there is still no obvious sunshine.
• Typical solar panels can produce 10-25% of their capacity on a cloudy day.
• At PurePoint Energy, we install the best panels for your solar energy system, one of them is SunPower panels.
• Even in low sunlight environments, SunPower’s premium monocrystalline cells are very sensitive to low levels of light. SunPower solar panels “wake up” earlier in the day and will keep generating energy later in the day. 

2. How do solar panels work with snow?

• During the snowy climates, snow may cover your solar panels but that does not mean they turn off or stop working.
• Sunlight may actually go through the panels and warm them up enough to melt the snow off.
• SunPower panels convert photons to electricity in the short wavelengths and long wavelengths of the solar spectrum.
• This means that even during the winter weather, SunPower panels will continue to produce electricity for your home.
• Installing panels at a tilting angle where the snow can slide off is great way to prevent snow from building up on top of the panels. 

3. Steep slope roof vs. Low slope roof


The slope of a roof is often referred to as pitch. The slope, or pitch, of a roof is determined by the vertical rise in inches for every horizontal twelve inch length called the "run". A roof with x rise/12 run slope means that for every 12 inches horizontally (run), it  rises x inches.

• Here's a diagram of the differences between Low and Steep Slope's:
  

• During the winter climate, home owners that have solar panels that are installed in steep slope roof's are going to have a much easier time removing snow. For low slope roof's, it depends on how low the pitch or rise of the roof is.

4. Examples

Below we have two pie charts from two different locations that show the amount of energy produced over the course of one year:

 

• This pie chart shows the amount of energy produced over the course of year 2013 for Averill Farm in Washington Depot CT. Q1 = January, February, March, Q2 = April, May, June, Q3 = July, August, September, Q4 = October, November, December. During the Fall and !inter month's (Q4), you can see there was still energy production of 17% for the Averill Farm Solar Array. Winter weather normally ends around January and February and there was still 22% percent of energy production in Q1.

• This pie chart show the amount of energy produced in the Shagbark Farm in East Hadam, CT over the course of (Q4) in 2014; October, November and December. The rest are up until September of 2015. As you can see here, there was 48% of energy production in Q4 which were the Fall and Winter months. 

In the end, solar panels generate a lot more energy during the Summer and sunny seasons, but are still effective when Fall and Winter weather starts here in Connecticut. There is nothing to be worried about when installing solar energy for your home, it still works! Call and schedule an appointment with PurePoint Energy for a complimentary Solar Evaluation. Visit our website at www.purepointenergy.com and Like us Facebook and Follow us on Twitter for updates!

"How to read a Net Meter

• Daniel Scarozza from PurePoint Energy explains how to read a Net Meter for you solar system.

Calls us for your complimentary Solar Evaluation!

(203) 642-4105

www.purepointenergy.com

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30% Solar Investment Tax Credit remains until December 31, 2016?

Hello solar friends! This is Channel from PurePoint Energy. The 30% Solar Investment Tax Credit will expire December 31, 2015 for homeowners and will go from 30% to 10% for business owners. Why is this important you might ask? The Solar Investment Tax Credit has created many opportunities for the people of Connecticut to use their natural energy and save big bucks on becoming solar. On average, PurePoint's residential customers will save over $10,000 because of this tax credit. Since it has become so popular to go solar, this has given opportunities for many solar energy companies, like PurePoint Energy, to open the doors for people interested in becoming employed within the Solar Energy industry.

What is the Solar Investment Tax Credit?

The Solar Energy Industries Association states that the Investment Tax Credit or "ITC" is a 30% federal tax credit for solar systems on residential and commercial properties that, under current law, remains in effect through December 31, 2016. Companies use this tax credit for projects that they have installed, developed or financed. Residential tax credits are used towards residential sized projects and homeowners can apply this tax to their income taxes. The credit is used when homeowners purchase solar systems and have them installed on their homes.

How has this affected Connecticut residents and solar companies?

How has this effected Connecticut residents and solar companies?

Ikea in New Haven, Connecticut

"In 2014, Connecticut homeowners and businesses installed 45 Megawatts of solar electricity capacity, making the state the 17th most solarized state out of 50..." according to the Solar Energy Industries Association. Connecticut offers incentives that are based on system capacity, like the Connecticut Green Bank. The Connecticut Green Bank calculate their incentive amount by measuring how much energy the house uses on average over a period of 12 months. If the capacity is up to the average; homeowners will expect a generous rebate, if the capacity is lower than the average; they can expect a lower rebate. These incentive programs have helped with the growth of installing solar systems in Connecticut. Connecticut has taken action in becoming more solar, IKEA in New Haven is one of the largest corporate photo-voltaic systems in the state, it has 940 kilowatts of solar capacity in New Haven.

Solar tax credits and incentive programs have helped with Connecticut residents and companies to become more solar and it also has created more jobs. "The Solar power industry has created 31,000 new jobs last year..." according to Solar Jobs Census. Also, more than 170,000 jobs are supported by the installment and maintenance of solar power and there are also over 700,000 jobs in relation to the solar power industry. The growing popularity of solar jobs, account for almost 2% of all new jobs created in the U.S. in 2014. Tax policies have played an important role in creating jobs in Connecticut and the U.S. as a whole.

Why should the Investment Tax Credit be extended?

The Solar Energy Industries Association state three important points as to why the Investment Tax Credit is so important.

1. The ITC has helped annual solar installation grow by over 1,600 percent since the ITC was implemented in 2006 - a compound annual growth rate of 76 percent.
2. Solar employment has grown by 86% in the last four years and is creating jobs at a rate nearly 20 times higher than employment growth in the overall economy.
3. The existence of the ITC through 2016 provides market certainty for companies to develop long-term investments that drive competition and technological innovation, which in turn lower costs for consumers.

Solar energy is one of the best ways to help the world become a better place to live in. It is a great investment . Take advantage of the Solar Investment Tax Credit and schedule an appointment with PurePoint Energy, before time runs out. Visit our website at www.purepointenergy.com for a free consultation. To see what we've been up to, like us on Facebook and visit our Twitter and Instagram.

References: http://www.seia.org/policy/finance-tax/solar-investment-tax-credit http://www.seia.org/research-resources/extend-residential-solar-investment-tax-credit http://www.computerworld.com/article/2870954/solar-industry-jobs-are-growing-at-20-times-the-national-rate.html http://www.theridgefieldpress.com/49405/ridgefield-growing-solar/