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Why Solar?
Because sunlight is abundant and inexhaustible, solar energy is a valuable renewable energy source that, when used in place of traditional fossil fuels, can help reduce greenhouse gas emissions as well as stimulate the economy.
By investing in a solar system, you can harness the sun’s energy to help power your home and even sell any excess energy back to the grid.
Environmental
- 100% Pollution-Free—solar is one of the cleanest sources of energy because it does not emit any pollution when it is produced or consumed. Using solar energy can help reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions associated with electricity generation
- Renewable Resource—solar is an inexhaustible resource with endless possibilities. The amount of energy from the sun that falls to the earth in one day could supply the entire world's energy needs for 27 years!
- Limited Environmental Impact—production and consumption of solar energy does not damage the land because it doesn't require fossil fuel extraction
Economic
- Energy Independence—producing more renewable energy at home helps secure America's energy future
- Job Growth—greater demand for solar creates employment opportunities in the green job sector, helping to stimulate our economy
- Financial Return—solar systems can help reduce the amount of electricity you buy from the grid and can increase your home’s resale value over time. One study found that solar systems added on average $5.50 per watt to a home's value above the cost of a comparable, non-solar home. The price premium for the average size installation in the study (3.1 kW) was approximately $17,000.*
How Does a Solar Photovoltaic (PV) System Work?
 A solar PV system is a set of connected solar panels, or PV modules, that generate DC (direct current) electricity by absorbing energy directly from the sun.
Is it that simple? Almost! While these systems generate DC electricity, all of your household appliances use AC (alternating current) electricity. Therefore, the DC electricity from the panels must go into an inverter to convert it into AC electricity. Now it can be used by your house or sold to back to the electric grid.
There are many factors that affect the productivity of your solar PV system, such as:
- The direction your panels are facing
- The angle of the panels
- Geographical location
- Shading
A qualified Green Mountain Solar specialist will assess your property’s solar potential.
How much would this lower my electricity bill?
If your property is a good candidate for solar, the next thing to consider is whether it is a good investment. Let’s begin with a quick review of electricity basics:
- Power is the rate at which energy is supplied - like the speedometer on your car, which measures how fast you can go. Power is measured in Watts (W).
- Energy is the measure of power over time - like your car’s odometer, which measures how far you’ve gone. Energy measured in watt-hours (Wh) or kilowatt-hours (kWh).1,000 watt-hours = 1 kilowatt-hour.
Solar panels will generate different amounts of energy (measured in kWh) depending both on their power capacity (measured in kW) and how many hours the panels have ideal access to sunlight.
- The amount of money you can save depends on how much solar energy is generated, how much electricity from the grid you typically use during daylight hours, and your electricity rate in cents per kWh.
- For example, if you have a 5 kilowatt (kW) system , it could generate approximately 20 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of energy in one sunny day
- Over the course of a month, your system could potentially generate 600 kWh, directly offsetting that quantity of your grid electricity use! If you typically pay $0.12/kWh for your electricity, installing solar could lower your electricity bill by as much as $72.00 per month.
* Source: April 2011 report: “An Analysis of the Effects of Residential Photovoltaic Energy Systems on Home Sales Prices in California” by the Ernest Orlando Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (http://eetd.lbl.gov/ea/emp/reports/lbnl-4476e.pdf)
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