Choosing the right solar for your home
Solar Energy World offers two ways to use solar energy in your home: solar electric and solar thermal systems. Both allow you to create a tangible investment in your home while reaping some of the incentives for yourself.
Solar electric systems use photovoltaic panels in conjunction with a regular source of electricity provided by your utility company. The panels capture solar energy and convert it, then power it back into your electric system. If you don’t use the solar power generated energy, it goes back into the grid and you’re credited with it.
Solar thermal systems heat water, one of the biggest energy consumers in your home. Sunlight will heat your water from about 50 degrees Fahrenheit to up to 140 degrees Fahrenheit. The resulting energy savings can be drastic!
Solar Energy World can help you navigate the best solar energy systems and help you choose the right ones for your home. Contact us to get started!
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Solar in the News: Maryland Correctional Institution
To continue the growth of the Maryland solar industry, the state is expanding its solar energy projects to include a $70 million dollar investment at a state prison near Hagerstown. The solar energy farm would sit on 50 state-owned acres surrounding the medium-security Maryland Correctional Institution and inmates will tend the grounds and keep the panels clean. California currently uses open space around correctional facilities to house solar panels.
Construction is planned to begin this year with completion by December 2012. The solar energy farm would project enough energy to power 2,250 homes and help meet requirements of a state law mandating that 20 percent of Maryland’s electricity be generated from renewable energy sources by 2022.
Maryland’s Department of Public Safety and Correctional Service approves of the project, noting that the photovoltaic solar panel farm would make productive use of the land and provide employment opportunities for inmates in the pre-release system. The installation is a great example of the commercial use of solar energy.
Source: BusinessWeek
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Kicking off a solar summer: How many solar panels do you need?
There are many essential variables to consider when calculating how many photovoltaic solar panels you need and what type. How much energy am I using? How much sunlight does my house receive? What are the most efficient tilt and panels that would be useful to use? Each solar power system is different, which is why our installation crew designs a specific solar power system to meet your individual needs.
The first of these variables involves calculating how much power in watts your household uses on a daily basis. Using your electrical bill and/or a kWh (watt-hours) load tool you
can calculate total watts you use per day or month.
The next step would be to calculate the amount of useable sunlight in your area or insolation, when your solar panels will produce their rated voltage. This can be done using a solar calculator to find the tilt and size of a suitable system, and total hours of usable energy or you can use solar insolation table to determine the average hours of sunlight.
Determining the size of the system
To then calculate the size of the system in kW (kilowatts), divide watts-hours by your insolation value. In order to account for average energy losses and inefficiencies you can increase this number by 30%. This will give you the size of the solar energy system needed in kilowatts.
What type of solar panel is right for me?
This all depends on how much energy you need to produce and how much space you have. It is possible to have one bigger solar panel that produces the same watts-hours as six smaller ones. It is also possible that one type of solar panel is more aesthetically pleasing than another. This may be the case with the new SunPower solar panels.
The best way to determine how many solar panels you need would be to have a professional come to your property to survey the proposed area. This is done as part of a solar assessment. During the solar assessment, you’ll discover all the financial benefits that come along with solar too.
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Solar Farms
The owner of local energy supplier BGE recently acquired one of a solar energy farm in Sacramento. The Sacramento Municipal Utility District owns several solar energy farms, and Constellation Energy purchased a 30-megawatt project composed of 381,000 film photovoltaic solar panels that will create enough solar energy to light approximately 30,000 homes.
Constellation’s purchase will help the Sacramento Municipal Utility District meet state requirements for utilities; by 2020, the utilities must get one-third of their energy from renewable sources. The project is slated for completion by the end of 2011. Constellation will own and operate the solar panels and sell the electricity over 20 years.
Source: Sacramento Bee
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Energy Summit: How is Maryland fairing with the energy plan? (part 6)
On a good note:
Project Sunburst, established in April of 2010, will produce more than 12,000 MWh of solar energy per year in Maryland.
To date, Maryland has awarded grants totaling $10.6 million to 2,450 Maryland businesses and families, contributing 17,700 MWh Maryland generated solar energy per year.
On the flip side:
The Wind Energy Act was not passed this past spring. As you can see above, offshore wind is a large chunk of our energy future.
As Mike Tidwell, Chesapeake Climate Action Network stated at the Energy Summit, “Offshore wind builds jobs and helps with our land loss due to climate change. And, it brings manufacturing back to Maryland”.
“We have to do something about rate shock” said Governor O’Malley. A representative from Pepco stated “the debt issue is a concern for the utility putting them in a risky position. Pepco would have to spread the costs to both commercial and residential consumers”.
Clearly, there are challenges that need to be overcome regarding the Offshore Wind Act. But, we don’t foresee this being taken off the table any time soon.
During the Energy Summit Governor O’Malley spoke about the progress that has been made in the solar industry.
Challenging the speakers, O’Malley quickly asked “what are we doing to accelerate that?”
To continue the growth the state needed to stay vigilant with the incentives. Residential solar is a quick deployment and incentives drive residential change.
Another speaker mentioned the need for more defined guidelines on the pricing of SRECs, referring to New Jersey’s fast growing market with widespread residential and commercial adoption.
For the full list on the state’s progress visit RPS Progress: http://www.statestat.maryland.gov/GDUenergy.asp
We’ve come a long way! Next up, we’ll talk about what’s next in the Maryland clean energy future.
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Energy Summit: How does solar relieve the aging power grid? (part 5)
We discussed peak demand in an earlier post so we wanted to discuss renewable energy and peak demand.
For a utility company, the actual point of peak demand is a single half hour or hourly period, which represents the highest point of customer consumption of electricity.
Most of the solar installations in Maryland are grid-tied. Meaning, the PV system is connected to the existing power lines and supply so there is no need for energy storage.
It seems a little strange that a grid-tied solar power system could relieve the grid but it can. Solar is considered “Peak Technology”.
During the day – when utility rates are at their highest – solar is generating power. Solar is alleviating the stress on the grid because in many cases, energy is being consumed in the same location it’s being produced.
In a report from Lux Research in June 2010, peak demand time has given an entry point for three types of technologies to curb electricity usage: demand response, solar and storage.
“The verdict is that it’s really going to be a mix because of the limitations and capacity factor,” said Lux analyst Ted Sullivan. The capacity factor is the amount of time per year that a power-producing resource is available.
We’ll cover how Maryland is doing in the race to a clean energy future in our next post.
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International solar: Sarnia PV Power Plant (Ontario)
On October 4, 2010, Canada became home to the world’s largest solar power plant: Sarnia PV Power Plant in Ontari
o. Enbridge, Inc. and First Solar, Inc. constructed the facility, which will generate enough energy to power almost 13,000 homes; 1.3 million solar panels span 950 acres. The Ontario Power Authority is contracted for 20 years of power from Sarnia.
Enbridge noted that constructing the solar farm created more than 800 jobs for the economy. To keep the project as environmentally friendly as possible, no water was used during construction and minimal waste—including noise pollution—was created.
In December 2010, Enbridge and First Solar were honored by the Canadian Solar Industries Association where Sarnia PV power plant was named “Solar PV Project of the Year.”
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Community Solar Gardens
Last August, the nation’s first community solar garden was activated in El Jebel, Colorado. Three hundred forty solar panels collectively owned by local residents is the first of its kind and may spur similar innovative projects to launch.
Community solar gardens allow residents of condos, shaded homes, or those who want to reap the benefits of solar energy. Participants can take use solar energy without a large up-front investment. There are many policies surrounding community solar gardens that have to be considered with such an extensive project.
The land in El Jebel was otherwise unusable, making it the perfect site for solar panels. Clean Energy Collective (CEC) sold the parcels of solar to residents for as little as $725. CEC predicts a 67% increase of community solar energy in the next five years.
Would you participant in a community solar garden? What would the pros and cons be for you?
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Springing into Solar
There’s a reason why spring is the hot time for hiring in the alternative energy field – people are ready to invest in solar! While you’re planning your spring cleaning, consider adding solar panels to your to do list. Spring is a great time to optimize the extended daylight hours as the final spots of snow melt away and allow solar panels to absorb more light.
With systems that we design and install, there is very little maintenance. Photovoltaic solar systems are inherently very low-maintenance, requiring the system owner only to wash the solar modules down with water when they get dirty so light can get through. If you already own panels, spring is a good time to give them a quick spray to remove any dirt and debris left from winter.
Another exciting reason to welcome spring? President Obama has agreed to have solar panels installed on the White House this season, which officials anticipate will include 25-75 panels and will convert sunlight into 19,700 kilowatt hours of electricity a year. That would equal about $2,300 in saving per year for a residential home in Washington, D.C. Although the cost to outfit solar panels on the White House would cost approximately $100,000, that money would be earned back in just five years.
Ready to spring in to solar? Give us a call or fill out the Contact form!
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Product Showcase: Mage Solar
It is absolutely critical that all of our solar energy systems be completely reliable, and Mage systems are no exception. Mage Powertec Plus modules are comprised of mono- and polycrystalline cell technologies to keep cell efficiency up to 17.3%. Mage modules allow tolerances of up to +5 watts to guarantee maximum power, while other modules of lower quality deliver less than they claim.
We offer a 10-year product warranty, but it won’t be needed with a Mage module; they’re guaranteed to produce 90% of their nominal power for 12 years and 80% for 30 years – three decades! Mage modules also surpass the most stringent safety procedures.
Are Mage Powertec Plus modules the best solar panels for you? Contact us and we’ll help you decide.
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