Photovoltaics (PV) - is the process of capturing the sun's energy to create electricity. PV technologies rely on the photoelectric effect first described by French physicist Edmund Becquerel in 1839
Grid-Tie or Grid Connected – Your home or business is connected to your solar system and also connected to the utility company. There are no batteries for storage. When you are producing more power than is needed at any given time, the meter will spin backwards and you will be awarded credits for that power sent back to the grid. At night, or when your demand exceeds the amount of power you are producing, you buy power from the utility company like any other consumer.
Net-Metering - When excess electricity is created from your solar system, the power is sen
t back to the grid through a special meter and you are credited at full commercial value for the electricity. This process will cause your meter to spin backwards. At the end of the billing period you are only charged for the net amount of electricity used.
Solar Renewable Energy Credits (SREC’s) – In many states, utilities are required to produce a percentage of their electricity generation from renewable energy sources. Utilities may purchase renewable energy credits (RECs) from residents and businesses that are generating renewable electricity. This is a great source of income from your solar system and greatly decreases the amount of time to realize a full return on your investment.
Grid-Tie with Battery Back-Up – A system that stores electricity in batteries to provide short-term power when electricity from the utility company is out and sufficient electricity is not being produced by the solar panels
Off- Grid – A location that is off-grid produces all of its electricity from solar systems, generators, or, most commonly from a combination of both. Homes that are completely off grid usually use strict energy conservation measures to minimize total energy requirements and reduce the needed battery storage.
Many off-grid homes also utilize generators as back-up power for long periods of cloudy weather when solar production is limited.
"I'd put my money on the sun and solar energy. What a source of power! I hope we don't have to wait till oil and coal run out before we tackle that." - Thomas Edison
"The amount of sunshine energy that hits the surface of the Earth every minute is greater than the total amount of energy that the world's human population consumes in a year!" - Home Power Magazine
We will have solar energy as soon as the utility companies solve one technical problem - how to run a sunbeam through a meter” - Anonymous
