Solar Systems

You might be asking… why go solar?

A Photo Voltaic (PV) solar system reduces, or can completely eliminate, the amount of electricity you have to purchase from your utility or electric service provider.
A PV system can save you money on your electricity bill and act as a hedge against future price increases.
The electricity generated by your PV system is clean, renewable and reliable.
You are doing your part every minute of every solar day as you help your community by reducing the electricity demand and providing additional electricity for “the grid” when you generate more than you use during the peak hours of the day (noon to 6), when this demand is at its highest.

Solar Facts - How Solar Works

You've probably been hearing about the "solar revolution" for the last 20 years -- the idea that one day we will all use free electricity from the sun. This is a seductive promise: On a bright, sunny day, the sun shines approximately 1,000 watts of energy per square meter of the planet's surface, and if we could collect all of that energy we could easily power our homes and offices for free.

PV tiles and other forms of solar energy work by converting some of the energy in sunlight into a clean form of electricity. The PV cells consist of a positive and a negative slice of silicon placed under a thin slice of glass. As the photons of the sunlight beat down onto the PV cell they knock the neutrons off the silicon. The negatively charged free electrons are attracted to the silicon but are trapped by the magnetic field that is formed from the opposing fields. Small wires on the silicon catch these electrons and when connected in a circuit an electric current is formed.

This reaction gives Direct Current (DC) electricity, and it must be passed through an inverter to be converted into the Alternating Current (AC) used in our homes and businesses to power electrical items. A small portion of the power generated is lost in the process as the inverter is 95% efficient and there is loss through the cabling connecting the system together that must be accounted for.

General Sizing for Solar Power

In sizing an electric system using solar power, the first two factors we consider are the levels (insolation values) from your area and the daily power consumption of your electrical loads. Orientation of a solar array is best at true south. True south is slightly different than a magnetic reference or compass south. The more an array is situated off of true south, the less the total insolation value. A quick way to determine solar south is to divide the span of time between sunrise and sunset in half. The position of the sun at the resulting time would be true solar south.

The angle of the solar array can be anywhere from your latitude plus 15 degrees to latitude minus 15 degrees for a yearly fixed mount position. Your latitude offers the best year-round position. By biasing the array "latitude plus 15 degrees" you will get slightly more insolation during winter months. A "latitude minus 15 degrees" will bias the array to summer months.

What is insolation?

Insolation, or sunlight intensity, is measured in equivalent full sun hours. One hour of maximum, or 100% sunshine received by a solar panel, equals one equivalent full sun hour. Even though the sun may be above the horizon for 14 hours a day, this may only result in six hours of equivalent full sun.
There are two main reasons. One is reflection due to a high angle of the sun in relationship to your solar array. The second is also due to the high angle and the amount of the earth's atmosphere the light is passing through. When the sun is straight overhead the light is passing through the least amount of atmosphere. Early or late in the day the sunlight is passing through much more of the atmosphere due to its position in the sky. Sun tracking (trackers) devices are available and can help reduce reflectance, but cannot help with the increased atmosphere in the sun's path.

Because of these factors the most productive hours of sunlight are from 9am to 3pm around solar noon (solar south). This is different than 12 noon. Before and after these times, power is being produced, but at much lower levels. When Renova sizes solar panels for a solar power system, we take these equivalent full sun hour figures per day and average them over a given period.

In most locations in the United States winter produces the least sunlight because of shorter days and increased cloud cover, as well as the sun's lower position in the sky. Usually, we work with a yearly average, a June - July average when insolation is highest, and a December - January average when insolation is lowest.

The diagram above illustrates the path of the sun over varying seasons. When selecting a site for your solar power panels, a spot that is clear of shade from a minimum of 10am to 2pm on December 21st is optimum. Even a limb from a deciduous tree will substantially reduce power output.

Many solar sites are quite uncomplicated in terms of shading and aspect. You may already have a good idea of where the sun appears in the morning and disappears in the evening, as well as how low it swings in the winter sky. If your site is partially shaded, it may be necessary to determine exactly where the best placement of solar panels will be. We will perform a more sophisticated site analysis when we meet.

In the interim, you might find this site helpful in getting a ballpark figure on the cost of solar applications in the marketplace:

Calculate Your Solar Needs Here

Residential and Commercial Solar - Sense and Sensibility

The Economic Benefits to You

You can cut or virtually eliminate your electric bill. With the excess solar power, you can actually run your electric meter backwards and save!
You can increase the value of your home.
If you are concerned that you won’t be in your home long enough to enjoy all the benefits of the solar system or long enough for the system to pay off, you should note that you could gain from an increased home value as soon as your system is in. It has been proven that for every $1,000 you save in your annual utility bill, your home’s value increases by $20,000…save $5,000 and your home value increases by $100,000!
Systems can pay for themselves and provide attractive returns with energy and tax savings;
With system financing, up front costs are minimized or eliminated and, frequently, the monthly loan payments are less than your previous energy bills. You can often write off the interest part of the loan AND once the loan is paid, you continue to enjoy free electricity as well as attractive returns on your investment
Significant state rebates and federal tax credits;
Take advantage of various state/local incentives and Federal tax credits to help pay for your system - frequently 1/3 of your system cost.

The Federal Tax Incentive (ITC) has just been extended for another 8 years and this means that residential installations will benefit in an even greater way than before with a 30% tax break with NO cap.

Here's an example of how affordable solar has become by combining the new Federal Tax Credit with California Solar Initiative state rebate.

Example below illustrates your savings on solar after available solar incentives:
$50,000 - $13,200 $36,800	Typical residential system State Rebate Your system cost before Federal Solar Tax Credit
- $11,040 $25,760	Federal Solar Tax Credit (30% taken after Rebate removed) TOTAL SYSTEM COST: 48% savings
	And A Tax Free Property Value Increase of $30,000 - 50,000!

Environmental Benefits for Your Community

Obtain energy from a clean, non-polluting, renewable, dependable source;
A typical 5 KW system eliminates more than 6 tons of CO2 emissions annually. This is the same as cutting your weekly gas consumption by 25 gallons or planting more than 2.5 acres of trees.
Feel good about doing your part to save the planet;
Be the envy of your neighborhood and a role model for your community.

Energy Independence

Freedom from increasing electricity rates..rates have gone up an average of 5.5% annually over the past 20 years and are rapidly trending upwards of 15-20% a year for many utilities in the past couple of years. With solar you are insulated from expected rate increases.
Freedom from interrupted utility service (with a battery back-up systems).
Freedom from foreign energy dependency.

Commercial Systems

Commercial solar energy is a great way for your company or commercial building to save money on energy costs and show environmental responsibility that many consumers now find valuable when making their decisions of where to do business. Below are the many benefits that result with the integration of solar into commercial buildings.

Government Incentives

At this time, the rebate in Southern California Edison (SCE) territory is $1.55/watt. In the Imperial Irrigation District it is $2.42/watt. And we Process all of the paperwork for the rebate.
The 30% Federal tax credit for commercial systems is limitless.
A Renova system will increase the resale value of your commercial property without increases in your property taxes.
Federal 6-year accelerated depreciation on your Renova solar system.
Loan interest deductions are available.
Hedge against rising commercial electricity costs. Using solar energy can reduce or eliminate your exposure to rising commercial electricity rates.
If your business or commercial building uses Time of Use (TOU), the savings can be even greater.
California businesses have seen electricity rates greatly increase over the last several years, and projections for the near future show this continuing trend. In fact, from 1970 to 2000, annual retail electric rates increases averaged 5.1%. [IEA]

Commercial Accounting Benefits:

Reduce Your building's operating costs.
Make a balance sheet transfer.
Low maintenance and ironclad reliability.
Be a responsible “Green Business”.

Going "green" today not only delivers numerous financial benefits to your business, but can also be a great source of public relations and a unique marketing tool. You can promote this in your advertising and marketing materials. A growing number of consumers are now making buying decisions based on the environmental responsibility of a business. Demonstrate your environmental responsibility with a solar energy system.