Renewable Energy: Solar Electric
To get more information about these systems and how a solar electric system might work for your home, please refer below or complete our Contact Form.
Solar electric systems are clean, reliable systems that produce electricity from the sun. Most systems meet 70-110% of their client's annual electric needs, and in addition to being an important step towards sustainability, they provide both a security against future energy prices and a good investment.
Components
Solar electric systems are comprised of solar electric modules, racking for roof or ground mounting, and an electrical balance of system (BOS) including a DC disconnect switch, DC-AC inverter, kWH meter, interconnection breaker or direct tap equipment, and a monitoring system. Manufacturers that we work with especially include SunPower, Solon, Sharp, and SMA. At Halco, every renewable energy system we do is monitored and production is guaranteed.
Resource
NY state has an excellent solar resource of around 3.8 kWh/day/m2 on average annually, which is about 2/3rds of the resource of San Diego, CA or Phoenix, AZ.
Sizing
Typically, homes in New York use between 5-30 kwh of electricity per day. If you can provide our staff with the last month to year of your utility bills (depending on your situation), we can assist you in determining your average current electrical usage. Once electrical usage is known, possible system sizes can be determined that would meet 50%, 80%, or 100% of your needs, depending on availabl
e space, budget, and preference. If your home is in the upper end of the above usage range or higher, we always recommend efficiency measures simultaneous to system design and installation.
Location
Solar electric systems are best located on a relatively unshaded south-facing roof surface or ground location. A system orientation of around 35° or 8/12 is optimal for highest annual system production, but any roof pitch between 10° and 50° works well and will have minimal system output losses. As a result and in order to have lower wind loads, better integration with the structure, and to be more aesthetically pleasing, roof-mounted solar electric systems are typically built flush to roof surfaces. Ground-mounted system are either adjustable with the seasons, or fixed at 35°. These systems can easily be sited as much as 1,000 ft from the house or outbuilding.
Types
The two most common types of solar electric systems are grid-connected only systems, and grid-connected critical load battery backup systems. Both systems interconnect into your home's electrical system through a subpanel or main service panel. The electricity generated by these systems is used to meet your own home's needs first, and then any extra is fed back to the utility for full retail credit under New York's net-metering laws. Presently, residential customers are allowed to net-meter up to a 25kW system. The primary difference between these two types of systems is that the grid-connected-only systems do not operate in the event of a utility power outage. This is because these systems do not have any energy storage capacity, and thus can not provide a buffer between fluctuating electricity production and operating loads.
Grid-connected critical load battery back-up systems, on the other hand, allow the solar electric system to continue to work during utility outages and to power key critical loads that are chosen by the homeowner. These loads typically include your refrigerator, start and electronics for your furnace or boiler, a couple lights, etc. The purpose of these systems is to allow the solar electric system to act like a generator during grid-failure, but without incurring the costs of full whole-house battery storage. Please note that these systems are still grid-connected and take advantage of net-metering.
Costs and Economics
For details on systems costs, the available incentives and financing, and details on system return on investment, payback, cost per kWh, and protection against future energy costs, please see Solar Electric Economics.
