There are many factors that you should consider while buying a solar electric system or a Photovoltaic (PV) system, apart from its cost.

1. Electricity consumption: The US Dept. of Energy provides a simple formula to do this: Wattage per appliance X Number of hours it is used everyday. This will give you your electricity consumption in watts (usually kilowatts). The size of your solar electric system (the number of PV/solar panels) will depend on this consumption. It will also help you figure out if a solar electric system alone will fulfill all your electricity requirements.

2. Type of system: Contrary to popular opinion, system types do not depend on how much electricity they produce, but rather on how they supply this to your house. There are 3 options available –

a. A Grid Inter-tied System, when you want to remain connected to the grid, while offsetting your grid consumption by supplying it with electricity you produce;

b. A Grid Inter-tied System with Battery Backup to keep your house (or part of it) running even when the utility grid fails – a good option if you experience frequent outages.

c. An off-grid/independent System which is not connected to any grid and supplies electricity only to your home. This system requires making some adjustments, like learning to live with the energy you have.

Every system might not work or work differently in every state, depending on state laws.

3. Cost: It is difficult to have a standard cost for solar electric system, however, we can say that the price is generally up of $10,000 and the larger a system, the lesser the cost. Cost depends on the kind of system, kind of solar cells used in the system, your electricity requirements, amount of sunlight you receive, weather, etc. The best way is to find out your exact requirements and to invite bids from suppliers.

4. Suppliers: Finally, it all comes down to getting a good supplier. A ‘good’ supplier or installer is one who:

a. Is experienced in installing the type of system that YOU need

b. Is licensed to install solar systems

c. Provides you with options and advice on how to make the process efficient and reduce costs

d. Provides warranties and customer support.

Comments are closed.