Photovoltaics-Northeast Solar & Wind Power, LLC

Photo voltaic Systems (electricity from the sun) in the Northeast also offers a good return on your investment after taking advantage of Utility incentives and State and Federal solar tax credits.

If you are considering a PV system for the sole purpose of selling electricity back to your local power company you will soon find this is not economically feasible Most electric utility companies can generate electricity far less expensive than you can with a new PV system because their power generating facility is paid in full and the enormous magnitude of electricity they generate on a daily basis.

A high percentage of your electric load does not have to be during peak sunlight hours or from 9:30AM. to 3:30PM . Many States throughout the Country now have net metering and some use a twelve month billing cycle. Net Metering essentially means you only get billed for what you use minus the amount of electricity you generate or add to the grid system. Your system will be generating electricity when your business is closed on holidays and weekends.

PV solar panels are generally less than 20% efficient and power from your utility system generated from fossil fuels is less than 60% efficient after their one KWH reaches your building. In some cases power that is going into your building from the grid comes from hundreds of miles away and transmission losses now even more significantly reduce the overall efficiency of a grid system. One certainly has to take into account PV systems have no transmission losses unlike a utility grid system and therefore when compared to a utility grid system their efficiency now becomes higher than 20%.

Before installing a Solar PV System on your building it is critical you reduce your electric load through energy conservation devices such as inexpensive compact florescent light bulbs and updating existing lighting, computers etc. Switching to Compact Florescent Lighting has less the a six month payback if a light is on six to eight hours a day five days a week. Energy Star Electrical Devices are also capable of reducing your total electrical consumption during peak and non peak hours. It cost three to five dollars to generate one renewable energy PV Kilowatt Hour (KWH) of electricity as compared to one dollar to generate one energy conservation KWH.

Residential, Commercial and Industrial electric dryers and stoves should be powered by natural gas or propane if you are able to buy these forms of energy at their best price. Natural gas and propane when burned efficiently are the two most least harmful fossil fuels to our environment.

Residential solar dryers come in the form of a clothes line and are practical in the Northeast six months out of the year.

Using PV for electric resistance heating (heating hot water and space heating) is not cost effective and these type of electric loads should be removed from any PV application if practical and cost effective. It is more economical to heat your hot water or building with solar hot water panels than from PV panels.

Tax Credits:

Federal tax credits are 30% with no cap and State tax credits are 25% with a seven thousand dollar cap. Some utilities also offer incentives for PV in the form of dollars per KWH added capacity to the Grid. It is recommended that before you invest in a renewable PV energy system you first consult a tax expert on renewable energy tax credits.

Your roof must be in good condition and the location of your panels either on your roof or ground mounted must be unshaded. Unlike SHWS panels PV will not perform to customer satisfaction unless in direct sunlight. PV panels peak direct current (DC) voltage is directly proportional to the direct sunlight shining on these panels.

These systems are not economically feasible because of the cost of storing electricity and the high cost of the other electric equipment needed associated with being off the grid . The cost of bringing the grid to your home or business in most cases has to exceed installing a non grid tie hybrid system.


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