Choosing a Solar Professional

Finding an electrical, HVAC or roofing contractor can be as simple as picking up the telephone directory.  But when choosing a contractor for a solar electric or solar thermal project, many contractors may be highly proficient in their trade, but might not have expertise in designing and installing a Solar Photovoltaic (PV) or Solar Thermal system. Nationally there is an abundance of reputable solar professionals with extensive experience installing Solar Electric and Solar Thermal systems and a good place to start your search for a local solar energy professional is right here.  Remember that it’s up to you to carefully select whom you hire.

How do I choose among solar contractors?

Whether you use our service to match you with local solar professionals or get recommendation from friends or neighbors, the first step is to narrow it down your list or prospective installers by interviewing them and asking questions.  When selecting a company, consider its location relative to yours.  If you can locate a solar contractor who is relatively close to where the system will be installed and who meets the other criteria outlined below, it’ll be easier to work with them rather than with a company located farther away.

When evaluating a solar professionals experience and expertise, you want to ask the installer how many years they have been designing and installing solar energy systems, what licenses they hold and ask about certifications and training.  Because installing solar energy systems requires a range of expertise, you should ask how many installations the contractor has completed for your particular type of system.  If you’re interested in a grid-connected system, try to find a contractor who has performed interconnections with your local utility.  Although grid-connected systems are different from remote systems, a competent contractor with PV experience should not be eliminated just because they haven’t installed grid-connected PV systems in the past.  In fact, previous experience with remote systems is valuable because utility independent systems can be more technically complicated than grid-connected systems.  The bottom line, however, is that a competent contractor will be able to work on both on-grid and off-grid systems in a professional manner.  In addition, many contractors got their start doing solar water heating system installations.  Although quite different from PV systems, they both require expertise in roof attachment and solar resource assessment.  Experienced solar water heating contractors know how to mount arrays without causing leaks in your roof and how to make maximum use of the sun for your particular site.

How many years of experience does the company have installing PV systems?

This issue speaks for itself: A company or contractor that has been in business a long time has demonstrated the ability to work with customers and to compete effectively with other firms.

Is the company properly licensed/certified?

First of all, make sure the contractor is properly licensed and bonded with the state.  Inc California, the Contractor’s Licensing Board website is a great place to start.  The California Contractors State License Board administers contractor licenses and the C-46 Solar Contractor license covers active solar water and space heating systems, solar pool heating systems, and photovoltaic systems. A California C-46 licensing requirements include four years of experience and passing the business and law exam and the trade exam.

In California other contractor licenses authorized for solar installations include:

A. General Engineering

B. General Building

C-4. Boiler, Hot Water Heating and Steam Fitting (for solar thermal systems)

C-10. Electrical (for photovoltaics only)

C-20. Warm-Air, HVAC (HVAC systems that utilize solar energy)

C-36. Plumbing (solar thermal systems)

C-53. Swimming Pool (for solar pool heating).

How do I obtain and choose among competing bids?

It is always best to get more than one bid for the installation of your solar energy system, and you should take steps to ensure that all of the bids you receive are made on the same criteria.  As an example, comparing a bid for a system that would be mounted on the ground versus another bid where the system would be mounted on a roof would be like comparing apples with oranges.  Similarly, there are different types of solar collector panels, some of which generate more electricity per square foot than others. Bids should clearly state the peak generating capacity of the system under full sunlight (measured in watts or kilowatts).  Also, you should obtain an estimate of the amount of energy the system will produce on an annual basis (measured in kilowatt-hours).  Because the amount of energy depends on the amount of sunlight, which varies from season to season and year to year as well as geographically, it’s unrealistic to expect a specific figure; a range of ±20 percent is more realistic.  Bids also should include the total cost of getting the PV system up and running, including hardware, installation, connection to the grid, permitting, sales tax and warranty.

System warranty. A good standard to use when considering the length and terms of PV system warranties is two years for labor, five years on the power electronics and 20+ years on the solar modules. When the system is professionally installed rather than self-installed, the warranty also should include the labor of removing and reinstalling any defective components, and shipping costs.

Remember to ask for and check references.

As with hiring any contractor, be sure to call several references provided by the contractor. Ask previous customers if they would hire the contractor again, what they would have done differently, and to describe the contractor’s limitations and strengths.

Is the lowest price the best deal?

It might not be. Ultimately, you, the purchaser, must decide how much you wish to pay for your PV system.  However, remember that a solar contractor is a contracting business just like any other type of contractor, with overhead and other operating expenses that must be covered.  Companies that plan to stay in business must charge a price for their products and services that is adequate to cover their costs plus a fair profit margin.  If you let price be your only consideration, you ultimately might wish that you had based your purchase decision on other factors as well.

Verifying and accepting the installation

If you’re hiring a professional to do the installation, ask them to verify that it delivers what they said it would.  To do this, you’ll have to take a power reading on a sunny day when there is no cloud cover.  The system should deliver what the contractor claimed it would when the sun is striking perpendicular to the collector.  If the sun is striking at an angle less than perpendicular to the collector surface, then performance must be derated by the cosine of the angle between the sunlight and the perpendicular to the collector surface.  Before accepting the completed installation, make sure you understand the controls and any maintenance requirements it has.

Choosing a Solar Electric System

PV technology converts sunlight directly into electricity.  Electrons are excited by particles of light and driven toward the surface of the PV cell by an electric field inherent in the semiconductor material of the PV cell. The more sunlight striking the PV cell, the more electricity produced.  The basic building block of PV technology is the solar “cell.”  PV cells are wired together and placed in a frame to form a PV “module.” Modules are wired together in groups of similar voltage called “panels.” The collection of one or more panels form the PV “array.”  Modules come in different sizes and range from about 10 to 300 watts in power output.  Peak output is the amount of power they deliver under conditions similar to a cloudless day.  The wattages listed in catalogs are determined under “Standard  Test Conditions” (STC).  STC  values are somewhat generous.  Real world conditions typically result in 10 to 15 percent less energy produced under full sun.

A variety of materials and construction types are used to make photovoltaics. The most common types on the market today are crystalline-silicon, amorphous-silicon and thin-film photovoltaics.  Crystalline silicon PVs (both single- and polycrystalline) are more efficient than amorphous-silicon PVs.  However, amorphous-silicon PVs use less of the expensive silicon, and as a result may cost less for the same amount of power.  Be aware that performance warranties offered by amorphous-silicon and thin-film photovoltaics manufacturers are currently shorter than those offered on crystalline-silicon PVs, and because they have lower efficiencies, will require greater surface areas.

Why do people choose solar energy?

People buy solar electric (PV) systems for a variety of reasons, but primarily to save money on their electric bill or help the environment.  According to www.CleanEnergyQuotes.com nearly 68% of consumers submitting a request for quotation for a solar electric system for their home or business indicated they were interested in lowering their electric bill.  Some people also want to be good stewards of the Earth’s ecosystem by choosing a clean, renewable energy resource.  Others believe that it makes more sense to invest their money in an energy-producing improvement to their property than to send their money off to a utility.

For homes located more than half a mile from existing electric utility power, a PV system generally costs less than running a generator or extending utility service to the property.  Finally, some people just like the feeling of independence provided by a PV system.  You don’t have to know quantum physics to understand the appeal of photovoltaics.  PVs allow you to produce your own electricity with no noise, no air pollution and no moving parts while using a clean, renewable resource that comes free of charge to any location. A PV system will never run out of fuel, and it won’t increase oil imports.  It might not even contribute to the trade deficit, because many PV system components are manufactured in the United States.

For these and many other reasons, solar energy is widely considered the energy source of choice for the future, and home and business owners have a unique opportunity to take advantage of several statewide incentive programs and tax credits to help make it their energy choice.

US poised to become largest solar market in the world

On October 3, 2008 the U.S. House of Representatives passed historic legislation extending the 30-percent federal investment tax credit for both residential and commercial solar installations for 8 years. This landmark legislation is the most significant federal policy ever enacted for the solar industry.

The solar investment tax credit (ITC) provisions will:

  * Extend for 8 years the 30-percent tax credit for both residential and commercial solar installations;

  * Eliminate the $2,000 monetary cap for residential solar electric installations, creating a true 30-percent tax credit

   (effective   for property placed in service after December 31, 2008);

  * Eliminate the prohibition on utilities from benefiting from the credit;

   Allow Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) filers, both businesses and individuals, to take the credit;

  * Authorize $800 million for clean energy bonds for renewable energy generating facilities, including solar.

The solar tax credits were originally enacted in the 2005 and have created unprecedented growth in the U.S. The amount of solar electric capacity installed in 2007 was double that installed in 2006.

According to a new economic study by Navigant Consulting, Inc., the 8-year extension of the ITC will create 440,000 permanent jobs and unleash $325 billion in private investment in the solar industry. This study did not factor in elimination of $2,000 monetary cap on the residential credit, so the actual job creation and investment could be even greater.

Because solar energy components are manufactured near their markets, this extension will create manufacturing and installation jobs in all 50 states. The states that will enjoy the largest economic boost are California, Florida, Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, New Jersey, Massachusetts, New York, Oregon, and Washington.

Similarly, the economies of Pennsylvania, Michigan, Ohio and the rest of the Great Lakes region will grow significantly as a result of the extension. This area of the country has suffered greatly from a huge decline in jobs in the automotive and traditional manufacturing industries.

According to the same study, more than 28 gigawatts of electricity will be produced from solar energy by 2016 - enough to power more than 7 million homes.

Deciding if Solar is the right choice for you

What is the first step I should take when looking into solar?

Reducing your electricity use will have the quickest and most positive impact on the environment and on your pocketbook. Start with your electricity usage. Pull out your electricity bills. What has your kWh usage been each of the last twelve months? How much are you paying for electricity? What rate plan are you on? The objective is to understand how much electricity you use, what you are using it for and when you are using it. This information is critical to conservation, energy efficiency efforts and to proper sizing of a solar electric system. Armed with this information do an energy efficiency audit.

PG&E offers free energy audits to its customers online at http://www.pge.com/res/energy_tools_resources/energy_tools.html. Print out the audit results, if you do decide to go solar, a copy of the audit will need to be submitted with your solar rebate application.

Why does it matter when I use most of my energy?

A solar electric system that is tied to the electrical grid feeds electricity into the grid when the system generates more electricity than you use. You receive a credit for the electricity that you feed to the grid. You can then draw on electricity from the grid using the credits. Your electrical use is calculated over a twelve month true up period. This is called “net metering”.

PG&E offers several Time of Use (TOU) rates for which it charges more for electricity during peak hours occurring weekday afternoons, and less for electricity during off peak hours. TOU metering often works well with solar electric systems. These systems generate electricity during peak times crediting the homeowners account at the higher rates. If the homeowner uses most of her electricity during off peak hours, she then draws against those credits at the lower rates, allowing her to use more electricity than her system generated because she is using it at times when the rates are cheaper. If you are home and using power during the afternoon, investigate different rate schedules.

A solar contractor can help you determine which rate schedule is best for your electricity usage patterns.

Is my home a good place for a solar electric system?

Shading, roof orientation, the amount of space on a roof and the quality of the roof are all factors which need to be considered. You want to install a solar electric system in a location which is free from shading, ideally on a roof which is oriented south or west. Shading, roof orientation and the angle of the solar electric system will affect the amount of electricity your system produces, and are factors considered in calculating your state rebate. Shading is a significant factor. A fairly small amount of shade on one panel can greatly affect the production of each panel that the shaded panel is electrically connected with (similar to how a kink in a hose slows down the flow through the rest of the hose). Ideally, you should have unobstructed sun from at least 9am-3pm. Make sure your roof is in good condition, solar panels have performance warranties for twenty-five years and systems can last much longer. You don’t want to have to take the system down to fix the roof. Oftentimes, you’ll want to reroof at the time you put a solar system up.

A solar installer will come out to your home to do a site analysis and will take each of these factors into consideration when providing you with a proposal of a system size, the system’s estimated performance and installation cost.

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Quick Tip #2

A solar electric system can save tons in greenhouse gas emissions. The U.S. Environmental Protection

Agency estimates the average two-person home emits approximately 41,500 pounds of greenhouse gases during a year.

Quick Tip #1

Planning to repair or

replace your roof? That’s the perfect time to purchase a solar electric system because you want your roofing material to last as long as your system—about 25 years.