If you are interested to convert your home to solar power and you are interested in a grid tied photovoltaic system then you need to calculate system size. Also find information about your state’s as well as federal tax incentives and know how to source components, for starters.
Instructions
Step 1
First look at that how much is your 12 months electrical consumption; take average of those 12 months electrical consumption in kWh. After that what figure you get divide it with 150 (hours of sun per month) if you live near the coast, it can be 155 if you live in a mountains area or 160 if you live in a sunny area. That will give you a rough size of system, which you will need to size a gird tied system. Lets say if your average monthly use was 450kWh per month and you were living near the coast then you would need a 3kW (3,000W) PV system to offset 100% of your consumption.
Step 2
Settle your incentive level. The California Solar Initiative provides incentives on state level in California. The incentive levels are different depending upon the use such as residential, commercial nonprofit or governmental entity. The other states New York and New Jersey are also having great rebate incentives. Federal Government provide a 30% federal tax credit for you can consult your accountant to check if you are eligible for the tax credit or not.
In many cases rebate and tax credit both can offset roughly 40 to 70 percent of the cost of the system installed, it will be more if you do the installation yourself. Commercial systems are eligible for MACRS (Modified Accelerated Cost Recovery System), it’s also known as accelerated depreciation. Utility rates vary by location so there cant be a any exact answer for payback question. Anyhow it’s usually between 8 and 15 years if installed by a contractor, financed monthly and compared only to your actual electric bill. For commercial customers paybacks can be from three to six years.
Other thing to remember is that when calculating payback is the appreciation value of the system to your home/building, insulation from future electric rate hikes, and the fact that after the system is paid off, you have free electricity. In majority of cases the system will be worth more than what you have paid for after rebates and tax credits, and today almost all modules are warranted for 20 to 25 years. There is essential value of power being produced by clean energy from the sun instead of coal or natural gas, and aside from that you are also practically guaranteed a positive return on your investment.
To make it even more complicated, some utility rate structures penalize you the
more electricity you use by increasing the prices at different consumption levels, or add in a demand charge that is not based off your actual electrical consumption. For more information about that contact your local utility provider.
Step 3
If your electric need is 3 kW (3,000 W), for that you will need to find that amount of modules and the right size inverter. There are many places to get those components online so do your homework before buying. Buy branded modules such as Sharp, Kyocera, Sunpower and Unisloar because these companies are serving from years and can back up the warranties on their products. You will pay a premium for these modules. If you want less expensive modules then search for companies such as Suntech and Canadian Solar these companies are generally known as producing quality products. Most of manufacturers in the industry make modules on same machines so product’s quality most likely won’t vary much from manufacturer to manufacturer. But you will be having a risk with these companies because there are not around long enough to serve their warranty. 20 to 25 years warranty is an industry standard, so steer clear of any module offering a lesser warranty period.
Grid tied inverter will be needed also for that SMA American, Fronius and Xantrex inverters are the industry standard. These inverters convert the Dc current to AC so that your home appliances can use electricity also. These inverters usually haves 10 years warranty.
If you are doing the installation yourself then you will also need an AC disconnect and DC disconnect properly sized according to the National Electric Code. This also goes for the size wire, conduits and connectors you will need to run from the modules to the DC disconnect, to the inverter, to the AC disconnect and to your main electrical service.
You will also need racking and standoffs for that try Prosolar or Uniarc. Prosolar is less expensive than Uniarc. You will need an extra breaker also for your electrical panel.
Step 4
After sourcing your materials calculate your output then decide what type of module and inverter you will need, play around with the PV Watts v2 calculator using different quantities of the modules you’re choosing until you get a kWh output which is roughly 90 to 100 % of your current consumption. Modules are rated in DC watts, so expect less output as subjected by manufacturer because the power is being converted to AC before it reached your main service panel. A 210-watt module will provide 198 watts after conversions and losses.
Step 5
There are local codes that enforced by inspectors for that consult an electrician. Every locale is different some may require fire borders around the modules while other may require extra double triple grounding for your system. Talk to an inspector if possible at your local city or county development department. May be he will provide you a fairly detailed guideline for your area, although don’t count on it.
You will also need to consult with your local utility provider” interconnection” or “net metering” department. These people can guide you through the interconnection process or many providers have detailed information and forms online. You will make three bureaucratic meetings, first with your local permitting agency, second with your local utility and third with your local rebate administrator. All will be having paperwork and guidelines that, if not adhered to, can drastically slow any building momentum.
Bottom line is that you should be prepared beforehand, review all requirements and have all questions answered otherwise you will waste countless hours making corrections, paying for additional reviews and possibly receiving a lower rebate than expected.
Step 6
There are too many variables to go over all the steps of how to size every different type of system for that get a solar design book. For that “Home Power Magazine” is a good source in which schematics and diagrams and source of people who had installed their own system are published. You can also order its previous issues. Here is a quick review of the things you should be aware of: type of modules, inverters and racking; inverter string sizing; wire and conduit sizing; building permit requirements; interconnection requirements; rebate requirements; fire department requirements and building code requirements.
Step 7
You would have to stay on top of your rebate paperwork because it is a multi step process. Usually you will first reserve the rebate after that install the system then claim the rebate. The rebate reservation will expire if the system is not installed within a reasonable amount of time. Always make follow up call to ensure that the rebate paperwork arrived.
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