The number of solar panel installations has, in recent years, surged significantly – with the estimated number of solar power system installations in both homes and commercial premises rapidly approaching the million mark. However, this is surprising since the total national solar electric capacity, which currently stands at 22,700 megawatts, is sufficient to power about five times more homes. The big question then, why aren’t more homes and businesses switching to the solar panel system to cater for their everyday power needs? Well, the indifference can partly be attributed to some misconceptions surrounding solar power. Below are some of the commonly misunderstood issues.
Category: Solar Power
The number of solar panel installations has, in recent years, surged significantly – with the estimated number of solar power system installations in both homes and commercial premises rapidly approaching the million mark. However, this is surprising since the total national solar electric capacity, which currently stands at 22,700 megawatts, is sufficient to power about five times more homes. The big question then, why aren’t more homes and businesses switching to the solar panel system to cater for their everyday power needs? Well, the indifference can partly be attributed to some misconceptions surrounding solar power. Below are some of the commonly misunderstood issues.
The adoption of solar energy as a renewable source is rapidly gaining traction in both residential and commercial applications. Observations over the past few years show a steady increase in solar panel installations, surpassing some of the promising alternate energy sources. There are clear indications that solar is likely to be the leading energy source in the coming years.
What is driving the growth in solar adoption?
Affordability: In the early years of solar power innovation, the cost of installing solar panels was exorbitant. What’s more, compared to the relatively limited amount of energy the panels could produce at the time, the cost to benefit ratio was minimal. In recent years, however, the cost of solar power panels has come down significantly. At the same time, the amount of electricity generated per solar power panel has increased to make it a cost-effective source of energy. Green Energy: The need to protect the environment has gained momentum in the past few decades. In this regard, environmentalists have promoted the adoption of solar power as an alternate energy source; encouraging many home and business owners to make the shift to solar energy.The Latest Milestones in Solar Industry
The U.S. has, without a doubt, been a leader in the solar industry for sometime now. The various solar companies in the country have spearheaded innovations that have made solar power more attractive and acceptable for both home and commercial applications. Unlike the second-most influential solar panel producer, China, U.S. companies have posted excellent results especially with regard to solar efficiency. Below is a look at some of the recent record-breaking events in the solar industry. 1. Number of solar installations – 7.3 GW and counting… The announcement by GTM Research and the Solar Energy Industries Association, citing the number of solar installations in the United States in 2015 at a historic 7,286 megawatts of solar PV sets a new record in the quest for renewable energy. This represents a 14% increment from the installations in 2014, and certainly a great improvement in solar uptake compared to the measly 385 megawatts recorded in 2009. Needless to say, California was the leading State in the number of solar installations, followed by North Carolina, Nevada, Massachusetts, and New York in the top five, respectively. 2. SunPower efficiency Solar efficiency has been a major target for solar panel manufacturers, with the aim being to produce maximum electricity from each solar panel. One of the leading solar panel manufacturers in the US, SunPower, reported an impressive 22.8% solar efficiency in its X22 panels. Following confirmation by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, SunPower solar panels hold the record in achieving efficiency in recent years, having reported a similarly impressive 19.5% efficiency in 2010. 3. First Solar Efficiency First Solar, also a U.S. solar panel manufacturer, announced their own solar efficiency record for their CdTe solar cell – 22.1%.
Whether you’re considering a solar panel system for your home or you already have one installed, you may have wondered how well it will work on days when there isn’t bright sun or there’s particularly inclement weather. It’s actually a very reasonable inquiry, as most people think of solar panels as functioning ideally in bright sunlight, which is not necessarily available continuously or even for a majority of the day in all geographic areas. In certain regions, at certain times of the year, such as the far north in winter, the sun may set in the late afternoon and not rise again until well into the next morning.
Efficiency vs. Sunlight Availability
However, according to researchers at Northern Illinois University, a solar power system can function at 70 percent of its capacity even when direct sunlight isn’t at hand, ie, when skies are overcast or there’s shade. Ambient light from the day is still enough to provide power. Precipitation can provide challenges for solar panels, but when it comes to hail, for instance, as long as the speed of the hailstones is less than 50 miles per hour and their diameter doesn’t exceed one inch, normal solar panels can withstand the stones’ impact and are tested for such conditions when they’re manufactured, as reported in Mother Earth News. A typical solar panel installation is made to withstand high winds at the extremes of those of the local areas in which it’s installed. For instance, on the East Coast of the U.S., solar panels are designed to hold up under intense hurricane and tropical storm conditions that are sometimes seen in those states. Especially in the North, homeowners want to know what impact snow will have. The answer is that snow typically melts off the surface of the panels because they’re designed to face the direction the sun will most often be in. The sun’s rays will thus shine directly onto the snow, causing it to melt. In fact, in an article on accuweather.com, Associate Professor Joshua Pearce of Michigan Tech University writes that surrounding snow can actually boost the output of the panels because the white surface of the snow reflects the light. Large accumulations of snow can be removed with a roof rake without fear of damaging most panels. Rain also can be a benefit for solar panels because it can wash away dirt and dust that can lower energy output due to clouding or spotting. Even on a cloudy day with significant rain, the amount of light visible in the sky will still produce power from the panels. And despite the decreased output in energy due to these conditions, expected advances in solar panel technology will increase efficiency and compensate for the diminished extent of direct sun in certain regions or on particular days. Indeed, for homeowners, the future is bright for solar power.
If you’ve been thinking about ways to save money on your home utility bills every month, the time may be right to work with a local company to convert your residence to solar power. By now, you’re probably aware that solar panels can save you money over standard electric bills, which have been increasing for the last 20 years at a national average of more than 5 percent per year. Studies show that in a 2,000 square-foot home, standard savings can be at least $25,000 over a 10 year period.
Not only can you realize a savings on your bills by going with solar, but you can possibly qualify for federal, state and/or local tax rebates and incentives that will save you even more money. Federal solar tax credits are still available through the end of 2016.
In addition to savings from government, some power companies offer rebates or credit for excess power sent back to them from consumers’ systems. You can check with your local utility company to see if this is the case for your area.
Solar power can lower your bills as well as create an ecologically-sustainable energy source for your home. That means less energy needs to be produced by local energy providers, which helps keep pollution out of the environment. That makes sense for your local region and the global community at large.
You may be thinking all of this sounds great, but what about the costs?
Now there are solar companies that will lease solar panel systems to you instead of you having to purchase them. Why lease a system? There are several reasons. First of all, purchasing a solar panel system and installing it is a huge upfront investment few homeowners can afford. Even if you can afford the initial cost, maintenance and repairs are usually the responsibility of the homeowner. Now, solar panel companies exist that will do the installation
Solar panels have continued to improve in capacity, effectiveness and size since their early inception. While capacity and effectiveness remain top priorities for researchers and manufacturers alike, the ability to improve these elements while reducing the size and weight of the panels themselves remains important. Not only does this enable lower production and shipping costs, but it also increases the number of places where solar panels can be utilized safely and efficiently. One company that is continuing to make strides forward in this area is First Solar.
First Solar is a sector leader in thin film solar technology. Their existing panels are believed to be already outperforming multi-crystalline solar panels; being able to produce around 8% more energy on an annual basis. The effect of this improvement can be felt consumers in both the commercial and private sectors, with lower costs for you, the end user, including in relation to solar panel installation. However, the caveat at the moment is that this improved performance is only seen at temperatures higher than 25 °C.
Despite this, it is still understood that by the end of 2017, First Solar’s Cadmium Telluride thin film panels will consistently produce more power and generally perform better than p-type crystalline solar panels of comparable size. Understanding the importance of this step forward begins with understanding the difference between the two type of solar panels:
- A p-type multi-crystalline solar panel is comprised of raw silicon that has been melted and poured into molds; it is cost efficient when compared to monocrystalline products and produces less waste silicon in the manufacturing process. However, the efficiency of this solar power system means that large areas need to be covered to gain real advantage from solar energy.
- Using Cadmium Telluride in solar panels is highly cost efficient, due in part to the lower cost of the raw materials. Older versions of these panels were less effective than their crystalline counterparts and, therefore, more of them were needed for the same energy creation, which negated the initial cost savings. However, if the Cadmium Telluride thin film panels produced by First Solar can overcome this, then the way is open for them to become market leaders.
Comparing Energy Output
One of the major difficulties in comparing the energy output of the two types of solar panels is that they are manufactured in different sizes, and, therefore, are of different wattages; during the comparison, care needs to be taken to ensure that size as well as wattage and energy creation is taken into consideration. For example, an increase of 280 to 290 Watts is required for the First Solar panel system to have a higher power output than p-type multi-crystalline panels. It is believed that this will be achieved by the end of 2017. At the moment, just 6 crystalline solar panel manufacturers currently hold around 50% of the world market, and achieving the goal by the end of 2017 would allow First Solar to compete with the current dominant producers, namely in China.
