How Does Warm Weather Affect Solar Panels?

As the weather heats up, here are some things to keep in mind about your solar panels.

Many customers worry about their panels losing efficiency in the heat. While it is true that heat affects solar panels, they don’t tend to lose efficiency until it gets above 77 °F. Solar panels have a temperature coefficient, which tells you how much efficiency decreases due to a one degree increase in temperature from the optimum temperature (77 °F). These coefficients tend to be small. For example, the coefficient of SunPower solar panels, which we often use at SGE, is -0.29%. This means that at 80 degrees, the efficiency of the solar panel only decreases by a little under 1%.

Additionally, solar panels actually keep roofs cooler. They absorb heat from the air and can make a roof up to 5 degrees cooler. The maximum temperature that many solar panels can withstand is 185°F, so there is no need to worry about them even on an extremely hot day.

At SGE, when we install solar panels, we leave some space between the panels and the roof. This allows for some airflow and keeps the panels cooler to decrease inefficiency. 

So, as long as you don’t touch solar panels on a hot day (they are very hot to the touch), there is no need to worry about your panels as summer approaches. In fact, you might even find your house and roof to be a bit cooler because of them!

Why you should make the investment in solar today

Massachusetts and Rhode Island currently hosts a variety of solar incentives for homeowners to reduce the cost of buying and installing your own solar panels. These include:

  • Net metering: which gives energy credits back to homeowners when their solar systems are producing more energy than they use in a given day. For example, solar panels often produce the most electricity in the afternoon when energy consumption is low, so net metering allows utility companies to use this energy while it is being produced, then give customers an energy credit back at the going rate that they can use while their panels are not producing. It’s essentially using the grid as a battery. 
  • SMART Solar Incentive (Massachusetts): The SMART program pays customers back a fixed rate per kilowatt hour.
  • Growth Solar Incentive (Rhode Island): The Growth (REG) Program pays customers a fixed rate at 29.6 per kWh for 15 years!
  • 26% Tax Credit: The ITC Federal tax credit was extended (two-years). The ITC for solar customers was originally scheduled to drop from 26% in 2020 to 22% in 2021 and then phase out all together after 2022. But with the recent extension, you can get a full 26% rebate back on the total cost of the system! Make sure to start the process before time runs out and schedule gets full.

Here’s other reasons to go solar for your home:

  • Drastically reduce or even eliminate your electric bills
  • Earn a great return on your investment
  • Protect against rising energy costs
  • Increase your property value
  • Boost U.S. energy independence
  • Create jobs and help your local economy
  • Protect the environment

Federal Tax Credit for 2020 and 2021

Did you know the Federal Investment Tax Credit is Phasing out! This is the most significant financial benefit for going solar. As a turn-key installer, Second Generation Energy will manage the process of getting your solar system installed so you can take full advantage of the 26% Federal Tax Credit WHILE YOU CAN.

Schedule your no cost consultation to see how much you can save by emailing sales@sgegroup.com or calling 508-377-4037.

The federal solar tax credit, also known as the investment tax credit (ITC), allows you to deduct 26 percent of the cost of installing a solar energy system from your federal taxes. The ITC applies to both residential and commercial systems, and there is no cap on it’s value.

Here’s other reasons to go solar for your home:

  • Drastically reduce or even eliminate your electric bills
  • Earn a great return on your investment
  • Protect against rising energy costs
  • Increase your property value
  • Boost U.S. energy independence
  • Create jobs and help your local economy
  • Protect the environment

Snow and Your Solar Panels

We are looking forward to some good old fashioned snow BUT…we wanted to post a quick reminder about snow and your solar system.

  • Snow can pile up and then slide forcefully off of your modules
  • Refrain from parking under panels that are likely to dump snow
  • Don’t play under panels that have snow which can slide

We advise against getting up on your roof to remove snow off your panels. The panels gather enough sun to eventually melt the snow, which will slide off the glass surface. Using a rake or shovel up on the roof could harm the panels. Please remember the panel warranty doesn’t cover damage caused by the homeowner. Plus, getting on a snowy roof would risk you getting hurt, which nobody wants!

Snow Guards

SnowGuards snow management systems are important for any low-friction, sloped roof. Snow and ice can avalanche off a low-friction, sloped roof and pose a hazard to people and property below.

Our SnowGuards products hold the snow and ice in position on the roof, allowing it to melt and shed gradually, instead of all at once.

Contact us today for a quote!

Solar Panel History Part 2

More people are deciding to go solar every year. Going solar will reduce or eliminate your electric bill, earn a good return for your investment, increase your property value, protect against rising energy costs, and protect the environment by cutting your consumption of non-renewable energy.

The second section of Solar Panel History brings us from about 75 years ago to today! Jumping to the 1950s, Silicon solar cells began to be produced commercially for the first time after the Bell Laboratories discovered that semiconducting materials like silicon were more efficient at conducting electricity from solar energy than selenium, which had  been used since the 1870s. D.M. Chapin, C.S. Fuller, and G.L Pearson were behind this. Solar efficiency jumped to 6 percent, a huge leap for that age, though still in practice for most people to purchase due to their high manufacturing cost. The first building the integrated solar panels into the rooftop to generate energy for its use was “Solar One” in 1973.

Figure 1″Solar Converting Apparatus”, February 5, 1957 (https://www.smithsonianmag.com/sponsored/brief-history-solar-panels-180972006/)

Around this time the energy crisis in the US began to emerge, and the US government began funding more heavily into renewable energy. Congress passed the Solar Energy Research, Development and Demonstration Act of 1974 to “to make solar viable and affordable and market it to the public.” After people saw Solar One, they became inspired to get solar energy onto their rooftops too and produce it for their home. Though there was a short drop in solar sales due to a declining energy market in the 1980s, overall during the next decades, the federal government became more involved with solar energy research and development. It began creating grants and tax incentives for to help Americans afford to go solar. In 2006, the Solar Investment Tax Credit helped solar become even more affordable, making installation costs falling 70 percent in the last decade. Solar growth had been increasing at a rate of 50 percent in the last decade, the largest increase ever.

Figure 2″Photovoltaic Roof Tile” patented June 26, 2018, by SolarCity Corporation (https://www.smithsonianmag.com/sponsored/brief-history-solar-panels-180972006/)

Over time solar energy is becoming more common on the energy marketplace and more affordable. Another major change that we see today in panel design has to do with aesthetics and smaller improvements in efficiency and cost. To increase purchases of solar panels for more Americans, panel aesthetics have been improving, making them less noticeable from afar and more “sleek”. For example, through the construction of building-applied photovoltaic, a type of discrete solar cell integrated into existing roof tiles or ceramic and glass sides of buildings. Influential companies like Guardian Industries Corporation, United Solar Systems, and Tesla have been integrating solar panels into their equipment that are both efficient and aesthetically pleasing. More Americans are getting solar today, which is why we are here to help you with the entire installation process from beginning to end, and be there to help post-installation. It is true that solar energy has come a long way in the past 181 years.

 

 

Solar Panel History Part 1

More people are deciding to go solar every year. Going solar will reduce or eliminate your electric bill, earn a good return for your investment, increase your property value, protect against rising energy costs, and protect the environment by cutting your consumption of non-renewable energy.

It is fun to find snippets of history that changed the course of solar panel development. The first part of solar panel history takes us from 181 to about 100 years ago. The first discovery of the photovoltaic effect was made in 1839 by Edmond Becquerel in France. August Mouchet, an inspired mathematician, began registering patents for solar-powered engines in the 1860s. This is during the industrial revolution, when many other useful inventions were being created around the world.

Figure 1 First solar panels invented by Charles Fitts on a New York City rooftop in 1884 (https://www.smithsonianmag.com/sponsored/brief-history-solar-panels-180972006/)

In 1883 a New York inventor Charles Fritts created the first solar cell that had an efficiency rate of 1 to 2 percent, less than a tenth of the efficiency of solar panels today. However, this was a start. US patents for solar began being registered as early as 1888 in the by Edward Weston.  Weston noticed that the heat given off from the sun’s energy (we know the sun is hot when we sweat in the sunshine) could be used to release elections from a thermopile, or bars of dissimilar metals. These electrons, being released, created a flow, which is electricity. This is the reverse process of the way that light bulbs work, which generate light from heat that is first created by electricity. More discoveries about how the photovoltaic effect works were made around the world during the late 19th century. Mounting them in a way so that the panels could follow the sun was a product of the American inventor Melvin Severy in 1889. This reduced the need for human to move panels throughout the day to follow the sun.

Figure 2 A drawing from Melvin L. Severry’s: “Apparatus for Mounting and Operating Thermopiles”,  October 9, 1894 (https://www.smithsonianmag.com/sponsored/brief-history-solar-panels-180972006/)

In the 1890s, Harry Reagan, another American inventor, created the first patent for thermal batteries, which store and release thermal energy from solar panels that was not being used immediately. These batteries however stored heat, not electricity. In 1913, William Coblentz from Washington D.C., introduced the “thermal generator”, which converted electrical energy into mechanical energy.  His invention was cheaper and stronger than those proceeding his, making them more accessible for others to purchase and improve upon. You can find more detail on this topic at the Smithsonian Magazine (https://www.smithsonianmag.com/), and other historical references articles.

 

 

Green News August 2020

More people are deciding to go solar every year. Going solar will reduce or eliminate your electric bill, earn a good return for your investment, increase your property value, protect against rising energy costs, and protect the environment by cutting your consumption of non-renewable energy.

Burning natural gas is a relatively clean fossil fuel compared with burning coal. Natural gas only produces about 117 lbs of carbon dioxide per million MMBtu of natural gas compared with 200 lbs of carbon per million British Thermal Units (MMBtu) of coal and 160 lbs of MMBtu of distillate fossil oil. Because one pound of carbon occupies 0.2426 m3, it would fill a cube about 2 feet high. So, for every MMBtu natural gas saves as much carbon as would fit into a cube 116 feet or 38.7 yards high.

According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, over 100 coal-fired plants have been replaced or converted to natural gas between 2011-2019. Harsher emission standards, low natural gas prices, and more efficient natural gas turbine technology have incentivized plants to make the switch. By the end of 2010,316.8 GW of coal-fired capacity existed in the US, and by 2019 49.2 GW was retired, 14.3 GW had been converted to natural gas through changing how the boiler works, and 15.3 GW was replaced with natural gas combined. Candidates for this transition are mostly around the eastern half of the country, where they are smaller and mostly over 50 years old. Of the oldest plants, 86 of 104 have been converted to burn natural gas, representing 14.4 GW of capacity. Between 2015 and 2016, 10 generators located in four coal plants in Alabama had been converted to burn natural gas to comply with the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS) from by the US Environmental Protection Agency. More change to natural gas is expected to happen in more plants over time, especially in the Midwest and Southeast. As of August 2020, eight planned NGCC projects exist and five are currently under construction.

 

Community Solar Projects in Massachusetts

 

More people are deciding to go solar every year. Going solar will reduce or eliminate your electric bill, earn a good return for your investment, increase your property value, protect against rising energy costs, and protect the environment by cutting your consumption of non-renewable energy.

Community solar is when a local solar facility is shared by multiple people who all receive credit for the power produced and is becoming increasingly common. This can be a good option for people who cannot install solar directly on their property. Many people live in establishments that are owned by someone else, like landlord, and do not have authority over if they go solar or not. Other people do not have adequate rooftop or ground space for solar, as it takes up a large surface area. People who benefit from community solar projects can still contribute to the system and gain energy returns regard less of the physical attributes of their property or lifestyle.

Community solar has been becoming increasingly popular around the country over the past few years. With only 26.67 MWdc installed capacity in 2011, there was 218.42 in 2016, 586.26 in 2017, and 609.45 in 2019. Though the virus does seem to be negatively affecting growth, community solar is over the longer-term still contributing more over time.

It is helpful for homeowners who want to participate in community solar to talk directly with others who might contribute to the same operation about how everyone could benefit. It is also helpful to understand your home’s electricity usage and options available to you. Other factors like personal preference, location, and pricing might play a role in your decision. Sometimes, simple rooftop or ground solar on your property is the best option for you and your household.

Each state has their own legislation that sets guidelines for installing community solar. According to the NREL Data Catalog (https://data.nrel.gov/submissions/95) there are 56 community solar projects just in Worcester county alone, where Second Generation Energy operates.  Grafton has the largest community solar project at 3700 kW. Unfortunately, Rhode Island does not have any projects listed online yet. Check out a local community solar site near you and talk to others about how solar is benefiting them! Here is a map of all community solar projects in Massachusetts according to the information from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory Data Catalog from their federally funded research. Speak with a solar installation company for help on this. Second Generation Energy services Massachusetts and Rhode Island properties, and would be happy to assist you.

 

Changing Energy Economy

More people are deciding to go solar every year. Going solar will reduce or eliminate your electric bill, earn a good return for your investment, increase your property value, protect against rising energy costs, and protect the environment by cutting your consumption of non-renewable energy.

As the demand for solar and other types of clean energy jobs increases all over the country, blue-collar jobs in the field are booming. Forbes magazine states that over time it will become less expensive to build new renewable energy than run existing coal plants without. The construction and operation of new renewable energy plants that replace coal is the newest progressive transition in the energy economy today. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics forecasts that the two fastest growing in 2026 will be solar installer and wind technician.  The increase in green jobs is happening in both red and blue states. The American Wind  and Energy Association posted a map (https://thumbor.forbes.com/thumbor/960×0/https%3A%2F%2Fblogs-images.forbes.com%2Fenergyinnovation%2Ffiles%2F2019%2F04%2FCongressional-District-wind-industry-footprint-1200×932.jpg) of congressional districts with online wind projects and wind-related manufacturing facilities.

Coal jobs however are in a general decline from 86,000 in 2009 to 52,000 in 2018 (with small 2,000 increase due to President Trump’s efforts between 2017-2018). This changing market economy has led to dozens of coal plant closures in 2017, with a 4% drop in coal consumption in 2018 and 8.4% drop in consumption in 2019. Many areas int he US see a general decline in cost of renewable energy, though in some areas the cost of it might not yet be below coal. VCE Energy Innovation produced a map (https://blogs-images.forbes.com/energyinnovation/files/2019/04/Coal-MCOE.gif?) forecasting this disparity visually for wind and solar systems. It shows that these systems may be cheaper than coal energy more-so in the eastern half of the country and in south-western states, with some difference in the center of the nation as well. This may be due to more sunlight exposure and wind energy capacity in these areas. In places with still a higher forecasted cost of renewable energy than coal we know coal is a major industry, like near the Mexican Gulf and in the north-west. This map is not necessarily complete and still misses detail, but it could indicate further geographical disparities in production of wind and solar energy by 2025.

According to Brookings Institution research, clean energy jobs are commonly available to people without college degrees, like 45% of all workers in the clean energy production industry doing electrical work, installation, repair, and plant powering. The institute took Occupational Employment Statistics data in 2016 to show that the mean hourly wage in the clean energy jobs market in higher than the national average mean hourly income by about 8%-19%.

We are excited to anticipate more people going solar to reduce their carbon footprint and save money! Request quote or send a referral today to Second Generation Energy and get started on adding solar panels to your home or business. We will help you achieve your specific goals every step of the way and are happy to help.

 

U.S Solar Statistics

More people are deciding to go solar every year. Going solar will reduce or eliminate your electric bill, earn a good return for your investment, increase your property value, protect against rising energy costs, and protect the environment by cutting your consumption of non-renewable energy.

The US Energy Administration is enthusiastic about solar, claiming it is one of the fast-growing renewable energy market sectors today, alongside wind energy. Private and public entities benefit economically from participating in the solar market, residents and business owners save money by reducing their need for utility electric costs and storing extra electricity, and solar panels use a free, non-polluting form of energy that comes from the sun, cutting need for  fossil fuels and improving the environment.

The U.S Energy Information Administration’s website has a data page showing data on the monthly solar Energy consumption across the country. Plotted on a logarithmic scale which shows the rate of growth in every sector well, it explains that the Distributed solar energy for residential, commercial, and industrial has been rising at similar rates throughout the past 20 years or so. There is solar consumption in the utility power sector that keeps rising as well! These are large-scale projects that help produce heat for thermal power plants. These systems are Concentrated Solar Power systems, which use mirrors, lenses, and solar tracking systems that concentrate slight energy into small beams. The focused light is converted to heat to drive a heat engine and produce power. Most residential systems are Photovoltaic systems, of PV systems, which generate electricity directly from converting sunlight into a flowing circuit.

The US Energy Information Administration states that two main benefits of solar energy are the system does not produce pollutants like carbon dioxide, and over all the systems have minimal effect on the environment. There are also federal tax incentives that they state online where an owner of a solar power system can reduce their income tax fees after  you both ensure you are eligible for the reduction and fill out an IRS form 5695.

Join the movement and help the US reach its renewable energy targets! Go solar today!