It’s time to challenge your thinking!

Solar panels for home don’t need to be complicated or overly expensive. The rapid evolution of solar technology provides homeowners with more choices – with both newer and earlier generation technologies available for homeowners to select based on budget, timing and other considerations.

Regardless of choice of system, homeowners who go solar reduce their carbon footprint and protect the environment for future generations by reducing their reliance on fossil fuels. More importantly, these homeowners also save money every month as they harness the renewable energy to power their homes. Talk about a Win-Win!

Generation: Solar Panels

Solar panels for residential power generation have come a long way. As technology improves, so has the efficiency of panels increased. The newest polycrystalline solar panels can achieve an efficiency of 19-22%, which can greatly increase your return on investment in the project.

When it comes to solar generation, there are a few factors to think about:

• Your solar potential: how much energy can you generate from panels mounted on your roof or on the ground?
• What are your power needs? The average American home will require a 5kW system or about 20 panels
• Installation options. If your roof is not properly oriented or is too small, a ground-based installation might be what you need

Once you have that figured out, it’s time to think about financing. You can opt for a cash purchase, a solar lease, or a power purchase agreement (PPA).

One critical factor to consider is the efficiency of your solar power generation system. This depends greatly on the type of panels you install, operating temperature, presence of dust, and placement. Some systems like the Tesla solar panels are optimized for maximum efficiency.

If you’re looking to start generating your own solar power, your best option is to talk through all these options with an expert. At Summit Energy, we have been installing residential and commercial solar panels for years. We’re ready to help you make the right decision today.

Storage: Batteries

You don’t need batteries for a grid-connected solar system. However, if you’re going off the power grid, you’ll need sufficient storage capacity for those times when you’re not generating any solar power, such as at night.

Batteries will drive up the cost of your solar power system significantly. However, they are worth their cost in places where the grid is unreliable. In areas where utility companies use time-of-use billing, your energy is more expensive at peak times when you need it most.

Storage also makes sense when you live off-grid. In all these cases, a solar generation-with-storage system is what you need. It provides you with around-the-clock power, self-sufficiency, and energy use monitoring.

Solar battery storage will cost you about $700 per kWh. Additional circuitry such as charge protection and inverters could drive this cost even higher. For example, the popular Tesla Powerwall with an integrated system costs $14,500 for 13.5kWh of storage.

For an off-grid system, you will need even more storage capacity to power all your appliances. Large installations could do with 15kWh to 30kWh along with dedicated off-grid equipment. The total cost of installing a battery depends on your unique circumstances and goals.

Do you really need a solar storage solution? Is your solar system battery-ready? Are there cost-effective and reliable solar batteries to suit your needs? Talk to the experts here at Summit Energy today and we’ll help you answer all your questions.