Solar

Purchasing a solar power system can be daunting for a consumer. There are many things to consider, not to mention all of the different terminology that many people may not be familiar with. Like any major purchase, customers should make the most informed decision.

Understanding Proposals

Where do you start when looking at solar power systems? Think of this as you would any major project around the home. Make sure to begin by doing your homework. Read up about solar power and take time to research different solar power systems and companies.

Make sure that any quote or proposal includes:

• System size
• Equipment
• Price
• Warranties

It's always a good idea to get quotes or proposals from different companies. You might find that the costs vary considerably from company to company, but this also allows you to review the different things included and compare the language used. This serves a couple of essential functions.

Quick tips on evaluating proposals:

• There might be some industry terms used within proposals that are unfamiliar. If you find something that you don't understand, check out our solar power glossary for more information.
• Use your utility bill to verify any BPUB rates included in the proposal or visit the BPUB website to find BPUB's electrical rates. https://www.brownsville-pub.com/utility-services/electric/electric-rates/
• Make sure that the proposal matches BPUB's current energy buy-back program.
• Consult with a licensed tax professional to confirm that you qualify for any federal credits included in the proposal. To get familiarized with federal tax credits, visit https://www.irs.gov/credits-deductions-for-individuals.

Understanding the Costs

The most important thing to note in comparing proposals is the price per watt, which determines how expensive a system can be. If you receive a quote for $24,000 before incentives for a system with 20 panels of 300 watts per panel, that will give you a system size of 6,000 watts. To determine the price per watt, divide the total cost of $24,000 by the 6,000 watts that the system will produce. The result is a price of $4 per watt. Customers may use the price per watt to compare every company on equal ground.

Let's break that down to be clear.

20 panels X 30 watts per panel = 6,000 total watts

6,000 total watts ÷ $24,000 total cost = $4 price per watt

Important Documents

BPUB recommends that customers who purchase a solar power system keep records of all documents, including:

• Original proposal
• Warranties for the solar panels, inverters, any other installed equipment
• Any change orders to the original contract

Site Selection

The site selection process for a solar power system is critical. It could determine how well a system would produce at your home. Some things to look for are:

• Trees and other obstructions – If you have many trees or other obstructions in your area, this could reduce the amount of sunlight that reaches your solar power system, which will reduce power production.
• Age of roof – Solar panels, on average, have a 20-year warranty. This may be an extra expense to consider if the solar panels need to be removed. If you have an older roof, that might mean roof repairs or replacement will be necessary before the life of the solar panels.
• Home wiring – If you live in an older home, it might be necessary for a home's electrical wiring to be brought up to code when new technology is attached.
• HOAs, Historical District – Check with your homeowner's association, if you have one, to make sure solar panels are allowed. Also, check with the historical district, if needed.
• Homeowners Insurance – Inform your homeowner's insurance before adding a solar power system. It might change your monthly insurance premium, but coverage may not be added under a policy unless you notify the insurance company.

Needed Equipment

Adding a solar power system will bring a lot of new equipment – some that the homeowner would be responsible for putting in and some that BPUB would need to install.

Some of the solar power equipment that will need to be purchased include:

• Solar panels
• Racking equipment
• Inverters or optimizers
• Monitoring equipment

It's important to know that BPUB will not allow equipment without specific safety labels to be connected to a customer's home. So, make sure to look out for global certification labels, like the Underwriters Laboratories (UL) or Compliance, Safety Accountability (CSA), to ensure your components have passed safety and reliability tests.

In addition, a solar power system may require BPUB to change some equipment for the system to operate as intended.

• PV meter – used to track the monthly production of a solar power system
• Bi-directional meter – used to measure how much energy BPUB supplies the customer and how much energy the customer supplies BPUB.

These two meters will cost a customer $100 when the solar company and BPUB representative turn on the solar power system.

Below are some terms that potential solar customers might hear while shopping around. This list isn't meant to be exhaustive but should provide customers with basic information to better understand the industry. Have more questions? Have some other tips that should be included? Contact BPUB if you have any questions.

Photovoltaic (PV): PV is a term that is interchangeable with a solar power system in this industry. Photovoltaic Effect is the process by which sunlight creates an electrical current on certain materials.

Direct current (DC): The unidirectional flow of electrons and the standard form of energy created by a PV system. Most appliances do not use DC.

Alternating current (AC): An electric current reverses its direction many times per second during a regular interval. Most household appliances and electronics use AC.

Inverters: Electrical equipment that converts the DC from solar panels into AC.

Capacity: Refers to the maximum capacity of a power plant. Solar power systems are measured in watts and kilowatts, and each solar panel can be considered a mini power plant.

System size: The minimum amount of energy produced by combing all of your solar panels. This information can usually be calculated by getting the watt per panel of the nameplate and multiplying that times the number of panels. For example, if a system has 20 panels of 300 watts each panel, then the system size is 20x300=6,000 watts.

Production: Describes the amount of electricity created by your PV system.

Meter: A device used to read the measurement of electrical power. Utility companies, including BPUB, will deal in measurements of kilowatts.

Revenue meter: A meter that BPUB will use to measure your electrical usage for billing purposes. The readings do not reset every month; instead, they continue to run like the odometer in a car. A bill from BPUB uses the difference between last month’s read compared to the current month’s read to get the monthly consumption.

Bi-directional meter: These meters can read electricity provided to you by the utility and measure electricity from your PV system sent back to the utility.

PV meter: This meter will only measure your system’s production and not be used for billing purposes. A PV Meter also calculates how much electricity your PV system will produce each month and determines energy consumption.

Watt: The smallest unit of measurement used to describe electricity.

Kilowatt: A unit of power equal to 1,000 watts.

Kilowatt-hour: A kilowatt-hour is a unit of energy equal to one kilowatt of power sustained for one hour. It is a measure of how much energy you are using and is used to calculate your monthly electric bill.

Battery bank: A series of batteries designed to store energy produced by a PV system. PV systems use the stored energy when they are not producing energy from the sun. Batteries have a limited storage capacity and are designed for small power applications such as refrigerators and lights.