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Solar PV installations: Beyond "measure twice, cut once"
Dec. 2009
Mirasol Solar Energy Systems
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Quotes for Thought
"I'd put my money on the sun and solar energy. What a source of power! I hope we don't have to wait till oil and coal run out before we tackle that." -Thomas Edison.
"What is the use of a house if you haven't got a tolerable planet to put it on?" -Henry Davide Thoreau
"We are surrounded by insurmountable opportunities." -Pogo
"It is not incumbent upon us to do everything that must be done, it is only incumbent upon us to do our part." -Ancient scripture
"I have no doubt that we will be successful in harnessing the sun's energy... If sunbeams were weapons of war, we would have had solar energy centuries ago." -Sir George Porter
"The use of solar energy has not been opened up because the oil industry does not own the sun." -Ralph Nader
"We will have solar energy as soon as the utility companies solve one technical problem - how to run a sunbeam through a meter." -Anonymous
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SOLAR POWER - ON GRID PHOTOVOLTAIC SYSTEMS
SPINNING THE METER BACKWARD
The On-Grid (or Grid-Tie) Option that Sells Power Back to the Electric Company
How would you like to have your own electric power generating station right on the rooftop of your home or business? Not only can you power your building, you can sell excess power back to the electric company! Photovoltaic (PV) Solar Systems that turn sunlight into electricity are more affordable and more practical than ever before.
Why Go Solar:
Lower or Eliminate Your Electric Bill: Recently, power prices have dipped somewhat, but the long-term outlook for energy prices show a steady increase. A Solar Power System gives you a hedge against rising energy costs.
Increases the Value of Your Home: Selling a home with little or no electric bill is a powerful selling point. A solar system always increases the value of your home and the good news is that you won't pay taxes on the increased value.
Increases Your Bottom Line: Chopping overhead to the bare minimum adds to your profit and maximizes the success of your business. Reducing or eliminating energy costs is a great way to help your business achieve higher profitability.
Safe Investment: Saving for retirement? Invest in a solar system. A solar system guarantees a return on your investment and eventually puts money in your pocket.
Reduce Your Carbon Footprint: An average residential solar electric system reduces C02 emissions by 89,429 lbs. per year; the equivalent of taking eleven cars off the road or planting 130 trees every year.
GRID-TIE PHOTOVOLTAIC SYSTEMS
New Mexico has the distinction of being one of the best locations for solar in the United States. Not only does our abundant sunshine and high altitude make solar energy bountiful, practical and affordable but we have great state tax rebate incentives and a generous Net-Metering and Renewable Energy Credit (REC) program offered by the power companies. Check your local power utility company for details on their Renewable Energy Program.
How Does It Work?
Photovoltaic Solar Panels produce DC (direct current) electricity. The electricity is sent to an inverter which changes it to AC (alternating current) electricity. The AC power then flows into the AC power panel that distributes the energy into your home or business. Excess power is diverted back to the utility grid, causing the meter to spin backward. Home or business owners may receive Net-Metering Credits and/or Renewable Energy Credits (currently $.13 per watt) for putting useable electricity back into the power grid. View Grid-Tie Diagram.
Grid-Tie PV Facts:
Least expensive PV option. Eliminates the cost of an expensive bank of batteries and ancillary equipment to store excess electricity. Ready access to power from your PV system during the day and from the public utility grid during the night or on cloudy days. Remember, your PV system is making excess energy on sunny days for the grid that credits to your account so you are using energy that you made from your rooftop. Lower maintenance needed. Keep the panels free of dust and debris and get an occasional service check. Grid-tie PV systems are subject to public power grid outages. If you live in an area where outages are a common occurrence, you may want to consider a system with a small bank of emergency back-up batteries.
What Kind of Equipment Do I Need?
Mirasol Solar Energy Systems designs each system to fit the needs, specifications and budget of the individual customer. We can select equipment from a wide variety of manufacturers. Whenever possible, we prefer to recommend American-made equipment because we support our nation's effort to revitalize the economy.
Grid-tie systems are inherently simple. In fact, other than safety disconnects, mounting structures and wiring, a grid-tie system is just solar modules and a grid-tie inverter.
 
 
Today's sophisticated grid-tie inverters incorporate most of the components needed to convert the direct current from the modules to alternating current, track the maximum power point of the modules to operate the system at peak efficiencies and terminate the grid connection if grid power from the utility is interrupted.
Once the PV system is designed, you will be provided with all components needed to make a complete system. Mirasol Solar will then work with you to complete the installation whether you choose to have the system installed by a qualified PV installer or you do it yourself.
Example of PV Collectors used by Mirasol Solar Energy Systems;
Schott Solar Panels
SCHOTT Solar is a world leader in the photovoltaic industry and has more than 50 years of experience in the development and production of quality components for solar applications. Due to strict internal quality standards, exceeding those of the certifications agencies, all SCHOTT Solar modules are extremely durable and reliable. Schott Solar Panels are manufactured in Albuquerque, NM.
Evergreen Solar Panels
Evergreen Solar Panels are made in the USA in a facility with superior quality assurance and environmentally friendly manufacturing process. Evergreen Solar offers a twenty-five year power output warranty and features a double walled aluminum frame for added stability.
There's never been a better choice for solar panels than Evergreen Solar. Evergreen panels are made by state of the art manufacturing featuring their unique String Ribbon™ wafer technology. Add the fact that they manufacture everything -wafers, cells and panels- all under one roof for ultimate quality control, and it's not surprising then that the solar panels are among the highest quality products in the industry. And that's not all. Because of the unique way they're made, they are the most environmentally friendly solar panels in the business.
Evergreen Solar produces a range of high quality poly-crystalline solar panels for on-grid markets offering exceptional performance, extraordinary versatility and industry leading environmental credentials based on cutting edge String Ribbon™ wafer technology.
 Kyocera Solar Panels
Kyocera Solar Panels are an excellent choice for Grid-Tie and Off-Grid applications. We offer Kyocera Solar Panels with MC connectors (GT) or a Junction Box (TM) making them very adaptable to your needs. Kyocera solar panels with MC Connectors are great for large arrays making it a snap to interconnect large arrays or the handy Junction Box for making connections in a weather tight box on the back of the solar panel.
Kyocera is one of the world's largest vertically-integrated producers and suppliers of solar energy products.
Kyocera solar modules are a reliable, virtually maintenance-free power supply designed to convert sunlight into electricity at the highest possible efficiency. Kyocera began researching photovoltaics in 1975 and has installed thousands of systems throughout the world since 1978. These systems are ideal for charging storage batteries to power remote homes, recreational vehicles, boats, telecommunications systems and other consumer and commercial applications.
Kyocera's advanced cell-processing technology and automated production facilities produce highly efficient multi-crystal photovoltaic modules. To protect the cells from the most severe environmental conditions, they are encapsulated between a tempered glass cover and an EVA pottant with a PVF back sheet. The entire laminate is installed in an anodized aluminum frame for structural strength and ease of installation.
 Sharp Solar Panels
For 48 years, Sharp has led the industry with practical, efficient, and affordable solar electric systems. Sharp systems have been installed everywhere, from the demanding environments of satellites and lighthouses to commercial and industrial buildings, and even on the most beautiful, high-tech homes. Solar has come a long way since 1954 when the first solar cell was created. Yet, the basic principles of solar technology remain the same.
 Grid-Tie Inverters:
A grid-tie inverter is an electrical device that inverts DC solar power to AC power that is in phase with the public utility grid. This allows individuals with surplus power (wind, solar, etc.) to sell the power back to the utility. This is sometimes called "spinning the meter backwards" as that is what literally happens.
How is a grid tie inverter different from other inverters? First, the 60Hz has to be matched in phase to the grid. This means the local oscillator has to be in sync with the grid. Second, the voltage of the inverter output needs to be variable to allow it to be slightly higher than the grid voltage to enabling current to flow out to the grid. This is done by sensing current flow and raising the voltage on the output (or duty cycle of the transformer input) until the current flow results in output power that matches the input power from the DC supply.
 Enphase Micro-Inverters:
For some applications, Mirasol Solar Energy Systems is now installing the first commercially available micro-inverter by Enphase Energy. Micro-inverters are small inverters that are wired to each individual panel. The micro-inverters have a number of advantages, including:
Collectors can be easily added and mismatched as needs change. Upgrade and expansion costs are lower. Eliminates the space, heat and noise issues of a regular inverter. Collectors are individually wired--not connected in a parallel string, like Christmas-tree lights. If one collector fails, the rest of the modules will not shut down. The micro-inverter allows the collector to harvest more sun and output more energy than with standard inverters. A software program is available for system performance tracking.
PV Array - Housing Module
- The Basics
- Solar modules create electricity when the sun's energy releases electrons from their bonds in the silicon semiconductors.
These electrons travel through wires to an inverter that converts the power to the type used in your building or is fed back to the utility grid. A grid-tied solar electric system requires solar modules, mounting hardware, cabling, one large, or multiple smaller inverters, safety disconnects and a meter for tracking energy sent back into the grid.
- PV Array
- The solar modules produce DC electricity. These modules can be installed on the roof of a building, create the shading cover for carports, or mounted on the ground or on poles. The maximum size of the system is often determined by the available area where sunlight is unobstructed by other structures, trees or equipment.
- Inverter
- The DC power from the solar modules is carried to an inverter that converts it to AC power. The inverter can be placed in a utility room or outside, usually not far from the solar modules. The power produced by the inverter is the same type of power as fed from your power utility, but is often "cleaner".
- Revenue Grade Meter
- Most power companies that purchase or credit your excess energy will require a bi-directional meter to track your contribution to the grid. This excess power cancels out your usage when the modules are not producing electricity, such as at night.
- Utility Grid
- In a traditional grid-tie application, your building will always remain connected to your existing utility company.
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A Bright Idea 
Tankless water heating systems work great with solar! The solar system preheats your water, applies the right pressure to move the hot water quickly to each faucet and you save lots of money on your energy bill!
If a big Solar Thermal or PV system is a little too much of an investment for you, start small. Just heating your domestic water with a Solar Thermal System can mean big savings for you.
Photovoltaic systems for making electricity can start small too. The new mircroinverters that attach to each, individual solar panel means that you can start with just one or two panels that can produce power for a major appliance such as your TV or a freezer. Then you can add more panels as you can afford them.
You will continue to get tax rebates whenever you add more solar to your home or business.
SOLAR WATER HEATING FOR BUSINESSES
What business is not concerned with overhead? Reduce yours with SOLAR WATER HEATING.
Some businesses may be eligible for immediate refunds from the federal and/or state governments.
Businesses that can greatly benefit from solar water heating are:
- Beauty Salons
- Car Washes
- Food Process Plants
- Fire Houses
- Health Clinics
- Health Clubs
- Hospitals
- Hotels/Motels
- Laundromats
- Restaurants
- Schools
A LITTLE GREEN
GOES A LONG WAY
Find little, inventive ways to save energy. Look at all the appliances you use and how you use them. You may find that some of your habits are small energy wasters like small leaks in a boat. You can plug up those holes for big energy savings with little changes, such as:
You may love your Pamela Anderson screen saver but she is not an energy saver. Screen savers continue to use the monitor at full power and do not conserve energy. Remember - manually turning monitors off is always the better energy-saving strategy.
Consider resetting your printer margins narrower and using a smaller font to reduce the paper that you use, and the trees that are cut down and energy used to ship the extra paper you are wasting.
When it is time to upgrade your computer, consider a laptop. They are much more energy efficient than a desktop model.
Move halogen lamps away from the air conditioning thermostat. The heat produced by the light will make your air conditioner run longer than is necessary.
Plant tall, creeping vines on the western wall of your home. They will reduce the afternoon heat on your house in the summer but let the heat through when the plant drops its leaves in the winter.
Speaking of plants, bamboo makes a great natural fence, can grow a foot a day and absorbs huge amounts of carbon dioxide.
Buy locally grown, raised and produced goods to avoid trucking.
Plan a green wedding: get your cake at a local bakery, order seasonal flowers, and buy wine from a local vintner.
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Call Mirasol Solar Energy Systems today to help you increase your bottom line with solar!
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