First thing you should know is that it is possible for you to harvest UV rays from the sunshine, at your own home, and use the sunshine to reduce or eliminate your power bill.

You should also know that solar energy has been around for a very long time, with the first commercially available solar panel being available in 1954. We can use solar panels to power our homes and also spin our power meters backwards, collecting credits to be used in the future.

If you like saving money, being independent, and enjoy the feeling of freedom knowing that the power you are using comes directly from the sun; then you might want to consider learning about solar. Having solar on your roof also blocks the sun's rays from eating away at your roof covering as well, causing your roof to have a very long life.

Solar installations come in three different configurations. For the fastest return on your investment, Grid tied is recommended:

The grid tied system collects energy from the panels and you use the energy first, and surplus is sent backwards through your power meter to the grid. No batteries are required to buy. However if the power goes out, you will have no means of storing it. This is the most cost-efficient system with the fastest return on your investment. Essentially you are using the grid as your battery.

There is also

• Off Grid - this system doesn’t involve a grid connection at all. A battery is used to carry you through the night and on non-sunny days. No interaction with a power company is required at all.

• Hybrid System - this is a combination of the two systems listed above. You stay connected to the grid, but also have a battery that you can use when the power is out, allowing you to go in ‘off grid mode’ if there is an outage.

You sure can! Many clients choose to do this and add more panels later.

Check out this video for a walk-through of what your estimate will look like.

No you don't. If you qualify for the grants, there’s two that allow you to get up to $8000, and there is also a 10 year interest free loan from the federal government you can get as well. Some companies like ours offer bridge financing, so with good credit, we can offer you a 3 month interest-free loan that 'bridges' you to when the project is complete and you get your receipts submitted to the Greener Homes loan, you can pay off your bridge financing without penalty to roll into the interest free loan, so the answer is no, you don’t need to have money to put down up front. It makes a difference!

No. The energy that you produce can’t be taxed. The energy you send back to the grid, you do not get to collect tax on. The energy you get from the grid and consume is taxed. The unfortunate part about the NB Power Net Metering program is we are not allowed to get the tax back on any returned credits. Therefore if we are grid-tied and not using a battery, we will have to pay the tax on the power we use from the grid when the sun is not shining.

That depends on which installation system you choose. Solar installations come in three different configurations.

• Grid tied - This system collects energy from the panels and you use the energy first, and surplus is sent backwards through your power meter to the grid. No batteries are required. However if the power goes out, you will have no means of storing it. This system has the fastest return on your investment. Essentially you are using the grid as your battery.
  

• Off Grid - this system doesn’t involve a grid connection at all. A battery is used to carry you through the night and on non-sunny days. No interaction with a power company is required at all.
  

• Hybrid System - this is a combination of the two systems listed above. You stay connected to the grid, but also have a battery that you can use when the power is out, allowing you to go in ‘off grid mode’ if there is an outage.

It is in most client’s best interest to utilize the available grants and loan that the government offers. Some customers however may wish to pay for their systems using their own dollars; perhaps if they have already utilized the grant/loan for other green energy projects, or they don’t qualify for them. (Second home / cottage / business, etc)

The criteria for the 10 year interest free loan is simple. In the case of bad credit / secondary home / etc. clients are absolutely able to use their own means of payment. Information around the loan are found here:

https://natural-resources.canada.ca/energy-efficiency/homes/canada-greener-homes-initiative/canada-greener-homes-loan/24286

Absolutely. Many clients pay for their system without using the Greener Homes Loan. They are still able to take advantage of the grants available through Greener Homes as well as NB Power.

What if I don’t want to use a loan, can I buy the system outright?

Absolutely. Many clients pay for their system without using the Greener Homes Loan. They are still able to take advantage of the grants available through Greener Homes as well as NB Power.

It is in most client’s best interest to utilize the available grants and loan that the government offers. Some customers however may wish to pay for their systems using their own dollars; perhaps if they have already utilized the grant/loan for other green energy projects, or they don’t qualify for them. (Second home / cottage / business, etc)

Will NB power pay me for my electricity?

No, NB Power will not give you a dollar; they will credit you for the electricity that you’ll use in the future. It's a credit system; If you generate $1000 of electricity in october, and you use 500 of it, then you should have a 500 dollar credit that you can use throughout the winter. NB power will allow you collect that to use that until the end of March. That’s why we don’t want you to generate more power than you’re going to use, because NB Power doesn’t pay you to generate electricity.

Most home installations are using 20-30 solar panels. However, it depends on your power consumption. Everyone’s power bill is different and so are their power requirements. Depending on how you heat, size of home, if you have an electric car, etc. all plays a factor. In less than a minute, you can request a free estimate and you'll get a picture of your house with the amount and position of the panels we'd recommend for the power you currently produce, as well as a full breakdown of the cost here: https://www.eastcoastsun.ca/estimate

Absolutely! Charging an electric car using electricity generated by your solar panels is great - you’re avoiding tax, gas, HST and other costs you would with a gas powered car, and it won’t cost you to plug in and charge at home. If you charge it when it’s sunny out, most likely you are pulling free energy straight from the sun and driving your car around with the sunshine. You can charge it at night too which is still cheaper than gas.

Yes, but after 15 years in the business and thousands of panels, Rudi has never broken a panel, even when dropping them. They will take a golf ball at 200 miles an hour. They've been walked on, dropped things on, etc. they are impressively tough!

The solar panels are not actually produced in Canada. Most of them that you see are coming from Asian companies - even Canadian Solar, so no matter what you hear, the panels will be manufactured in Taiwan or China etc. But they are all high quality panels that must be CSA approved or they won’t pass inspection. The inverters we use, Fronius, come from Austria with great support. There are local materials too, such as the racking systems, so it’s a diverse assortment of countries that supply the materials used to install your solar energy system on your house.

No! They are completely silent. The inverter has a quiet fan inside but it is not easy to hear.

It optimizes the voltage at the panel level. You might need one if a tree is shading a panel part of the time, we would put a DC Optimizer on the backside of that panel to prevent the panel from pulling down the production level overall. If you don’t do that and the shading affects 20% of the array, it will actually have like a 70% reduction in production, the way a bad ball player that brings down the whole team.

How long do solar panels last? What is degradation?

They last forever. Degradation is what the manufacturers predict that they are going to degrade over time.

Is the power that’s created from solar different from the power I get from my outlets?

As far as you will be able to tell, yes. However if we want to get technical, the power coming from the sun is actually much ‘cleaner!’ Solar panels generate DC power which runs through a pure sine wave inverter to create a perfect waveform of AC power at the exact frequency that your devices need to run. In a grid power situation, the power coming from the grid is hardly ever as good. The massive water turbines and fossil fuel generators require synchronization and constant monitoring in order to deliver electricity to customers. The fact that grid customers are at long and varying distances from the power generator causes voltage fluctuations as well.

Can I switch between solar and NB power for my electricity whenever I want?

If you are connected to the grid and have solar, the inverter will automatically use the power you are generating, before using grid power. You aren’t able to make the choice. Surplus power is sent to the grid and at night you will be using power from the grid.

If you sleep when it is dark and are talking about solar panels, then no. Everytime the sun is out, you will be making power. Unfortunately the moon doesn't reflect UV rays enough to make any power at night. Now if you were living in Nunavut in July, where the sun never goes down in the summer, that is a different story!

Is it possible to get a power surge? (on a super sunny day or during thunderstorm).

A solar panel can only generate so much power, no matter how much sun there is. The systems are designed with several safety features that ensure that only the maximum designed amount of power is allowed to enter through the system. A lightning strike that lights up the sky does actually emit UV rays (the type of ray that produces solar power). In short, your solar array won’t suffer from ‘welder’s flash.’

After the system is installed, there will be an electrical inspection carried out by the province. Following the inspection, NB Power will come and swap out your power meter with a “net meter” which spins both ways - so you can be credited for the power you generate rather than just charged for the power that you use from the grid.Video answer:https://youtu.be/-U-N_uIZMWoWill they start working right away and generate power immediately after they are installed? Or How long once the panels are installed will they start generating electricity?

After the system is installed, there will be an electrical inspection carried out by the province. Following the inspection, NB Power will come and swap out your power meter with a “net meter” which spins both ways - so you can be credited for the power you generate rather than just charged for the power that you use from the grid.

What happens to the surplus/extra energy that I generate?

Say it’s sunny out and you’re generating extra power and your meter is running backwards; the power is going out through your transformer and hitting your main lines, going up and down the road and never leaves your subdivision, so essentially you’re supplying power to the other homes around you, and you’ll be credited the electricity you created for others. The energy never actually goes back to NB Power to be sent out again to another house far away; it never leaves your street or area!

What is the purpose of a rapid shut down?

Its like a transfer switch for a generator. If you have solar on your roof, and the grid is producing power until suddenly it’s not; the grid is down, so the rapid shut down detects whether there’s power at your outlet, through your relay. Then it shuts off the connection from the solar panels to your inverter, and stops creating electricity. The reason for that is perhaps they don’t want to send power back out to the grid because they might be working on it. So the rapid shut down is a safety switch required by code which is on every single grid-tied system.

Does someone need to come out to my house to inspect/assess it?

Generally we are able to use aerial photography to provide an overall assessment of your property and provide an estimate using that data. If it is a more complex project, we may wish to come and do a site visit.

What about solar panels in winter?

Depending on the storm and solar array pitch, it is possible to get snow on the panels. Solar panels won’t produce power if they are covered. However, the winter months don’t create the power like the summer months do so if it takes an extra day for the sun to melt the snow off; this generally isn’t an issue. Once the hot sun starts hitting a corner of the panel, it doesn’t take long to melt enough to slide off the array. Fun fact: the colder it is, the more power you can generate!

A solar panel can only generate so much power, no matter how much sun there is. The systems are designed with several safety features that ensure that only the maximum designed amount of power is allowed to enter through the system. A lightning strike that lights up the sky does actually emit UV rays (the type of ray that produces solar power). In short, your solar array won’t suffer from ‘welder’s flash.’

What if I don’t want them on my roof?

Sometimes a roof mounted solar array just doesn’t make sense. You don’t have southern exposure, it’s full of dormers and chimneys, or you just don’t like the look of them! Many clients choose to install their solar on a ground mounted structure elsewhere on their property. Typically these structures offer the ideal orientation and pitch for solar collection throughout the year, with some of them even tracking the sun.

Yes! If your garage is on a separate power meter, I would recommend if they are close together to tie them in together and save a monthly surcharge to be connected to the grid. If you are all on one meter and your garage is south facing, put the panels on your garage and you’ll have a better surface. You don’t want to generate more power on your garage than you need to unless it’s connected to your house. So if you have two meters and can combine them into one, feed your house And your garage.

Sometimes a roof mounted solar array just doesn’t make sense. You don’t have southern exposure, it’s full of dormers and chimneys, or you just don’t like the look of them! Many clients choose to install their solar on a ground mounted structure elsewhere on their property. Typically these structures offer the ideal orientation and pitch for solar collection throughout the year, with some of them even tracking the sun.

No moving parts, they have 30-year warranty, and they continue to produce the same amount every year.hat if I don’t like the look of them on my house?

You can, its possible, but I would recommend you increase the value of your home if you sell it.

Roof mounted systems take advantage of a surface that you already have, whereas a ground mount is a solar mounting system that is stationed in your yard and away from the house. The advantage of a ground mount is they will be oriented perfectly however will cost more than a roof mount. A roof mount is great if you have a south facing roof but that is not always the case.

Do I have to buy batteries or other equipment?

Solar installations come in three different configurations.

• Grid tied - This system collects energy from the panels and you use the energy first, and surplus is sent backwards through your power meter to the grid. No batteries are required. However if the power goes out, you will have no means of storing it. This system has the fastest return on your investment. Essentially you are using the grid as your battery.
  

• Off Grid - this system doesn’t involve a grid connection at all. A battery is used to carry you through the night and on non-sunny days. No interaction with a power company is required at all.

• Hybrid System - this is a combination of the two systems listed above. You stay connected to the grid, but also have a battery that you can use when the power is out, allowing you to go in ‘off grid mode’ if there is an outage.

If you like saving money, being independent, and enjoy the feeling of freedom knowing that the power you are using comes directly from the sun; then you might want to consider learning about solar. Having solar on your roof also blocks the sun's rays from eating away at your roof covering as well, causing your roof to have a very long life.