Frequently Asked Questions

For your convenience we have provided answers to some common questions you may have.
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Renewable Energy

(Q) What is renewable energy and what benefits does it provide?
(A) Generally "renewable energy" is generated from renewable resources such as solar, wind, biomass (plant and animal waste), hydro, and geothermal. These sources of renewable energy, as the name implies, can, for the most part, regenerate indefinitely. Fossil fuels such as natural gas, coal and oil have a finite and declining supply. Moreover, fossil fuels produce significant quantities of greenhouse gases. Fossil fuel power plant emissions include substantial quantities of carbon dioxide, a major greenhouse gas

(Q) Besides the environmental and energy security benefits,what other benefits can be achieved through the purchase of renewable energy?
(A) Several added objectives can be achieved by purchasing renewable energy:

• Demonstrating civic leadership by purchasing and supporting renewable energy.
• Meeting organizational environmental and energy objectives.
• Generating positive publicity concerning environmental stewardship and energy security.

For example, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recognizes businesses that establish voluntary renewable purchases through its Green Power Partners (GPP) Program. The minimum amount of renewable purchase commitment to become a GPP will vary with quantity of electricity consumed.

(Q) What is the Renewable Electricity Standard?
(A) A renewable electricity standard (RES) requires electric utilities to generate a minimum percentage of their electricity from clean, renewable resources. Establishing a strong federal standard for renewable energy is essential to meeting some of our nation’s most serious environmental and economic challenges. A national RES provides clear policy direction to our nation’s energy producers that America needs renewable energy. By creating a long-term, stable market for renewable energy, the RES allows investors and entrepreneurs to commit to new technologies that are market ready, or nearly so.  This commitment will help ensure that we are developing the technologies we need to meet our goal of addressing global warming.

(Q) How effective is the RES?
(A) The RES, combined with federal tax credits, has been the primary policy driver for renewable energy in the U.S.  These policies have resulted in growth rates for wind and solar technologies in excess of 25% per year.  The 28 state standards in place now are expected to deliver over 55,000 megawatts, or $___ billion of capital investment by 2020, amounting to about 9 percent of U.S. power demand. Research shows that states with an RES in place produce fewer emissions of health-threatening pollutants, spur local manufacturing and local green jobs, and account for more than 75 percent of America’s renewable energy generating capacity.

(Q) How does net metering work?
(A) Net metering measures the amount of electricity you send to the electrical grid and the amount you use from the grid. You will first use the electricity you produce from your renewable energy system at your own property. If you produce more than you need, the excess electricity is sent to the grid where it remains as kilowatt hour (kWh) credits on your bill. You will automatically use the credits first at any time before regular kWh from the grid. You will receive a net metering bill each month with detailed information and your usage. 

Solar Industry

(Q) What is PV (Photovoltaic)?
(A) Photovoltaic refers to a method in which the suns power is converted. This is called the photovoltaic process. Photovoltaic panels encompass many smaller solar cells or photovoltaic cells. These cells  are often made of silicon based material that absorbs the suns light. The solar energy from the sun excites the electrons in the solar cell and DC (Direct Current) Electricity is produced. DC is not as versatile as AC (Alternating Current) so the DC is then transformed into AC (120 Volt) through an inverter.

(Q) What are the main PV Technologies?
(A) Cystalline Silicon Technology, Thin Film Technology, Concentrated photovoltaic, flexible cells

Crystalline silicon technology: Crystalline silicon cells are made from thin slices cut from a single crystal of silicon (monocrystalline) or from a block of silicon crystals (polycrystalline). This is the most common technology representing about 90% of the market today.

Thin Film technology: Thin film modules are constructed by depositing extremely thin layers of photosensitive materials onto a low-cost backing such as glass, stainless steel or plastic. Thin film manufacturing processes result in lower production costs compared to the more material-intensive crystalline technology.

Other cell types: There are several other types of photovoltaic technologies developed today starting to be commercialized or still at the research level, the main ones are:

Concentrated photovoltaic: Some solar cells are designed to operate with concentrated sunlight. These cells are built into concentrating collectors that use a lens to focus the sunlight onto the cells. The main idea is to use very little of the expensive semiconducting PV material while collecting as much sunlight as possible.

Flexible cells: based on a similar production process to thin film cells, when the active material is deposited in a thin plastic, the cell can be flexible. This opens the range of applications, especially for Building integration (roofs-tiles) and end-consumer applications.
What is CPV?

(Q) What are the components of a photovoltaic (PV) system?
(A) A PV system is made up of different components. These include PV modules (groups of PV cells), which are commonly called PV panels; one or more batteries; a charge regulator or controller for a stand-alone system; an inverter for a utility-grid-connected system and when alternating current (ac) rather than direct current (dc) is required; wiring; and mounting hardware or a framework.

(Q) When is it Payback Time
(A) A popular belief still persists that PV systems cannot "payback" their energy investment within the expected lifetime of a solar generator - about 25 years. This is because the energy expended, especially during the production of solar cells, is seen to outweigh the energy eventually generated.
Data from recent studies shows, however, that present-day systems already have an energy payback time (EPBT) - the time taken for power generation to compensate for the energy used in production - of 1 to 3.5 years, well below their expected lifetime. With increased cell efficiency and a decrease in cell thickness, as well as optimized production procedures, it is anticipated that the EPBT for grid-connected PV will decrease further.
The energy payback time for thin film systems, for example, is already less than a year in southern Europe. PV systems with monocrystalline modules in northern Europe, on the other hand, will pay back their input energy within 3.5 years.

(Q) Is solar energy more expensive than conventional energy?
(A) In the light of decreasing solar electricity generation costs and increasing costs for conventional electricity (due to oil and gas prices), solar power systems will equally become increasingly economic during the next few years. Increasing mass production has enabled the cost of solar energy to drop by an average of 10% per year.

(Q) What difference is there between thermal solar energy and Photovoltaic solar energy?
(A) The photovoltaic solar energy system converts sunlight directly into electric power to run lighting or electric appliances. A photovoltaic system requires only daylight (non direct sunlight) to generate electricity. The solar thermal energy system generates and produces heat. This energy can be used to heat water or air in buildings or in many other applications.

(Q) Does Photovoltaic technology need bright sunshine to work properly?
(A) The light of the sun consists both of direct light and indirect or diffuse light (which is the light that has been scattered by dust and water particles in the atmosphere). A PV system needs daylight to work but not direct sunlight

(Q) Can renewable energy sources guarantee a secure energy supply despite dependence on the weather?
(A) The best way forward to ensure a secure energy supply for the future is an energy mix of renewable energy sources, intelligent load management in combination with energy storage. Solar power is particularly available during periods of peak load demand (midday and in summer) and is excellently complemented by wind power, whose peak values are principally reached in winter. Biomass, hydropower and geothermal energy are continually available and balance out any deficits.

(Q) What is the lifetime of a Photovoltaic system?
(A) The estimated lifetime of a PV module is 30 years. Furthermore, the modules' performance is very high providing over 80% of the initial power after 25 years which makes photovoltaic a very reliable technology in the long term.

(Q) Which are the main Photovoltaic applications?
(A)

Grid-connected domestic systems: Connection to the local electricity network allows any excess power produced to feed the electricity grid and to sell it to the utility.

Grid-Connected power plants: These systems, also grid-connected, produce a large quantity of photovoltaic electricity in a single point.

Off-grid systems for rural electrification: Where no mains electricity is available, the system is connected to a battery via a charge controller. Typical off-grid applications are used to bring access to electricity to remote areas (mountain huts, developing countries).

Off-grid industrial applications: Uses for solar electricity for remote applications are very frequent in the telecommunications field, especially to link remote rural areas to the rest of the country.

Consumer goods: Photovoltaic cells are used in many daily electrical appliances, including watches, calculators, toys, battery chargers, professional sun roofs for automobiles.