Solar Power Basics
Solar power is an virtually limitless source of clean, renewable energy.
Solar power has been used since the 1960s to generate power for satellites and has steadily increased in efficiency and dropped in price as the technology has become more widespread. Ontario’s new MicroFIT/FIT (Feed-In-Tariff) Program has created great incentives for people to invest in small-scale solar power for their homes and businesses. Now generating solar electricity can be affordable and profitable, and everyone benefits from the reduced carbon footprint that clean, emission-free energy provides.
Solar Photovoltaic (PV) energy systems use solar cells to convert light energy from the Sun into direct current (DC) electricity by taking advantage of a phenomenon known as the Photovoltaic Effect. The resulting power can be used directly (e.g., in a solar calculator), stored in batteries, or converted to alternating current (AC) for immediate use by a household or the electrical grid.
Commercial solar panels (called ”modules”) are made up of a number of interconnected solar cells. Typically these cells are made of silicon sandwiched between a glass top and waterproof bottom, and framed in aluminum. Most commercially available solar modules can convert 10% to 18% of the available solar energy into usable electricity, but new technologies are achieving efficiencies as high as 40% or more in the laboratory.
Solar modules’ power output is measured in DC Watts (W), with a kilowatt (kW) being equal to 1000 W. Typical modules are rated from 175 W-300 W+ DC, so the number and size of panels required to produce a given amount of electricity can vary.
Solar power system efficiency is typically 85% of rated DC output for systems that use inverters. Inverters convert DC power to AC power. The MicroFIT subsidy is based on total AC output, so a 10 kW MicroFIT system would actually acquire approximately 12 kW DC of solar modules (e.g., 66 x 175 W or 52 x 220 W) to produce 10 kW AC after conversion from DC.
eSolar uses only solar modules warranted for 25 years or more. Many systems continue to produce power after 40+ years. After 25 years, modules still produce at least 80% of their maximum rated power. All of EfstonScience’s MicroFIT income calculations are averaged over the 20-year contract to take this into consideration.
Solar power systems are usually one of two main types: Grid-Tie or Off-Grid.
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