By installing a solar photovoltaic (PV) system, you can reduce or eliminate your electric bill, or provide power to a home where grid power is not available.
Electricity is generated by solar PV modules when the sun is shining. For a situation where grid power is available, the PV array size should be designed to provide sufficient power to meet the average electricity demand on an annual basis. As an example, if you consume 4,500 kilowatt-hours (kWh) per year, you would need a four kW PV system to meet this demand.
The graph below shows the anticipated output of a 4 kW PV array compared to monthly electricity use.
As you can see, the PV array will make more power during the summer months, when electric use is usually lower, than during the winter months. However, with a grid-tie system, the extra power is credited to your account, and can be used to cover the higher electric costs at other times of the year.
Off-grid systems are typically more complicated, and the size depends on the amount of available solar gain in the winter, when demand is the highest, and the size of the battery bank.
If you are interested in either of these types of systems, please contact us. We look forward to hearing from you.