FAQs

Solar

A. What are the financial benefits of a Solar Electrical System?
Solar systems are designed to reduce or eliminate the amount of electricity that you purchase from your utility company on a monthly basis.

By installing an SES on your roof, you harness the free energy provided by the sun. Combined with the rebates and tax credits available today, the payback period to recoup your initial investment has never been better.

Sell Surplus Energy to Your Utility Company
Many utility companies offer an additional incentive to homeowners and businesses to install solar systems connected to the grid. This is referred to as "Net Metering".
Conceptually it works like this.
When your home or business is using electricity from your utility company, your electricity meter runs "forward" to be added to your bill.
When your photo-voltaic system produces more electricity than you use, the surplus flows to the power grid causing the meter to run "backwards" to credit you.

Surplus electricity production is carried over from month to month. Any net credit is settled monthly for commercial systems and annually for residential systems.
B. How will a solar system affect the price I can ask for when I sell my house?
National surveys have shown that for every dollar that you save annually on your electric utility bill the value of your home increases by twenty dollars. Example: If you save $1,000 annually by producing your own electricity with your solar system, the value of your house increases by $20,000.
C. What is the difference between on-grid and off-grid energy systems?
There are two basic types: On-grid and off-grid.

On-grid systems only supply power to your house during the day. You continue to use energy supplied by your utility company during periods of high demand and at night when the solar photo-voltaic system is no longer producing power.

Off-grid systems typically use batteries to store the energy produced by solar, wind and hybrid systems. The batteries can then provide power at night when solar the solar system is not in production.
D. What types of energy systems are available?
Greenergy Systems provides four renewable-energy system types. These are:
1. Solar energy systems that convert energy from the sun

2. Wind energy systems that convert energy from the wind

3. Hybrid energy systems that use both solar and wind energy collection components

4. Portable solar energy systems residing in a mobile trailer
E. What is a Solar Electrical System (SES)?
A Solar Electrical System captures sunlight and converts it to usable energy. It is made up of:

1. An array of photo-voltaic modules that collect the sun's energy and convert it into direct current

2. An inverter which converts the direct current power into alternating current—the type of energy supplied by your utility company to your home
F. What size of a solar system do I need?
The size of the system varies with each consumer. Greenergy Systems takes into consideration your goals, historical energy use, available mounting space, and other factors when designing a system to fit your needs.
G. How much power will a renewable energy system produce?
Many factors affect the amount of power that a system produces. These include the size of the system, the slope (angle) of the roof, the direction the solar modules face, the amount of shade that hits the roof, the type of photo-voltaic modules used, and the daily weather patterns. Our experts can analyze your specific site and use all of this critical data to generate a report that will give our best estimate on how much your specific system will produce for you.
H. Do the solar systems need to be mounted on my roof?
Typically, most residential systems are roof mounted. Ground-mounted systems are available and easy to incorporate onto your property if you have the space.
I. My roof doesn't face South. Will a solar system work for me?
A south-facing roof is best for the production of solar electricity. However, if your roof faces either directly east, directly west, or anywhere in between you can still produce a very significant amount of solar electricity without using awkward looking mounting systems.
J. How long do these systems last? What is the warranty on these systems?
The typical warranty period for most brands of solar and wind components are 20-25 years. Limited warranties offered on inverters range from 10-15 years. Some photo-voltaic systems have demonstrated remarkable longevity and are still producing power after 30 years of operation.
K. What happens if my solar modules get covered with snow?
Anything that covers or shades your system will reduce the amount of electricity that can be produced. A little bit of snow will melt off in the sunlight. A large amount of snow will effectively shut your system down. If you live in an area where large amounts of snow in the winter are common there are steps that can be taken to minimize these effects.

L. What maintenance do photo-voltaic systems require?
Because SESs have no moving parts, very little maintenance is needed. The photo-voltaic module coverings need to be sprayed off periodically to remove any dust or grime. Trees may need to be trimmed to ensure uninterrupted sunlight reaches the photo-voltaic modules.
M. How do I get started?
You may call us at (970) 250-2520 or submit an email form to have our professional representative answer your questions.