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Home solar power system
Before
you install your home solar power system, you must make an important
decision: stay on the grid, or go off the grid? You may be surprised
at the benefits of keeping your home solar power system grid-tied.
There are two main reasons to consider an grid-tied home solar power
system:
· Batteries – when your system is on the grid, you
do not have to worry about storing your excess power in batteries.
Batteries can take up a lot of space, require more equipment, must
be replaced relatively often, and contain hazardous heavy metals.
If you like batteries because you like the idea of having battery
backup during a power outage, just get a generator, instead.
· Net metering – the majority of states offer net metering.
What is it? Net metering is a method of metering the energy both
consumed and produced by a home or business with a solar power system.
Excess energy produced by a home solar power system effectively
turns the electricity meter backwards.
o Power bank – most home solar power system create excess
power in the summer and a deficit in the winter. With net metering,
that summer excess can be used in the winter – the electricity
is banked until the customer needs it (it is best if the electricity
is net metered annually as opposed to monthly, for the best rewards).
o Purchase – any excess electricity (not used in the billing
period) can be purchased by the power company at wholesale price.
Instead of paying your local power company, they can pay you!
Without net metering, this is the way it is always done (not just
at the end of the billing period) – the power company purchases
the extra power at less than retail, and the customer is unable
to use during periods of deficit. In times of deficit, the customer
would instead have to purchase (at retail price) power from the
power company.
There are, of course, still some reasons why you may choose to
have an off-the-grid home solar power system:
· Remote location – if you are hooking up a home solar
power system to a cabin or a home in any sort of remote location,
there may not be a grid to be a part of!
· Blackouts – when the rest of your neighborhood is
affected by a blackout, your off-the-grid home solar power system
can keep your house lit and warm.
· Independence – perhaps you simply like the idea of
being self-sufficient.
The choice, though, is entirely up to you. Should you have a solar
power system that is on the grid, or one that is off the grid? Before
making your decision, be sure to check out whether or not your state
offers net metering, and whether or not they bill you annually or
monthly. The former is a better option.
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