The Microgrid Interconnect Device (MID) has had a significant impact on the National Electrical Code (NEC), particularly in the context of distributed energy resources (DERs) like solar photovoltaic systems, battery storage, and microgrids. Major changes in the 2020 NEC have caused some confusion about the applicability of certain code sections. The MID is a device or system that allows for …
AI For Solar Panel Design Work – The Future Is Here!
AI (Artificial Intelligence) is all the rage right now. It is beginning to seep into solar panel layout and design work already. The tool we often use to lay out solar panels on roofs has a new AI imagery tool that renders images based on a prompt, and it’s pretty amazing. While AI has a long way to go to …
How Important Is Solar Panel Temperature Coefficient?
It gets hot here in Southwest Florida. And if you didn’t already know, solar photovoltaic panels lose performance as the temperature increases. You heard that right. Solar panels want cool and clear days to perform the best. All solar panels have a rate at which the solar panels lose performance called the temperature coefficient. It is expressed in percent loss …
Should I Buy A Solar Pool Heater Or Electric Pool Heat Pump
The choice between a solar pool heater and a pool heat pump depends on various factors, including your specific needs, budget, and your specific pool and home. Here are some considerations for each: Solar Pool Heater: Energy Source: Solar pool heaters utilize energy from the sun to heat the pool water. They typically consist of solar collectors (panels) installed on …
Inverter Rating Versus Solar Panel Rating
In the context of solar power systems, when we refer to inverter ratings being less than solar panel ratings, it means that the capacity or power rating of the solar inverter is lower than the total capacity of the solar panels it is intended to support. Here’s a breakdown of these terms: Solar Panel Ratings: The rating of a solar …
Photorealistic Solar Panel Layouts | Solar Panels Superimposed on Imagery
For mission-critical solar energy projects, when visualizing the outcome is critical, we have you covered. We have the in-house capability to take aerial imagery with drones and superimpose photorealistic solar panels on the imagery. We can even do this with motion video. What can’t we do?! For those of you that don’t know, our solar contractor is an avid commercial …
Enphase IQ7 Versus IQ8 Microinverters
UPDATE 2/16/24: Enphase is discontinuing the IQ7 series of microinverters, so much of this article is a moot point, but there is still a ton of valuable information here. We are keeping it here for you for historical reference. The IQ8 series of microinverter has been out for a while now, and it has proven to be another great …
Enphase 5P Battery Released
As part of the Enphase IQ family of products, the company has released its Enphase IQ Battery 5P. This battery offers some improvements for select clients in Southwest Florida, all at a similar price to the existing 3T and 10T batteries (for equal storage capacity). The Enphase 5P battery has just half of the battery capacity of the existing 10 and …
Enphase Encharge Battery Backup System
We are the local leader in solar energy systems installed with Enphase microinverters. You can add battery backup to your grid-interactive solar panel system to provide seamless power to your home. We can provide solutions that backup only critical loads or your whole home including air conditioning! Watch our promotional video below to see the components of an Enphase Encharge …
What Wind Speed Can My Solar Panels Handle?
Given the prevalence of hurricanes in Southwest Florida, people naturally want to know what kind of wind speeds solar panels can handle. Unfortunately, that’s a loaded question with no real, direct answer. Nobody “knows” for sure, but we have lots of anecdotal data. There are way too many variables to provide a succinct answer. And, there are no guarantees. The …
Solar Panel Power Clipping
The solar electricity term “clipping” refers to energy that is lost when a solar panel’s output potential exceeds the amount of power that an inverter can convert. That sounds bad, right? Well, maybe not. In good solar photovoltaic system design, the solar panel rating is almost always higher than the inverter (or microinverter) rating. The factor by which the solar …
When Building A New House, When To Get A Solar Contractor Involved
It’s a common call that we get – something along the lines of, “I’m getting ready to put drywall up and I was wondering, is there anything we need to do to prepare for solar panels we want to install?” That’s when we have to kick things into high gear. It usually involves getting us to the job site urgently. …
Solar Panel Efficiency Is Overrated
I tell people all the time… don’t get so wrapped up on solar panel efficiency. I get it – you want the best. The most efficient solar panel on earth sounds exactly what you are looking for. But is it in your best interest? The current leader for panels that are commonly available in the efficiency race is likely Sunpower. …
How To Install A Generator With Existing Solar Panels
This article is intended for our colleagues who install whole-home generators in Southwest Florida. Licensed electricians often don’t realize they are creating a hazardous situation that could severely damage equipment. Warranties for generators or solar inverters can be voided by failing to take into account important factors. We have seen this time and time again, so we wanted to point …
The Solar Microinverter vs. Power Optimizer Reliability Debate
When considering options for a solar photovoltaic system, reliability is an obvious factor. Most clients first ask about solar panel reliability. However, solar panels are very reliable, and rarely the source of failure in a solar energy system. The number one source of failure and service issues is the electronics in the system, not the solar panels. In this article, …
The Importance of Solar Roof Attachments
I find it very strange that solar photovoltaic system proposals and contracts often leave out one of the most important things. How are you attaching them to the roof? It seems like an obvious thing, but clients rarely ask and salespeople rarely bring it up. Yet this is a critical aspect of a solar energy system installation. There are many …
Your Roof Is Not Good For Solar Panels
Well, maybe not YOUR roof, but you would be surprised at how many people we have to let down. Not every roof is great for solar panels. This can be a big disappointment to homeowners. Believe me – we are equally disappointed in knowing that we have an eager client’s goal that we cannot fulfill. There are several things that …
Solar Panel Shading Analysis | How We Do It
Sometimes there are obstructions shading the location where solar panels are going to be installed. It is critical to evaluate shading over the course of the days of the year and hours of the day. Back in the “old days,” we used some industry-specific manual tools and paper charts. We could accurately evaluate the shade location on a given day …
Can I Put Solar Pool Heating Panels In The Shade
A couple of years ago I did an article and short video on how shade affects solar electric panels. Solar pool heating panels are different, and shade affects them differently. While it’s always best to avoid shading with any type of solar panel, sometimes there just isn’t a suitable roof or there isn’t enough roof space. Sometimes the neighbors have …
Using Drones to Create 3D Solar Panel Layouts
We’re leading the way in the industry with our use of drones in solar contracting and with 3D computer modeling. While our competitors are stuck in the dark ages of creating a chicken scratch drawing of solar panels layouts or flat aerial images at best, we are utilizing sophisticated tools to create rich sales presentations, construction drawings, and marketing collateral. …