..read more

Pollen Season!  Yep it’s hear again.  That hated time of year for most allergy sufferers like myself.   Of course your solar panels will feel the pain too!  Pollen levels in NC get so high that the whole world is covered in a layer of yellow dust for a while.   At this time of year you will see a marked reduction in the output of your solar panels as well.   The first rain should wash the panels clear as long they are mounted at a decent angle.    Panels that are mounted flat or at a 10 degree pitch will likely keep a lot dust on them ..read more

See Dan on the roof installing a the PV quick mount flashing ..read more

If you’ve ever looked closely at your electric bill, you’ve probably noticed abbreviations like “kWH” and “kW”. You might also have information like “Total kWH” and “Average kWH per day” on your bill. But do you know what those abbreviations and numbers mean? You may know, or have guessed, that KW refers to kilowatts. KWH is the abbreviation for kilowatt hour. Knowing these terms can help you better understand how you’re being charged for electricity, which appliances use the most energy, and how to lower your bills every month. Kilowatt vs. Kilowatt Hour A kilowatt is a measure of power that ..read more

With Hurricane Arthur, the first named storm of the year, brushing the coast of North Carolina weeks before the official start of hurricane season, meteorologists are predicting a very active season in 2020. With hurricanes come property damage, power outages, and much more. Customers often wonder whether solar panels can withstand hurricane-force winds and whether they’ll continue to provide power when a storm hits. The answer to both of those questions is yes! Solar panels are designed and built to withstand rain, heavy wind, and even hail. And more than that, solar panels with a battery sys ..read more

Hire a reliable NC solar company In terms of your decision to install solar panels in your home, you would definitely be looking for a residential solar company. Even though you might be under the impression that this would be something that you would be able to do on your own, it would be a much better idea to let the experts handle it. Therefore, when looking for such a company, you would definitely want someone who would be both reliable and experienced. In addition, if you would be facing this kind of a situation for the first time in your life, you might be scared of making the wrong deci ..read more

What you need to know about Solar with a Backup Battery If you want power when the grid goes down you have the choice of getting a generator or a solar with battery backup system. (Also called an off grid solar system.) An off grid solar system will cost more than a generator but is far superior if correctly designed. Here is why: No Fuel Needed! The sun and batteries are your power source now! And they will replenish as soon as the sun comes out. This is obviously the most important one. If you have a generator, when the grid goes out and the generator kicks on, you immediately start countin ..read more

Are you interested in saving money on your electric bills by producing your own clean energy? This can become a reality with an investment in a home solar energy system, and after 2015 its going to cost you 35% more! The NC state tax credit, a whopping 35% of system cost, will be expiring at the end of this year.  The price per watt of solar panels has consistently dropped since inception of the state and federal tax credits for solar in 2007 and has never been lower!   With this credit ending we can expect to see net cost for homeowners to increase back towards the prices we sa ..read more

We recently installed an 8kw ground mount pv system with battery back up for a customer in Johnston County.   Now his refrigerator, well pumps, kitchen, living room and bed room circuits all off the grid.  All other circuits are still powered by the utility however his solar system should net zero or come close to zeroing out his annual electric bills because any extra energy that is produced when his batteries are full is exported to the grid and credited against his monthly electric bill.   He has a great application in that the solar panels are facing ..read more

Unfortunately there are scammers and charlatans in any industry.  I’ve talked before about the things a solar buyer needs to beware. However, here is a new scam I thought my customers would want to know about. Here is an article about a contractor claiming to be with Solarworld who would take deposits from customers and disappear.  This happened multiple times and he was just arrested finally. http://www.witn.com/news/crime/headlines/Scam-Suspects-Wanted-In-Two-Counties-240100991.html Worth remembering to only do business with a reputable contractor ..read more