Grid-tied solar photovoltaics (PV)
Grid-tied solar electric systems utilize PV panel modules and solar inverters to deliver clean electricity.
Grid-tied solar PV systems avoid the need for solar batteries, which create additional expense and maintenance. The tradeoff with a grid-tied solar energy system is that there is no stored excess energy in the home – at night, on a cloudy day, or during times of high use, electricity is purchased from the grid.
It is possible to install a solar energy system that offsets all of your electricity consumption through the net metering arrangement described below. Since these solar systems are modular, a smaller system can be installed based upon your budget or site limitations.
Net Metering
Grid-tied solar PV systems require customers to enter into a relationship with their electrical utility, such as CMP.?Through the interconnection process, the utility reviews the type of equipment and size of the solar energy system to verify that the transmission grid can handle the output of the system when it is exporting power from the site. For most residential systems, no changes to the grid are required?to interconnect the system.
These systems first provide electricity to the electrical loads in the home or business. If the system generates more electricity than is being consumed, the excess is delivered to the grid. The utility?measures the amount of electricity that the PV system delivers to the grid and provides a credit to the owner’s utility bill. In Maine, we have 12 months to use this excess electricity. Owners are not compensated for any surplus electricity that is generated?during the 12-month cycle.
Grid-tied solar PV with storage
Solar battery storage can be incorporated with a grid-tied solar PV system to provide electricity when there is a power outage or to best utilize?time-of-use / peak demand electricity rates. New electrical storage options are quickly emerging in the market, and we actively evaluate these new technologies to determine their applicability to our customer’s specific energy needs.
We work with traditional lead acid battery storage, which is typically configured for?12V, 24V, or 48V, as well as emerging high voltage battery storage.
Click here for?samples of our?grid-tied?solar photovoltaic (PV) projects.
Monitoring
We offer system monitoring standard with every solar PV system we sell. If you have an Internet connection, our systems can provide remote energy monitoring that shows how much energy is being produced by the system and will send alerts to us if there are any issues that arise with the system. This provides accountability and quick response to any service issues that might arise.