Do Solar Homes need batteries?

Although batteries are becoming more popular, most solar houses don’t have them. Instead, most consumers send their excess energy to their utility as credit toward their power usage when the panels aren’t collecting enough, such as at night. Without a battery, if your utility loses power, your home does, too, even when it’s sunny.

Can you put solar panels on a old roof?

If your roof is old, the answer is no—at least not until you replace it. Asphalt shingles that are 10 years old or more should be replaced before adding a solar array on top, says Ana Almerini, a spokesperson for SolarReviews. New solar panels are warrantied to last, on average, 25 years, while most roofs are warrantied for 30 years or less.

How much does a photovoltaic system cost?

Costs vary from state to state and depend on things like the size and quality of the solar array. Nationally, the average cost for a residential photovoltaic system is about $20,000 after 30% in federal tax credits, according to EnergySage.com, an information website for residential alternative energy. Be a smarter, better informed investor.

What happens if a solar panel goes down?

With a traditional string inverter system, if one panel goes down, the whole system can go down with it. With an Enphase Energy System, every solar panel is equipped with its own microinverter, so if one panel slips into the shade or experiences a rare glitch, the other panels keep generating power.

Do solar panels reduce emissions?

Considering the average U.S. household uses 10,791 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity annually, switching to solar power has the same emissions reduction effect as planting 125 trees every year or eliminating the annual production of 8,308 pounds of coal. Unlike fossil fuels, solar panels don’t emit pollutants when producing power.