Description of How it Works
The state of Illinois recommends residential users obtain photovoltaic (PV) systems that are connected to the grid instead of storing extra energy in batteries which don’t last very long and are pricey. In an article titled Net Metering and Interconnection, the Illinois Attorney General states that grid electricity providers are mandated to “participate in the net-metering program” by allowing homeowners with PV electricity generating systems to connect to the grid. The grid provider is mandated to buy the homeowner’s excess electricity at the same price for which they (the utility provider) charge them for their grid electricity. In addition, the utility provider is responsible to exchange the house’s electricity meter for a dual-channel meter (to be able to measure the electricity sent back into the grid) at no cost to the homeowner whose PV system is below 40 kW. And since the average residence in Illinois would use a 5 kW system to cover 100% of their electricity use. Most homeowners will not need to pay for exchanging their electricity meter.
On Meet Powerwall, your home battery, an article on a webpage with the same name, Tesla offers an electricity backup home battery with a range of “continuous power during an outage of 7+ days.” This battery is “scalable up to 10 Powerwalls” and is sold with “10-year warranty” at an individual price of $6,600.00 plus installation cost and taxes. Since this information tells that there is a high price to buy a battery to store your electricity, if you can store your electricity by selling it to the grid provider and buying it back at the same price then you don’t need to buy an array of batteries for the months when there isn’t much sunlight.
Martha Maeda published a book titled How to Solar Power your Home. Which explains how off-grid systems operate completely independent from the grid while on-grid systems operate connected to the grid using it as an energy storage. Her book recommends battery backup systems for on-grid systems only in the event of frequent power outages (75-78). Furthermore, solar panels are meant to continue generating electricity for a long time. In a study by Tom Lombardo, titled What is the Lifespan of a Solar Panel? The engineer explains that “For monocrystalline silicon, the most commonly used panel for commercial and residential PV, the degradation rate is less than 0.5% for panels made before 2000, and less than 0.4% for panels made after 2000.” That means that a panel manufactured today should produce over 92% of its original power capacity after 20 years of use. And they would probably be very good for another five or ten years after that. Therefore, if they have already been payed off, the homeowner would avail himself of a decade of electricity production that has already been payed off.
Knowing their cost, lifespan and the value they provide to saving the environment and some money. I would definitely want to be one of the trendsetters with those shinny blue or black panels sitting on my roof, silently converting the natural sunlight into electricity my house and my community will use.
On Meet Powerwall, your home battery, an article on a webpage with the same name, Tesla offers an electricity backup home battery with a range of “continuous power during an outage of 7+ days.” This battery is “scalable up to 10 Powerwalls” and is sold with “10-year warranty” at an individual price of $6,600.00 plus installation cost and taxes. Since this information tells that there is a high price to buy a battery to store your electricity, if you can store your electricity by selling it to the grid provider and buying it back at the same price then you don’t need to buy an array of batteries for the months when there isn’t much sunlight.
Martha Maeda published a book titled How to Solar Power your Home. Which explains how off-grid systems operate completely independent from the grid while on-grid systems operate connected to the grid using it as an energy storage. Her book recommends battery backup systems for on-grid systems only in the event of frequent power outages (75-78). Furthermore, solar panels are meant to continue generating electricity for a long time. In a study by Tom Lombardo, titled What is the Lifespan of a Solar Panel? The engineer explains that “For monocrystalline silicon, the most commonly used panel for commercial and residential PV, the degradation rate is less than 0.5% for panels made before 2000, and less than 0.4% for panels made after 2000.” That means that a panel manufactured today should produce over 92% of its original power capacity after 20 years of use. And they would probably be very good for another five or ten years after that. Therefore, if they have already been payed off, the homeowner would avail himself of a decade of electricity production that has already been payed off.
Knowing their cost, lifespan and the value they provide to saving the environment and some money. I would definitely want to be one of the trendsetters with those shinny blue or black panels sitting on my roof, silently converting the natural sunlight into electricity my house and my community will use.
Works Cited:
Lombardo, Tom. “What Is the Lifespan of a Solar Panel?” Designer Edge. Engineer.com, 20 Apr. 2014. www.engineering.com/DesignerEdge/DesignerEdgeArticles/ArticleID/7475/What-Is-the-Lifespan-of-a-Solar-Panel.aspx. Accessed 8 Apr. 2018.
Maeda, Martha. How to Solar Power your Home. 2nd ed. Ocala, Florida. Atlantic Publishing Group Inc., 2015.
“Meet powerwall, your home battery.” Tesla, 2018. www.tesla.com/powerwall. Accessed 24 Apr. 2018
“Net Metering and Interconnection,” Illinois Attorney General, 2018. www.illinoisattorneygeneral.gov/environment/netmetering.html. Accessed 6 Apr. 2018.
Maeda, Martha. How to Solar Power your Home. 2nd ed. Ocala, Florida. Atlantic Publishing Group Inc., 2015.
“Meet powerwall, your home battery.” Tesla, 2018. www.tesla.com/powerwall. Accessed 24 Apr. 2018
“Net Metering and Interconnection,” Illinois Attorney General, 2018. www.illinoisattorneygeneral.gov/environment/netmetering.html. Accessed 6 Apr. 2018.