Claremont is the brightest town under the sun.
400 Claremont homes are powered by the sun & counting!
Get Solar Bids Easily with Pick My Solar
Sustainable Claremont has partnered with Pick My Solar, a free, independent online marketplace that provides expert advice and allows you to easily compare custom bids from qualified local installers who compete to work on your solar project, saving you hours of time and an average of $4,375 on a typical system. Pick My Solar will donate $500 to Sustainable Claremont for every system installed.
More About Pick My Solar
FAQs about solar
1. Individual photovoltaic (PV) cells are connected to panels. Solar panels convert sunlight into direct current (DC) electricity. <br>2. Inverter converts direct current (DC) into alternating current (AC) for electricity.<br>3. The utility meter records the net amount of energy generated through the PV system. When your solar system generates more electricity than you’re using, your meter will spin backward and the excess electricity is sent to the electric grid. This helps to offset the cost of your electricity usage at night or on cloudy days when your system is not producing electricity. A PV system that is designed, installed, and maintained well will operate for more than 20 years. The basic PV module (interconnected, enclosed panel of PV cells) has no moving parts and can last more than 30 years. The best way to ensure and extend the life and effectiveness of your PV system is by having it installed and maintained properly. Experience has shown that most problems occur because of poor or sloppy system installation.
SoCal Edison is required to comply with Assembly Bill 920 (signed into law in 2009), which states that customers on the Net Energy Metering Rate Schedule are eligible to receive compensation for net surplus electricity. *****
Haven’t you heard? Green is the new black— being environmentally conscious is always cool! In the last ten years there’s been a growing awareness of how smart renewable energy is from both environmental and economic perspective. For homeowners who don’t like the look of traditional solar panels, they now come in many forms, colors and styles, including thin-film and non-reflective solar panel roofing shingles.
In reality, we’re still using the same solar technology we were back in the 1960’s. Since then, solar has become only moderately more efficient (unlike computers or cellphones which experience dramatic improvements in short periods of time). Given this stable technology profile and the 30 percent federal solar tax credit (plus many state incentive programs) solar makes sense right now. Once installed, your panels will continue to work for decades.
The Investment Tax Credit (“ITC”) is a 30 percent federal tax credit for solar systems on residential and commercial properties that, under current law, remains in effect through December 31, 2016.
With residential sized projects the homeowner applies the credit to his/her income taxes. This credit goes to homeowners who purchase solar systems outright or with a loan, rather than those who lease or get a PPA.
The future of the ITC after 2016 is unknown. <br>
<a href=”http://www.seia.org/policy/finance-tax/solar-investment-tax-credit“> Read More about the ITC </a>
Net energy metering, or “NEM”, is a special billing arrangement that provides credit to customers with solar PV systems for the full retail value of the electricity their system generates. Under NEM, the customer’s electric meter keeps track of how much electricity is consumed by the customer, and how much excess electricity is generated by the system and sent back into the electric utility grid. Over a 12-month period, the customer has to pay only for the net amount of electricity used from the utility over-and-above the amount of electricity generated by their solar system (in addition to monthly customer transmission, distribution, and meter service charges they incur).
If your roof is old and/or is in poor condition, it may be a good idea to replace it prior to installing solar. That way you won’t have to remove and reinstall the panels if the existing roof requires replacement during the lifetime of the solar system. A licensed roofing contractor can let you know how much life is left on your old roof and will give you a recommendation on whether or not you should get a new roof before you install your panels.<br>Once the solar panels are installed, the panels will actually help protect your roof from wear and damage by blocking ultraviolet rays and by preventing most snow, rain, hail, or anything for that matter from hitting the roof. They’ll even keep your home cooler in the summer heat!
Solar does not make sense for all roofs and a solar contractor will be able to assess if your roof receives enough direct sunlight to justify a solar system.
In the event of a blackout, your inverter will automatically shut down for safety reasons. Thus you will not have electricity until power is restored to the grid.
Yes, however, the productivity of solar panels decreases as the amount of received sunlight lessens. Lucky for us, we live in sunny SoCal and get almost 300 sunny days a year!
