Much has been made in recent years regarding the use of Solar Energy as a clean, renewable alternative to our use of fossil fuels.

The Coachella Valley is perhaps the most ideal place in the country, or indeed the world, to make use of this technology because of our high electrical rates, abundant sunshine, and availability of California rebates and incentives to defray the significant costs of purchasing and installing a system.

There are 3 main applications for Solar usage:

• Electrical Generation (Photo-Voltaic or PV)
• Pool Heating
• Hot Water Heating

This section will deal with the ins and outs of Electrical Generation (PV Systems). Pool and Hot Water Heating are covered on our 'Water' page.

THE BASICS

A Typical Solar PV application consists of multiple Solar Panels connected to an Inverter (changes the DC electrictity to AC electricity used in your home) that is then tied into your home's electrical system.

The home is normally still connected to the 'grid' - meaning that you still receive electricity form your electric company. This is necessary because your Solar System only produces electricity while the Sun is shining, and most people prefer to have electricity available at night to operate lighting, appliances, televisions, and computers. There are ways to store the electricity produced during the day through large banks of batteries that charge during the day and are depleted at night - but most people find this method cost prohibitive in areas where electricity is readily available.

NET METERING

With your home remaining connected to the Grid, your electric meter will spin forward normally when you are using electricity and spin backwards when your Solar System is producing more electricity than you are using at any given time.

To eliminate your electical bill, your Solar System must be 'sized' to balance the amount of energy your home uses on a yearly basis with the amount of energy your Solar Panels will generate.

FIRST STEP

The first step in obtaining a Solar Generation System is the one most often overlooked or skipped in the excitement to eliminate your electric bill - DO EVERYTHING POSSIBLE TO REDUCE YOUR HOME'S BASE ELECTICAL USAGE.

The cost of Solar Panels is generally far greater than most of the things you can do FIRST to bring your annual electrical usage down. For instance, purchasing a PV Generation system to generate additional electricity to operate an inefficient air conditioner will cost more than replacing the air conditioner with an efficient one.

A Solar Generation System to power a typical 2,000 Sq. Ft. home will cost in the neighborhood of $50,000 before rebates or incentives.

There are several methods to bring down your electrical usage showcased in other pages of this site.

TNT STRONGLY RECOMMENDS that you investigate these solutions prior to specifying and commiting to Solar Generation. Once these more cost-effective solutions are in place, we can help you with specifying your PV system at the proper size and lowest cost for your situation.