Mary Seibert

In the age where anything can be learned from YouTube, it may be tempting to take on solar as a DIY project. However, this might be one of those times that it’s actually just in your best interest to let someone else do their job.

Let’s take a look at what goes into a solar project that a contractor can make sure goes as smoothly as possible.

A contractor will make sure your roof can withstand the load

Your roof has to be structurally sound

This is likely the most crucial piece of information to have before the project even begins. In some cases, homeowners choose to bundle the process of replacing their roof and having solar installed because it ends up saving them money in the long run and ensures that the roof is in good enough shape to support the panels.

Your roof has to be capable of withstanding an extreme weather event AND the panels

Here is one example of information that a solar contractor can easily obtain, but that would be a lot harder for you to figure out.

Before beginning any solar install, a solar contractor is going to do an analysis on your roof compared to the area you live in to make sure that even if there is an extremely rare weather event, your roof will still be able to support the panels.

It’s one thing to know if the panels are okay up there on a sunny day, it’s something else completely to trust that they (and your roof) will be okay if there is a freak snow, hail or wind storm.

The panels have to fit without overloading any poiNt On The ROof

To ensure that your roof is not taking on too much weight in any one spot, a contractor will conduct an engineering report to figure out exactly how to arrange the panels on your roof to ensure that their weight is dispersed as evenly as possible while still being in a position that produces as much energy as possible.

A contractor has technology to take into account extreme heat, cloudy days, shade, location

Although I’m sure you know your area pretty well and you understand how often it’s sunny compared to cloudy etc., the exact measurements of these factors are really important in designing a system for your roof.

Solar panels work by collecting the light from the sun turning it into usable energy for your home. So it’s really important that small or even big, unexpected changed in the weather don’t change your ability to power your home!

For example, during the hottest months of the year, solar panels can actually lose up to 20-30% of their efficiency due to the extreme heat. Not to mention that there will be daily fluctuations based on the shadows that pass over your roof, the cloud cover, the time of year etc.

It’s very hard to make an estimation of exactly how all of these factors will affect the output of a solar system. Thankfully, solar contractors have access to technology that can do a lot of the calculation for them so that they can be certain you won’t be without power on an off-day, nor overcompensate and end up paying for more panels than you really need.

A contractor will know if it’s better for you to have a ground mount and can design one optimally

In some cases, after doing all of the inspection and running the analyses mentioned above, a contractor will discover that putting a solar system on your roof is not actually in your best interest.

If this is the case, they will be able to recommend other options for you including the possibility of a ground mount. Then, if a ground mount is the right option for you, they have the capability to design and build the perfect one to meet your needs at the lowest possible price point!

A contractor will have easy access to the required permitting offices

Building a new structure on your property, whether it’s on your roof or on your land, is going to require you to get specific permits from your local AHJ. If you’ve every tried to get permitting for anything, you know, this is not always an extremely smooth or painless process.

However, because solar companies are interacting with these jurisdictions every single day, they eventually build a relationship with each other that makes the process much easier for everyone. Being able to take advantage of this relationship, alone, might be worth the price of the contractor right there!

You won’t have the same warranties if you install the panels yourself

        Just like the relationships that exist between solar contractors and permitting offices, solar companies are going to be much more “in” with the manufacturers of the panels themselves.

This means that when it comes to your warranty, you are much more likely to be able to reap the benefits of a warranty when working with a contractor than when you’re advocating for yourself in a DIY project. Not to mention, many solar companies will take responsibility for getting your issue resolved and make sure that it happens as quickly as possible in order to maintain their good standing with you, the customer.

Even if you are able to get a warranty on the panels you purchase for your DIY project, you will likely have many more hoops to jump through should you ever end up needing to fall back on that warranty.

It will take you A LOT of time and every set back will fall directly on your shoulders

This may seem obvious but I can’t leave it unsaid: installing solar panels yourself as a DIY would be a huge undertaking! It is going to take lots of time and energy and every little hiccup along the way will fall onto your shoulders.

You probably already have a job that you’re really good at! There also happen to be people who have this job, and they’re really good at this. Why not let a contractor help you out so you can spend your time where it’s most valuable?

https://youtu.be/tKRXmU-ZLoU

Solar energy is quickly becoming a preferred way to power the home for many homeowners. You’ve probably seen plenty of panels popping up near your home! Solar can be a great investment for a home but before it can be installed, there are a few requirements your roof will have to meet in order to make sure the system and your roof will be safe.

What Are The Roof Requirements For Solar?

In most cases, as long as your roof is structurally sound and has enough sun-facing surface area to fit the number of panels your home needs, your roof will be sufficient to install solar panels.

Though this is generally the case, it’s important to allow a professional to conduct a site survey to make sure that your roof is a good fit for solar. Here are some of the factors they’ll be looking at.

Your Roof Needs To Be Structurally Sound

The most important factor is just to make sure that your roof is structurally sound. This is something that your solar company will make sure of using engineering reports during your site survey. Interestingly, your roof doesn’t have to be particularly hard/strong like you might expect.

Each panel with all of its components weighs abouts 40 pounds which is dispersed over a surface area of about 18 ft—an amount that most roofs can easily support.

This is actually not a whole lot of weight per square foot. It would do a lot more damage a lot more quickly if the whole 40 pounds was confined to a smaller surface area. For example, if you went out and stood in one spot on your roof for the next 20 years, you would probably make a big hole! But since solar panels are designed to cover a lot of surface area in order to capture a lot of light, you don’t have to worry much about their added weight.

Your Roof Plus The Panels Must Be Able to Withstand Extreme Weather

The team that inspects your roof will have to make sure that together, your roof and the panels will be able to withstand even a 1000-year weather event, for example heavy ice and snow in the desert. (To read about how solar panels work when it’s not sunny, click here.)

This is something that roofing companies already ensure for the roof alone, and your solar company will double-check for the added weight of the solar panels. This is one of the major reasons it’s important to hire a professional to install your system, because they will have access to the technology that allows them to ensure your home will be protected.

Your Roof Must Have Enough Surface Area To Fit The Panels

In some cases, homes are built in such a way that the usable surface area of the roof is relatively small compared to the internal square footage of the home. For example, some multi-story homes get their square footage from their height rather than their width. It can also happen when a home is built close to other structures that shade the roof, like trees or other buildings.

When this is the case, it may be difficult to design a roof system that allows for enough solar panels to meet the energy needs of the home.

This is another great example of why working with a professional on this project is a good idea, because they can help you make sure your energy needs are being met 100%. If your roof isn’t able to fit a sufficient number of panels, your solar company may recommend that you use a ground mount instead.

With everyone talking about solar power and many homeowners making the switch, the name “solar” power might be a little bit confusing. Does that mean that our homes will only be powered when the sun is shining? What happens if it’s raining or when it’s night time?

Residential solar power works for your home around the clock—regardless of how sunny it is at a given moment.

It would not be a very well-designed system if we were only able to use power when the sun decided to shine! Thankfully, the engineers behind solar energy figured that out for us.

Does solar work when it’s cold outside?

Solar panel efficiency is not affected by the temperature outside. Solar panels use the energy from the light of the sun, not the heat. So as long as the sun is shining, your panels are producing some energy. And even when it’s not, your’e still covered–as we’ll see in the next section.

How do solar panels work when it’s raining, snowing, or cloudy?

Because solar panels use the energy from the light of the sun rather than the heat, the amount of energy they will produce in given weather conditions depends on how much cloud cover there is and how much light is still getting through to the panels.

Although you can likely expect the panels to be producing some energy in cloudy conditions, it might be as little as 10% of what you normally expect.

Thankfully, this doesn’t mean that the lights are going to go out in your house every time a cloud rolls by. Residential solar systems are set up so that they produce excess energy during the sunny times that can continue to power your home around the clock.

The energy is either banked with your local electric company, often in a program called “net metering,” or some homeowners opt to use their own battery storage system.

What are the optimal weather conditions for solar panels?

Interestingly, the most blazing hot summer months are not necessarily the best months for solar energy production like you might expect.

In very hot climates, the best months for solar production are May and September. During these months the panels receive the same amount of light but not as much heat as during the mid-summer months. Solar panels can work 20-30% less efficiently in extreme heat.

The surface temperature of solar panels is about 20 degrees hotter than the outside temperature, so about 75 degrees outside is the optimal temperature for their production.

How do solar panels work at night?

Here’s a cool solar fact you probably didn’t know!

Solar panels produce a very small amount of energy from the light of the moon on a night that it is particularly bright.

Since solar panels obtain their energy from light, not heat, sometimes the moon is reflecting enough of the sun’s light onto your roof that the system is able to capture some of it’s energy.

Aside from that small amount of production, a residential solar system will continue to power your home throughout the night by using the credit from the excess energy you added to the grid during the day–the process called Net Metering.

https://youtu.be/QK3C3B1_mZA

https://youtu.be/-iYhL7_41I4

 

It seems like everyone is making the switch to solar energy. It’s a great way to make a positive impact on the environment while also making a good investment for your home!

But what if you don’t have a roof that is compatible with a solar system, or you just don’t like the look of panels on your roof?

Well, that’s where a ground mount might be the right choice!

Ground mounts can be a good alternative to a roof system if you don’t like the look of panels on the roof or there is not enough usable surface area on your roof. Although there is some additional upfront cost associated with a ground mount, in some cases they may end up being a cheaper option in the long run.

There are lots of rumors floating around about whether or not this type of system is a good option for homeowners, so let’s look at some of the pros and cons of ground mounts.

Cons of A Solar ground mount

Additional permitting may be required

Depending on where you live and what your local and neighborhood laws are about zoning, you may have to get approval to build a new structure on your property before moving forward with building a ground mount. This can take a few days or a few months depending on your exact circumstances!

THe upfront cost may be higher

While panels that are installed on the roof are installed directly to the rafters already on your roof, a ground mount will require a new structure to be built to the right specifications for your needs. Because of this, there is some additional upfront cost when compared to a roof solar system.

It takes up space on your land

This may seem obvious but it is certainly a point to consider! You will have to be sure that you have the space on your property to fit a ground mount where it is not going to be in the way or cause any headache down the line. You will likely work closely with your project manager to make sure your ground mount is designed and place exactly as you’d like it to be!

Pros of A SOlar ground mount

The overall cost may be lower than a roof system

This is a big one!

Although there is more upfront cost associated with having a ground mount built, in the long run you will often pay less than you would for a roof system because you likely won’t need as many panels as you would if they were on the roof.

This is because your project manager will work with you to make sure that the ground mount is placed and designed to work as efficiently as possible. With a ground mount you have more freedom to make sure that the panels are not shaded, there are no obstructions, and the panels can be angled to the most optimal position. You don’t get this kind of freedom when designing a roof system which is why you may end up needing more panels in that scenario.

Because of the possibility of optimization that a ground mount offers, you may be able to use fewer panels to produce the same amount of energy that more panels would be needed to produce on your roof.

Fewer panels = lower cost !

They are easier to clean

For the most part, solar panels don’t need to be cleaned very often. But occasionally, something does interfere with the output of a panel and they need to be inspected and/or cleaned. In this case, it can be a bit of a headache to have to get on to your roof or have someone else come out and do so.

With a ground mount, it is much easier to actually take a look at the tops of the panels and see what’s going on!

You never have to worry about moving them

Unfortunately it’s just a fact of life that occasionally roofs need to be replaced or repaired. When this time comes and you have a solar system on your roof, you have to remove the solar panels before the work can be done to the roof. And once it’s over, they have to be replaced.

With a ground mount, you never have to worry about moving the panels if and when something goes awry with your roof. They will be a free-standing system that doesn’t need much attention at all!

You can get creative and start a garden underneath

This is a fun one. A solar ground mount will be a new structure in your yard. Which means, new possibilities! Many homeowners take advantage of the new little ecosystem that is created beneath the ground mount by starting an herb garden. You can get creative and think about what you might do with your space!

Now that you know some of the major pros and cons of getting a solar ground mount, you can be certain that you are happy with your choice to switch your home over to solar power!

If you’re ready to talk to someone about your options for going solar, click here!

https://youtu.be/BIzQ09iAm4s

Do solar panels harm wildlife?

Switching to solar energy is supposed to be helpful to the environment, right? So what’s really going on with residential and commercial solar, do solar panels actually harm wildlife?

Rest assured, you residential solar system is not going to hurt the environment.

Residential solar panels do not harm wildlife when installed properly. Some large-scale solar plants have caused disruptions in the surrounding ecosystems because of the heat produced by the panels, the increased fire risk, and in some cases the water usage. More testing still needs to be done in order to determine the full long-term effect that these plants might have on wildlife.

How can commercial solar plants potentially harm wildlife?

One of the most obvious reasons these plants can cause harm to wildlife is simply due to the fact that in order to create the space to build the plant, some of the ecosystem will be cleared—leaving the resident animals to find a new place to live.

Other factors that could be possibly damaging to the wildlife are noise and light pollution, fire risk, and water consumption. (pollutant spills, electromagnetic field energy field flows)

However, compared to nuclear plants which produce radioactive waste, these potential impacts seem pretty manageable!

Do my residential panels harm wildlife?

Residential solar does not pose any major threat to wildlife. If you live in an area where there are small animals around your house including birds, squirrels, raccoons etc., and depending on the design of your system, it’s possible that these critters might try to burrow under your panels. However, this probably poses more of a problem for you than it does the critters!

You will likely have an option when installing your solar system to have a “critter guard” installed to make sure that no small animals try to help themselves to your panels as their new home. This will keep them safe from getting stuck etc., and it will help to keep the wiring of your system intact and your panels clean for longer!

Is the disposal of solar panels bad for the environment?

We are making leaps and bounds every year with how we recycle the materials (aluminum, silicon, copper.) It’s not a perfect system yet! But considering your panels will be on your roof for the next 30-50 years, it’s highly probable that by the time your panels are ready to be disposed of we’ll have a much more efficient system to recycle them.

https://youtu.be/Gp-NaQykY_g