Solar FAQ

Remote solar monitoring allows for web-based real-time viewing of your home’s energy consumption and your solar installation‘s production, meaning you can show your co-workers and make sure your kids aren’t running up the electric bill by leaving every light in the house on while you’re at the office.

Yes, according to a June 2015 report from investment bank UBS. Solar energy (and home solar energy in particular) seems to be in an exciting growth stage, and the UBS report confirms this. The analysts concluded that global solar installations could represent 10% of the world’s electricity supply within a decade. The UBS analysts believe that solar will beat nuclear and coal power to become the “default” power generation technology. This report comes on the heels of two September 2014 reports by the International Energy Agency (IEA), which offer a roadmap for solar becoming the largest source of electricity by mid-century.

Earlier this year PG&E changed the eligibility requirements for their “solar friendly” A-6 tariff. The change means that many new industrial and commercial solar projects will lose significant value because they are no longer able to take advantage of the substantial net metering credit offered by the tariff.

Luckily for us, solar panel maintenance is very easy. Simply inspect your panels a few times a year to make sure they are not dirty, and rinse them off with a garden hose if they are. That’s it!

Net energy metering (NEM) is a system which compensates homeowners who own or lease rooftop and ground-mounted solar arrays and other renewable energy generation sources at full retail price. Since 1996 net energy metering has been a mainstay of the California solar market. It is the means through which solar customer’s energy meter’s “spin backward,” giving them credit for their surplus power being fed into the grid.

If you want your 30% federal solar investment tax credit on the cost of going solar in 2015 your solar installation must be completed by December 31st, 2015.

One of the many benefits of going solar is receiving a federal tax credit of 30% of the price you pay after all other rebates and incentives have been applied. This means that a $10,000 solar PV system will result in a federal tax credit of $3,000 that you can claim for this tax year.

You’re finally ready to have your panels installed. You’ve gotten quotes, chosen a site, secured financing, acquired the necessary permits and HOA approval, and your family is coming over this weekend to eat a dinner cooked on your electric stove powered by the sun. This is the last place you want something to go wrong.

Do you know anyone who is looking to install a solar system in their home, office or agricultural business? If so, you can make an easy $1,000. It’s simple. Refer your friends, family or neighbors to our company’s Share the Sunshine and Get Paid Program and if they purchase a SunPower solar system with us, you get $1,000 in your pocket in the form of $500 cash and a $500 Tango gift card.

One of the benefits of going solar is that you will receive a federal tax credit in the amount of 30% of the price you pay after all other rebates and incentives have been applied. So if you pay $15,000 for a solar system you would have a federal tax credit of $5,000 that you can claim for that tax year.

With so many companies making solar panels it might seem hard to determine just what the best is. One way for Sacramento solar customers to determine which to choose is how many watts per square foot of panel area are produced. Solar panels have been typically 39” x 65” or 17.6 square feet and produce 250 watts, the better ones producing 345 watts for residential systems. The more output of the panels, the fewer of them you need and will allow the ability to add more in the future for an Electric Vehicle or a swimming pool. Another check point is where they are made and how long the panels have been in use; most companies are less than 5 years old with some being over 25 years in production. Warranties are a great way of telling how a company supports their product.