Photovoltaic design parameters incorporate variables such as angle of the sun, latitude, angle of your roof, type of modules you select, and electrical code restrictions.  These parameters offer only a sample of the issues that need to be balanced and considered in the proper design and implementation of any grid-tied PV system.  Off-grid PV systems are even more complicated in their design, incorporating batteries, generators, and site conditions and personal lifestyle comfort considerations.

 On a national level, the National Board of Certified Energy Practicioners (NABCEP) trains, certifies and tracks those individuals that make a living designing and installing PV and solar thermal systems.  Think of NABCEP as the governing board that regulates and set standards across the nation for those companies or individuals who make a living in the solar world.  At Hydro Electric, LLC, the owner and manager (Mike Carmien) has been certified by NABCEP for Solar PV since April, 2007

 In addition to the NABCEP certification, our staff undergoes continued NABCEP-certified PV training seminars and vendor dealership training courses to keep abreast of the latest design and safety considerations, as well as product applications.  Hydro Electric is also certified for PV installations involving grant monies made available by the State of Colorado Governor's Energy Office (GEO).  Please visit COSEIA's web site at http://www.coseia.org/newsite/index.php?id=48 for a description of COSEIA's standards for PV certification.

 Hydro Electric is also licensed by the City of Fort Collins as a PV Supervisor and Installer, allowing all our clients to become eligible for the PV rebates offered by the City and the GEO.

 

PV Design and Payback Period

 Generally, with utility rebates and federal tax credits, the payback time of a solar system can run from 5-8 years. The most significant variables in this analysis include the amount of the rebate afforded by your utility company and your current electrical consumption, which will dictate the amount of PV you will need to eliminate your electric bill.  But the payback period begins the day your PV system is commissioned, and can last as long as your PV system is operational.  This means your investment will be providing a return for nearly 30 years!  Although your PV system will have paid for itself in 5 to 8 years, your investment keeps providing a return for years to come.  And, as the utility company continues to raise their rates, your rate of return (%) continues to climb accordingly.  In addition, the utility company must buy back the excess energy you create from a PV system.

 One of the most important design considerations is the correct sizing of the PV system you need to minimize the period in which your investment is fully returned.  Because the 2010 cost of solar modules is on the order of $500-$800 per panel, the PV project costs becomes 3/4 material costs and 1/4 labor.  Therefore, it is essential to minimize material costs by not overdesigning your PV system, sizing it to your household needs and energy practices rather than becoming your own electrical substation.  In this manner, we will customize your capital investment on your home to not only minimize the period it takes to recoup the initial investment but then to allow it to make you money through  the elimination of your hefty monthly electrical bill!  Even though your utility company will pay you a retail rate for any excess power you create over a one year period, the numbers do not make sense to over build your PV system.  The payback period on that additional investment is staggering, and simply does not make economical sense.

 To customize a PV design to match your electrical consumption rates, we will ask to review your past electrical bills (also available through your utility provider if you have not saved them) to determine an annual average consumption of electricity.  The consumption rate on which you are billed monthly is expressed by your utility company in units of kilo-watt hours (kWh).  Typical monthly consumption varies per household, depending upon such factors as to the type of lighting, appliances (electrical or gas), Jacuzzis, baseboard heating, etc.

 The design goal of most every grid-tied PV system we are involved in is to bring your home to "net zero" on an ANNUAL basis.  That is, the amount of energy you produce with your PV system on an annual basis covers all of your electrical energy demands for the year, therefore your net consumption of utility coal-based power over the same year is "zero".  Please keep in mind that some months you produce more than you use (summer), and other months (winter) you consume more than your PV system can produce.  The goal is to bring you towards net zero on an annual basis, maximizing your rate of return on your investment by eliminating an entire year's worth of electricity bills, and not just a portion of that expense!