How Solar Works A Guide for Residential, Grid-Connected PV Systems © 2012 American Solar Electric. All rights reserved. http://www.americanpv.com/ Call (480) 994-1440 today!

Sunlight Photon hit the solar panels Panels convert these Photons into electrons More energy is produced in more sunlight How Solar Works © 2012 American Solar Electric. All rights reserved. http://www.americanpv.com/ Call (480) 994-1440 today!

Transfer Electrons to inverter Convert “DC” power to “AC” power Use AC power in the home for running electronic equipment and appliances How Solar Works © 2012 American Solar Electric. All rights reserved. http://www.americanpv.com/ Call (480) 994-1440 today!

How Solar Works with Grid-Connected Systems Net metering is used to track power Excess energy not used by your household will be routed to your utility through the meter and credited to your account You can tap into this credit when energy isn’t being produced – like when it’s cloudy or at night How Solar Works © 2012 American Solar Electric. All rights reserved. http://www.americanpv.com/ Call (480) 994-1440 today!

Net metering Virtual back-up system With a grid-connected system, you get the best of both worlds: Low-cost solar energy produced by your system with any excess being “sold” back to the utility; Access to power from your utility whenever you need it. How Solar Works © 2012 American Solar Electric. All rights reserved. http://www.americanpv.com/ Call (480) 994-1440 today!

Grid-connected installations Meter runs backwards when you’re producing energy! You only get charged for electricity from your utility when you exhaust your net metering credits. How Solar Works © 2012 American Solar Electric. All rights reserved. http://www.americanpv.com/ Call (480) 994-1440 today!

Off-grid systems are not typical How Solar Works © 2012 American Solar Electric. All rights reserved. http://www.americanpv.com/ Call (480) 994-1440 today!

How Solar Works Without Batteries A grid-connected system does not require battery use or have battery-related expenses An off-grid system requires batteries to store energy and provide it when the sun isn’t shining If you’re located close to a utility, the best option is to invest in a grid-connected system How Solar Works © 2012 American Solar Electric. All rights reserved. http://www.americanpv.com/ Call (480) 994-1440 today!

How Solar Works with Utility Billing When your solar system is producing energy and you’re using that energy to power your home, you won’t be billed from the utility You get credited for all the unused energy your system sends back to the utility! How Solar Works © 2012 American Solar Electric. All rights reserved. http://www.americanpv.com/ Call (480) 994-1440 today!

About the Author Joy Seitz is VP of Business & Policy Development at American Solar, one of Arizona's leading solar companies who designs and installs solar electric systems and solar hot water systems. Visit us at http://www.americanpv.com for more information about How Solar Works. How Solar Works © 2012 American Solar Electric. All rights reserved. http://www.americanpv.com/ Call (480) 994-1440 today!