How Solar Panels Work

Solar panels convert sunlight into D/C electricity which flows through a device called an inverter that creates usable A/C Electricity. The A/C electricity is then used in your home replacing electricity that you would have otherwise purchased from the grid, which reduces your electricity bill cost.

Yes, you will export excess solar electricity to the grid when the amount of electricity produced by the solar array is greater than the amount you are using inside your building. You earn a credit on your electricity bill. Essentially the grid acts as your battery!

On cloudy days or at night, the solar panels won’t produce enough electricity to feed your electrical loads. In this situation, you import electricity from the grid as you would before getting solar. You pay for this electricity in the same way as before you had solar.

No! Most solar installations are grid-connected solar. This means that the grid acts as your battery allowing you to send excess electricity to the grid and import electricity from the grid when needed. Batteries are an extra option to power your home during blackouts. See our recent blog for more details about different battery options.

Check out our grants and incentives page for more info.  

The Solar Club is a non-government program that improves cost savings for owners of solar PV in Alberta. Solar Club members can switch between a high electricity rate and a low electricity rate depending on seasonal variation in their Solar energy production. Check out our solar club page for more info.  

In Alberta the Solar Club allows you to build up a significant credit in the summer months. In some cases, people are able to have $0 electricity bills all year round. This is possible because the solar club credit is a financial credit, so it can be applied to fixed fees. A solar array that covers at least 100% of your annual electricity needs (net-zero) is required to make $0 bills possible.

It depends! If possible, solar installers will size your system to cover your annual electricity needs (net-zero electrically). In some cases, you may not have enough roof space to reach net zero. Even a system that doesn’t get you to net-zero electricity production can still be a great financial investment.

There are many different types of solar panel systems:

• Grid-connected solar – This is the most common system. Your home remains connected to the grid. You are able to sell electricity to the grid when your solar is overproducing and draw electricity from the grid when your solar is underproducing. The grid acts as your battery!
• Off-grid solar – This requires batteries or some type of energy storage device. Off-grid solar can be great in situations where a grid electrical connection is extremely expensive or when the grid is unreliable. Batteries are very expensive and rarely make sense from a purely financial perspective.
• Hybrid system – It is possible to remain connected to the grid and have a battery backup in case the grid goes down. The battery will provide power to “essential loads” during a blackout.

There are two main ways that solar panels can be mounted on your property

• Rooftop solar – This is the most common way to mount solar panels. A racking system is used to mount the solar panels to the roof of a building. Your racking system is designed and stamped by engineers to ensure it is secure and safe.
• Ground-mounted solar – Solar panels can also be mounted on the ground when roof space is limited and land is available. This is typically 10% – 25% more expensive than mounting solar on your roof due to longer cable runs, increased racking materials and piling costs.

Pros:

• Can be aligned perfectly south to optimize electricity production
• Not restricted by roof space

Cons:

• Typically 10-20% more expensive than an equivalently sized rooftop system
• Uses up valuable land space

The rule of thumb is if your roof has less than 5 years of life left on it, you should replace the shingles before getting solar. Solar will extend the life of the shingles underneath. If you do need to remove the solar for a roof replacement down the road, you could expect to add $2,000 – $4,000 to the cost of your roof replacement. The solar panels will be removed and the roofers will replace the shingles around the racking.

Your electricity bill is made up of fixed fees that you cannot change as well as variable fees that are tied to your electricity use and will be reduced by solar. Electric energy and transmission charges are variable. The distribution charge is made up of a variable charge as well as a fixed daily charge. The rest of the fees like administration, balancing pool, rate riders, and franchise fees are all typically smaller charges and are fixed. So a significant portion of your bill is actually made of variable charges despite how your bill makes it appear. 

With no specific information about your home, we typically like to start the conversation at an average installation cost of $15,000 – $30,000 before grants. Having a steep roof, large solar array or rural property are factors that tend to lead to higher total solar installation costs. If you reach out to us we can provide you with a rough cost range based on recent quotes we have seen for properties similar to yours.

As shown above in the “how solar panels work” section, solar panels connect directly to your electrical panel. When solar electricity flows to your panel, it either gets distributed throughout your home or is sent to the grid. 

Yes, if you think that your usage will increase in the future or you only have a budget to start with a smaller system, we can size the inverter to allow room for more solar panels in the future. However, for cost reasons, it is ideal if you only need to install solar once.

A solar array can be expanded to include battery storage. The wiring of your grid-tied system can be easily changed to feed into your critical loads panel or battery bank, ensuring that you have power during outages. Note that batteries can be very expensive.

Tier 1 solar panels can withstand hail at over 200 km/h. Typically, any damage caused by extremely large hail would fall under your home insurance for replacement.

Unlike the engine in your car, solar panels are a very simple technology with no moving parts and don’t require much maintenance. In some cases, a panel may malfunction and need replacement which would fall under the manufacturer’s warranty. With a grid-tied system, you may need to manually remove leaves or other debris that drop on the panels over time.

In the same way you would insure any other upgrade that adds value to your home, we recommend that you insure your solar system. If your current insurance provider is unwilling to insure your system, there are several insurance companies out there that are happy to cover solar panels. 

All Glean solar installers will offer an installation warranty of 2-5 years that covers roof leak issues. However, if the installation is done properly and by professionals, you don’t need to worry about roof leaks.

Yes, but only around 5% a year. Since snow covers solar when there is little sunlight anyway, the effect of snow is relatively small. In the spring, the panels heat up and melt the snow off relatively quickly so there is no need to get on your roof to clean the snow off your panels. 

A home with low electricity bills will be more valuable than a home with high electricity bills (all other things equal). Additionally, as the price of grid electricity goes up your home with low electricity bills will increase in value.