SYNERGY SOLAR®

There are two types of solar. Solar electricity (called photovoltaics) and solar hot water (called solar thermal). Most commonly, when people say solar they are referring to photovoltaics.Photovoltaics work by converting light into electricity, which is then run into your service panel to be used in your house.

We have yet to meet a customer who regretted getting solar as early as they did in fact, everybody we talk to wishes they had gotten it sooner. Generally, people want to wait for three reasons: (1) they want to wait for better incentives and for prices to drop, (2) they want to wait for the right technology, and (3) they're not sure if they'll be in the same house down the road, so they fear losing the value of their investment. These are legitimate points, and facts and questions regarding each are given below.

There are two types of rebates available and these rebates are the reason that right now is the time to buy -- you have a federal credit of 30%, which is not a deduction, it's a tax credit -- which is dollar-for-dollar cash in your pocket. There's also a rebate, which is run through the utilities, and during the window it is available, it covers 20-30% of the cost of the system. Together, these cover around 50% of the cost of the system! Some people are waiting for stimulus money as well. If you haven't head about a residential solar program with regard to stimulus money, then it probably won't happen. On the other hand, if you work with a school, government entity, or municipality still keep your eyes open for your institution.

Boy, if we knew the answer to that question we'd be on Wall Street right now. The price of solar has stayed relatively constant over the past years, even increasing from 2005-2008 because of huge increases in demand, despite huge increases in production and supply. Right now, because demand has temporarily dropped due to the economy, prices too haved ecreased to some extent. With current rebates, the net price to the customer will actually be 30-60 percent less than what they'd be paying years down the road.

Many people think that solar is a new technology because it has become popular in only the past few years. However, solar as a technology is one of the oldest technologies around. Solar thermal technologies have existed for thousands of years, and photovoltaics were used before automobiles (first photovoltaic cell was built in 1883). Organizations like BellLaboratories and NASA have been developing, improving, and using photovoltaics for over 100 years. As a result, we have proven that the current technology reliably works for over 40 years! Also, we have come reasonably close to reaching the theoretical maximum efficiency (e.g., ability to convert light into electricity) of 29 percent--current panels operate at 15-19 percent efficiency and will for the foreseeable future. As a comparison figure, plants convert 2% of light into energy.

Solar systems that were installed 30 and 40 years ago using the same materials we use are still going strong--and since they're still going, we don't really know the life. Solar companies guarantee performance 25 years out, so you know they'll last a long time if they are guaranteed to 25 years. last a long time if they are guaranteed to 25 years.