We’ve explored myths around solar savings estimates, incentives & tax credits, installation, and more. In this last part of our series, let’s run through some of the persistent misconceptions about using and maintaining a grid-connected solar electric system.
Myth: Installing Solar Means I’ll Have Power When the Grid Goes Down
Reality: Unfortunately, standard grid-connected solar electric systems are not designed to generate electricity if the grid goes down. Each microinverter or string inverter must see the proper waveform, voltage, and frequency from the utility before it operates.
This is for safety, so that the solar electric system doesn’t send electricity onto the de-energized grid, injuring utility personnel. It is also because utility-interactive inverters are not designed to produce their own grid signal, and they cannot support the surge in power needed to start electrical loads.
Want power when the grid goes down? You’ll need batteries. Stay tuned, though. Enphase Energy is working on a new product that will be able to supply some power to loads during the day when the grid is down without requiring batteries.
Myth: I Will Have to Keep a Close Eye on a Solar Electric System
Reality: Modern grid-connected solar electric systems require very little attention from the user. When the sun is shining, they produce energy, and yield savings for you!
Your solar installation will have a monitoring system from Enphase Energy, which will allow you and us to keep track of system performance. If something goes wrong, both the installer and homeowner will receive an alert email, so any problems can be quickly resolved.
Myth: I Will Have to Change How I Use Energy if I Get Solar
Reality: This one is a bit more complicated. We usually estimate your solar savings based on your current energy use. This means you don’t have to change how you use energy to realize the estimated savings.
But if you are able to shift your energy consumption to when the sun is shining, that will save you more money. Similarly, shifting energy use out of peak times for TEP, Unisource, and APS customers will save more money.
You can learn more about how solar saves you money in our post Is Your Arizona Solar Installer Telling You the Whole Story?
Myth: I Won’t Have a Power Bill If I Have Solar
Reality: Sorry, despite the bleating of pernicious ads on Facebook, solar doesn’t mean you’ll never have a power bill. Every customer connected to the grid will have a monthly “basic service charge” of $10.00-25.00, plus taxes and fees.
Depending on your particular energy usage profile, you will likely also still pay some monthly charges for energy for each kWh used, especially during months where your air conditioner or other large appliances are running a lot.
To properly size your system to meet your desired savings, it’s especially important to use your real energy use data, if you have it. This hourly energy usage information is called “8760 data,” because there are 8,760 horse in a year. Some utilities such as TEP or Trico allow you to download this information on their customer portals. We invite you to read more about solar electric sizing myths.
Myth: Solar Electric Systems Require a Lot of Maintenance
Reality: If properly installed in the first place, solar electric systems don’t need much maintenance at all. As part of our installations, we complete a detailed inspection about a year after installation, making sure all fasteners are retightened, and the system is functioning well. We rarely find anything that needs to be corrected.
Some online marketers push solar module cleaning services, but modules are mostly self-cleaning with summer and winter rains. Only in extreme cases of dusty locations or significant bird excrement is additional cleaning required.
Over time, owners of rooftop solar electric systems should make sure that they complete any required roof maintenance, and occasionally visually inspect the solar electric system.
Myth: If I Need to Replace My Roof, Removing and Replacing My Solar Won’t Be Expensive
Reality: Unfortunately, removal and replacement of solar electric systems can cost several thousand dollars. Although it’s not too hard to remove the systems from the roof, reinstalling them on the roof is about as much work as a new installation, requiring many hours of labor.
We’ve seen claims from national installers such as “SunnyMetropolis,” that they will remove and reinstall systems for a nominal fee, like $500. We have not seen that happen in practice. In fact, we regularly receive calls from homeowners who used national installers for their system, but those installers cannot remove and reinstall their systems in a timely manner or for the promised cost.
Myth: Solar Panels and Conversion Equipment Don’t Last Long
Reality: The high-quality LG Solar modules we install are warranted for 25 years, and are expected to last much longer. The Enphase Energy microinverters we pair with the LG Solar modules also have a 25-year warranty. Even though there’s not much that can go wrong with a racking system, the Unirac SolarMount equipment we use also has a 25-year warranty.
We would challenge you to find any other electrical or electronic products with a 25-year warranty! And just because the warranty is 25 years doesn’t mean these products won’t work longer–we have seen solar modules that are over 35 years old that are still producing plenty of power.
Enough Myths (for now)
With the end of this four-part series, we’ll move to other topics. If you want to explore more myths, check out our previous articles in the series, which are linked below:
- Solar Power Myths: Savings, Estimates, Incentives, and Taxes
- Solar Power Myths: Part Two, Sizing Your Solar Electric System
- Solar Power Myths, Part Three: Installation & Environment
Thank you for reading! If you have any additional questions or thoughts, put them in the comments below.
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