Our company adheres to the following business process in designing the optimal solar system for you.
Site Survey
The first thing any solar company will do is send a field engineer to your home to evaluate whether your residence/business is suitable for solar power. Ideally, a south-facing roof would be the best (although you can certainly enjoy the benefits with less than perfect roof ), and the engineer will use a tool called a “Solar Pathfinder” which will work out how much sun your panels are likely to be able to capture.
Sign the Contract
After the site survey , the price for the solar system will be finalized and an agreement is signed between Solar Spectrom and the property owner.
Engineering/Design
Once the roof test has been passed, then the solar panel installation company will sit down with you and assess how powerful you want your system to be, and how much you have available in finances. To make solar energy worthwhile, you'll probably want at least a 3.5kWh system, and maybe even up to 5kWh. If you have both the roof space and the funds (or a decent credit to finance your system), you can max out at 10kWh, as for most incentive schemes that is the maximum amount of solar power you can go for.
The engineer would then design the solar panel system according to the roof and energy usage specifications for your home/business.
Permits
Once the system has been designed, the engineer would submit the design it to the city for approval and getting the permits to install the system. The solar company would begin installation of the solar panels after the permits are approved by the city .
Installation
Installing solar panels involves is the fixing of multiple frames to the roof, and then the fixing of the panels to the frames. If you have a flat roof, then installing the panels will take a little bit longer as they will need to be mounted at an angle.The installation usually takes one or two days, depending on the scope of the panels you have had installed.
A 4kWh system will typically consist of eight panels, and installation can easily be achieved in one day. Once you get up over the 6kWh mark, the installation is likely to go over into a second day
The inverter is an important component in the installation . This device collects the electricity generated by your panels and sends it to the grid. Solar panels generate direct current (DC), and the grid runs on alternating current (AC), so you need a device to convert one to the other, and that device is the inverter. Usually, your inverter is installed on your garage wall , or on your home wall and you will need the power to your home disconnecting while it is being installed.
While your panels will typically be insured to last a minimum of 25 years, the inverter will not. Inverters only last for a decade or so, and when your inverter packs up, you will, of course, need to have it replaced.
Building Inspection
Once the solar panel installation is complete, the city would inspect the same and issue a job card and an inspection pass.
Utility Interconnection
After the final inspection, the next step is to submit the job card and inspection pass to the utility company. The utility company would then do a commissioning test and install a Net Energy Meter (NEM).
Monitoring and Maintenance
Install a monitoring system to keep an eye on the performance of your solar panels. When the performance goes down you'll know that maintenance is required. Most of these monitoring systems need to be installed professionally with the purchase of a monthly subscription fee.
Here are some advantages of installing a solar panel monitoring system.
- Monitoring systems can show you how you are benefiting the environment, such as lower amounts of CO2 emissions compared to other energy systems. These statistics may help you receive tax benefits when filing your tax return.
- Diagnose problems through your monitoring system. Many of these devices will tell you which areas of your solar panel are not functioning properly and need repair.
- See information about your solar panels on a wall-mounted display while at home or via the Internet while traveling.
- You can keep track of how much energy is being produced by your solar panels.
Once all the checks have been made, your installation is complete!
The panels themselves take minimal maintenance, although to maintain full efficiency, you will probably need to have them cleaned once a year. You can perform the cleaning yourself if you can safely access your roof, as long as you are careful not to damage the panels.
You are finally set to go solar ! Generate your own energy, and be the sole owner of an energy-efficient solar power system.
You definitely, are playing an important role in conserving energy and helping nature!
Want to know more about the process ? Contact us here, for a detailed explanation of how to go solar.