These resources should help answer some of those questions for you:
We receive more sunlight than you would think. Toronto has more sun hours per year than Miami Florida! Although the output of solar does diminish in winter as compared to summer, the sun continues to shine and your system will continue to produce power all year round.
There are a number of advantages to a community-led initiative. Firstly, this is a great opportunity to work with other neighbours and friends in dealing with humankind’s most pressing issue, climate change. You will be part of a group of like-minded people taking ownership of our challenges right here, right now. The large purchasing power and the due diligence of the community’s selection committee will ensure you will receive a very attractive price for your system and it will be supplied and installed by a competent, experienced contractor. You can also be confident that the hardware used will be top quality. Working in a community-led initiative takes a lot of the "guess work" out of doing it on your own.
Solar panels capture the energy generated by the sun. This energy is converted from DC current to AC current (the current used in your home and transmitted on the power grid) by an inverter installed with your system. This power is then fed directly to your electrical system by connecting to the main circuit breaker panel. This is parallel generated electricity that works in conjunction with the existing utility-grid supply. During the daytime, when the system is generating electricity, it is this electricity that will be consumed first within the building. During times when the system is generating less than the building’s demand, the additional required power will be automatically drawn from the grid. Conversely, if the solar generating system is producing more electricity than is being consumed in the building, the excess will flow back to the grid, reversing the electrical meter. This electricity will be effectively "stored" in the hydro grid for later consumption.
Snow will form on the panels during winter, however since the panels generate some heat and are tempered glass, the snow will either slide off or melt off in a couple of days. There is no need to clean the snow off the panels.
The cost is dependent on the terms of the contract negotiated by your community-led initiative. Solar PV (photovoltaic) systems that produce electricity can cost $10,000 to $12,000 for a basic entry level system that will reduce your demand by about 20% (depending on your home’s energy consumption patterns). Systems are scaleable, meaning you can always add more panels in future assuming you have available space. The payback hinges on the details of the Standard Offer Contract offered by the Province of Ontario (more info in next question). In any case, the payback could be in the neighbourhood of 15 years based on today’s energy prices (which are going up and will reduce the payback period). Don’t forget that once paid off, your system will continue to earn you revenue long into the future. Since a solar system is an improvement to your home (like a renovated kitchen or bathroom) you can expect that the value of your home will increase as will your quality of life. Home renovations are done to enhance your home and your quality of life and may not offer immediate return.
The Standard Offer Contract (SOC) is an incentive offered by the Province of Ontario to encourage construction of renewable energy projects. Although the terms of the contract will not be announced until the end of the summer of 2006, the Premier has said that the SOC will pay producers of solar power $.42 per kw of energy produced. Right now, we are paying our hydro utility somewhere in the area of $.06 per kw of energy. That means that small solar systems will pay us 7 times what we now pay for our electricity! A 1 kw system (the entry level system) will payback about $400.00 per year based on this formula. The SOC will include all systems installed after the year 2000. Much more will be known regarding the details of the SOC by the end of the summer.
Solar PV is basically maintenance free. There are no moving parts, pumps or motors. The panels are usually guaranteed for about 25years. Solar systems installed more than 30 years ago are still going strong. The systems today are much more efficient and technically advanced than the system sold even a few years ago. The contractor that supplies and installs your system will also offer a warrantee on the installation. That warrantee will depend on the terms of your contract.
Before you sign any contract, your home will be evaluated, at no cost to you, to determine the viability of a solar system. You can discuss this with the solar contractor before you make a firm decision.
Panels can be installed on the roof or on the side of any structurally sound building with good exposure to the sun. Additionally, systems can even be installed on a pole in your backyard. There are all kinds of brackets available that will hold the panels in place and orient them to the sun for maximum efficiency. The solar contractor can discuss all the installation options with you at the time your home is evaluated.