What Your Reno Electrician Won’t Tell You About Solar Energy

Your Reno electrician may know more about solar energy than you think. After all, it’s in his or her’s best interest to understand solar power, as it will soon be synonymous with power supply in general, and on a global scale. What’s more, solar powered electricity is not as scary as it is being made to seem.

Solar Installations Aren’t the Only Purpose of an Inverter

Converters are everywhere. From car cigarette lighters to emergency lighting systems. Converters change one form of electric current to another. There are four different types of converters.

4. Direct Current to Alternating Current – the Function of the Inverter

Inverters convert the direct current (DC) to alternating current (AC). Most home appliances use AC.  Emergency lighting systems solar arrays and UPS all use inverters.

These systems all use a DC battery to convert to AC power. The difference is how you charge the DC battery.

3. Alternating Current to Alternating Converters

These converters change either the voltage level or the frequency. The best visual example is a light dimmer. The light gets brighter or dimmer because of the activation of the AC to AC converter when you move the switch.

2. Direct Current to Direct Current Converters

DC to DC converters maintain a voltage at a specific level. You can see these in cell phones.

1. AC to DC Converters AKA Refractors

Refractors are used to convert AC to DC. This is the opposite process of how a solar panel leverages an inverter to transduce its electrical currents. Refraction happens when you plug electronics into the wall of your home.

All Electrical Equipment Loses Efficiency

One of the main arguments against getting solar is that the solar panels lose efficiency. The truth is that all electrical equipment loses efficiency. Even when technology in general made a switch from analog to digital in the 1990s, electrical equipment still degraded.

Computers, cell-phones, and TVs are a few among the many electronics with a short lifespan. The consumer technology association found that on average, electronics last about five years. Solar arrays, however, have a warranty for twenty-five years and regularly produce at at least an 80 percent efficiency level from the time it was installed for 40 years. This is 5 times longer than the average computer.

Solar panels shouldn’t degrade by more than 1% per year. Extreme temperatures will affect the efficiency of your solar panels. So yes your solar panels will lose efficiency as they reach the end of their lifespan. Their lifespan is actually quite long, though, compared to other forms of electrical technology. The best way to find the right solar panel for you is to look at your Nevada solar options.  

Solar Power Intimidates Coal-based Energy Companies (AKA Your Power Company)

As we have seen in recent Nevada history, competing with what some may consider a monopoly is not always pretty, albeit it is what the market needs. Within the last ten years, we have seen a large spike in solar energy. Wind and hydro power have been the leading renewable energy sources for years; additionally, the IRENA has found that these renewable energy sources have increased, but not to the degree that solar has. Solar went from 8,679 MW in 2007 to 385,674 MW in 2017.

In 2016 solar growth surpassed coal net growth for the first time in history.  Solar energy is a threat because it gives power generation to individuals. These customers, although still connected to the grid, are no longer taking as much energy from it. As prices for solar arrays and battery backup continue to fall, coal power may not be able to compete. For these multi-billion dollar companies, this is a scary future.

You can, however, count on your Reno electrician to give you an impartial opinion on the matter. After all, he or she has their feet in each camp, though the final of the two is dragging closer to the circle of solar power.