Solar Electric
Solar electric systems are also called photovoltaics (PV.) You may have heard people refer to PV systems. Very simply, pv systems take the energy from the sun and turn it into electricity. What I have found is that most people don't really care to learn how it works, they just want to know how well it works!
In Michigan, just like in the rest of the country, when the sun is shining pv panels will make electricity!
Off Grid or Grid Tied
There are basically two types of systems. On grid or off grid. At the most basic level, a grid tied system is connected to the same electric system, or grid, that you get your power from now. There is a special meter that actually will spin backwards if you are making more electricity than you are using. It becomes a game when you have solar panels to reduce your electric usage so you can watch the meter spin backwards!
Michigan has net metering laws so when you produce more electricity than you use, the electricity goes back to the power company and you are credited for it. For more information on net metering you can link to our
FAQs.
Off Grid systems are independent of the utility company. Applications of off-grid systems are for remote locations when you don't have utility power lines or mobile locations. We have a mobile unit we use to power our travel trailer and for other applications like running a pump to irrigate our crops. If you plan to store the electricity you will need some type of battery system to store the power. We have engineering services available to design a system that will work for you.
Some of our popular systems are shown below.