The Sun Never Sets

When many people think of using solar energy to power their home, they imagine being one-hundred percent dependent on the sun; being, essentially, “off the grid.” The grid is the network of power controlled by an energy company. An off the grid solar energy system allows the owner to depend only on their own solar panels for energy, while a grid tied system can bring in power from the grid.

Being on the grid is beneficial because the excess power produced from solar panels reduces the overall electric bill. This process is known as net metering. Livingston and Hollis explain, “the utility will trade electricity with you, giving you credit for any excess power your renewable energy system produces for the grid. When your grid tied system is producing more than you use, the excess power automatically flows back to the grid, literally spinning your electricity meter backward and adding credits to your account” (Livingston and Hollis). Using a grid tied system allows the owner the ease of not worrying about generating enough power.

Each state has its own net metering regulations. Most commonly, net metering regulations change monthly or yearly. The surplus of sun in the summer and deficit of sun tin the winter make yearly changes the most advantageous. The excess credits produced can be sold back to the utility, but usually for less than retail, so it is not cost effective to produce more energy than is used. “The goal is to choose a system sized to produce only the power you think you will use in a given net metering period” (Livingston and Hollis). The Database of State Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency (DSIRE), established in 1995 by the North Carolina Solar Center and the Interstate Renewable Energy Council, contains information about state net metering policies and rebates available (“DSIRE Home”). While individual net metering regulations cause the payoff to be greater in sunnier states, it can help increase the payoff in other states by paying more for the energy generated in certain months.

Converting a house to dependence on solar energy is one of the many ways one can use renewable resources to help our country. Using renewable resources instead of finite resources will help the environment and allow better methods of energy conversion to evolve. While coal will eventually run out, the sun will always shine and water will never stand still. Most renewable resources can be obtained on the earth’s surface, which prevents drilling for finite sources. Why should we use our only supply of fossil fuels when we have the ability to save them?