Tell us a little bit about your company and the services you offer.

FRESH Energy Systems designs, sells and installs solar electric (photovoltaic-PV) and hot water technologies for homes and businesses. Our goal is to educate and empower the customer so that over time they become energy independent.

What are the biggest benefits for homeowners who install and use solar systems?

Zero energy bills and energy independence. Grid-intertie systems connected to a utility offers the highest rate of return (shortest payback). Customers that can conserve/flex their usage will sell their energy back to the utility at the (peak) market price. When utility rates rise, the solar customer should receive more money (credit) for their exported electricity thereby hedging any future rate increases and offsets economic inflation effects.

Can you briefly explain what some of the main solar options are for people’s homes?

Solar electric options include: purchase, lease or power purchase agreement (PPA). With purchased systems, the customer gets to take the 30% federal investment tax credit. They can sell their energy back to the utility under a time-of-use rate schedule (i.e., sell high, buy low), and businesses can take accelerated equipment depreciation.

Leased systems and PPAs require no upfront customer cost, but the customer agrees to a long-term electricity contract (10, 15, 20 years) at a fixed monthly payment or a fixed cost per kW-hr, with an escalation factor that is slightly less than the utility charges. If the customer uses more energy than the PV system can produce, the customer must make up the difference by purchasing from the utility directly. Leases and PPA’s often have buy-out clauses after a minimum contract term has been reached.

How does solar water heating compare with gas or electric water heating?

SHW heating is usually designed to offset gas, electric and heating oil costs by “preheating” the water so that the remaining energy used to finish heating the water volume to the desired temperature is considerably less. On-demand water heaters in line with solar hot water heating also improves the overall energy efficiency but sometimes cannot deliver an adequate water volume when multiple appliances are in service (washer, dishwasher, shower). During the year, solar hot water systems can offset about 40-60% of the energy costs depending on the season. The greatest fuel savings most often occur during the winter months.

Are there some common misconceptions about solar energy that people should know about?

One misconception is that the “hotter” the air temperature, the more solar energy is produced. The opposite is true. When the air temperature is high, the solar panels experience more electrical resistance and therefore put out less energy when the air is hot. Another misconception is that if you have a grid-intertie PV system, your solar panels will produce energy for the site if the utility goes off line. That is incorrect. The utility must be online for the customer’s solar system to export energy back to the utility company (aka net metering).

What advice do you have for a homeowner in Northern California who is interested in going solar but has a limited budget?

I can recommend a couple of approaches. Lease or do a PPA. There is no upfront cost and you may be able to purchase the system after a certain number of years at an adjusted (reduced) price. Second, You can start small and add-on later. The newer micro-inverter technology allows you to add on to existing solar module strings as long as the circuit is over designed for future increased load.

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