Silicon Solar › Solar Panels › Solar Homes

You can meet up to 100% of your home's electricity needs with Silicon Solar, virtually eliminating your electric bill and making your new solar house a true investment for both your family and the environment.

Solar Homes

In today's declining housing market there stands one market that is growing and selling at an exponential rate. Solar homes both new and existing are the hottest niche on the housing market. Whether a solar electric home or solar hot water, Silicon Solar strives in providing the latest technological advances while saving you thousands on your utility bills. Our range of solar products are installed in solar housing nation wide. Each satisfied customer can pay back their solar housing investment from 2 years to 20. All depends on the electric and hot water consumption you use. Want to hear more benefits about converting or building your new home with solar? pvinstall@siliconsolar.com or call us at 1-800-653-8540. Solar Photovoltaic Systems Click here to view our complete product selection > If you are looking for domestic solar hot water heating systems, please click here to view our complete selection of flat plate and evacuated tube heating systems.

How to get started with you Solar Electric System in New York:

Step 1:
Before even getting started with solar electric its important to take careful consideration of your properties sun exposures. If you are located on the north side of a mountain and behind 100ft trees, then solar energy in that location is probably not the right option for you. However, if you have a suitable location where you receive more than a half days of sun exposure, you are in good shape!
Solar panels can be mounted on either the ground, roof, or free standing pole mount, which are all options to consider when installing a solar system; but for now, it’s necessary to just consider these options more as accessories.

Step 2:
Second, we recommend determining what type of solar system you would like to install on your house. Most customers who are looking to do an installation would go with a grid-tie system (see below) which enables you sell your electricity back to your power grid and eliminate the need for a storage battery.

You will need to know your power consumption before you can get started with any type of solar installation. If you are going to go forward with a grid-tie system, you will need to determine what your electric bill is and from this figure we can size your system.

If you are looking to setup a off-grid system, you will need to complete a system sizing chart to determine how much energy you are using at your location.

Step 3:
Once you familiarize yourself with the different types of systems, solar exposure, and electric consumption, you are ready to speak with one of our consultants who can assist in accurately sizing your solar electric system.

Of course at any time you are unsure of how to precede, please contact us toll free to speak with a live consultant. Contact us at pvinstall@siliconsolar.com or call us at 1-800-653-8540.

Step 4:
After speaking with one of our consultants they will typically recommend a site visit where one of our engineers will visit your location to provide an in-depth analysis of your solar system. With this site survey you will be able to view your systems payback rate, projected power output and speak with someone face to face about any questions you have! Â We will also explain any available tax credits in your area along with the necessary paperwork filling. Â

Types of Solar Electric Systems:
Generally speaking, there are three types of systems: basic grid-tie systems, grid-tied systems with battery back-up, and stand-alone (off-grid) systems.

On-Grid Solar Electric:
A basic grid-tie solar system does not require batteries because if your system produces more electricity that your house is consuming at a given point in time, the surplus power will be fed back into the utility grid, causing your electric meter to run backwards! This gives you a credit on your electricity account which you can then draw against in the evening, or whenever you are using more electricity than your system is producing.

A grid-tie system with battery back-up behaves in a similar way under normal conditions, but the system also employs batteries which are used in the event of a power failure. In a battery-backed system, the batteries are kept fully charged by the solar array and inverter and the "surplus" power is used by the home (any surplus beyond that is fed back into the utility grid).

The main difference between this system and a basic grid-tie system is that a battery-backed system is designed to switch over to battery power once a grid failure is detected. The system is also designed to isolate itself from the grid to prevent "backfeeding" of surplus power in the event of a grid failure. In contrast, basic grid-tie systems are designed to shut down when there is a grid failure for safety reasons (to prevent backfeeding), even if the sun is out and they can be producing power.

There are 3 main components to an on-grid solar electric system:

Solar Panels – Also referred to as PV panels or modules. PV is short for photo-voltaic (“light-powered�). A group of PV panels is called an array.
Mounting Rack – This is a metal support structure that holds an array of solar panels in a tilted position facing the sun. Some even track the sun.
Inverter – PV panels produce "DC" power that is different than the "AC" utility line power. Inverters accept solar electricity on one side and emit "AC" electricity on the other – electricity that is useful to the utility grid.

The utility meter will track the amount of solar power produced, giving you credit for what you produce. These systems are actually designed to make your meter spin backwards!

Off-Grid Solar Electric:

A stand-alone, or off-grid system, is typically installed in a remote location where access to regular electrical service is impossible, or prohibitively expensive. We recommend these types of installations when customers have a cabin or get-away home that they need power to on weekends or less frequent visits.

A Stand Alone solar system is just as it sounds. It is not connected to the utility or other types of charging sources. This type of system is used when utility power is not present and is to costly to bring in from the nearest pole. If you have a shed set off from the house, a cabin in the mountains, or a summer home by the lake that is without power this type of system can often be very cost effective. When compared to bring in the power lines the initial cost can be less. Some of the pros of this type of system are: The lack off reliance on the utility. Potential cost savings. Some of the cons of this type of system are: Even though there maybe a cost savings over running utility line, there can be a high initial cost. You have to know your loads and have the system designed correctly since you dont have utility power for backup.

There are 5 main components to an off-grid solar electric system:

Solar Panels
Also referred to as PV panels or modules. PV is short for photo-voltaic (“light-powered�). A group of PV panels is called an array.

Mounting Rack
This is a metal support structure that holds an array of solar panels in a tilted position facing the sun. Some even track the sun.

Charge Controller
This is the brain of a solar system, both monitoring and managing the electricity between the PV panels and the batteries.

Batteries
Also called a “battery bank,� a group of batteries acts just like a Solar Power Bank Account: you deposit solar energy generated during daylight hours and withdraw it throughout the day as needed.

Inverter
An inverter accepts solar-battery power on one side and then emits AC power that is similar to utility power and is necessary to run most home appliances.

How Solar Cells Work:

Questions? Contact us at pvinstall@siliconsolar.com or call us at 1-800-653-8540.