Harnessing the Sun's Power: Solar 101

An increasing number of homeowners and businesses across the country are making the switch to solar as an energy source. Two common reasons for this switch include financial savings and environmental benefits. 

Solar power is often a cost-effective decision as it drastically decreases your electric bills, even if your solar system doesn’t produce 100% of your consumed energy. Likewise, switching to solar can help prevent paying for rising energy costs and add value to your property.

Switching to solar is also beneficial to the environment and your local utility companies. Your switch can offer less stress on utilities’ infrastructure and contribute to less carbon emissions produced by the generation of electricity via power plants.

So how does it work? Generally, there are less steps in the process of converting solar energy to usable electricity versus standard electrical generation.

Simply put, solar panels absorb sunlight and turn it into electricity. The absorption of sunlight combines tiny photons. These photons, combined with photovoltaic cells in the solar panels create a flow of electrons.

The flow of electrons generates Direct Current (DC) electricity. The DC current is sent to an inverter at your home or business. The inverter converts this DC current to AC (Alternating Current) which is usable electricity for your home.

At this point, the electricity flows throughout your home just like any other electrical source!

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Considering Solar?

Here are a few benefits to going solar:

1. It’s good for the planet! Electricity from solar lowers the amount of carbon emitted into the environment, reducing our impact on climate change. This results in less pollution and cleaner air!

2. Lower energy bills! By installing a solar array on your building, you will pay less on your energy bill. Rather than buying electricity through your utility, you will be generating electricity on-site! This savings can be used to pay for the cost of the solar array.

3. Set’s a good example! Seeing a solar array makes it clear you are committed to a sustainable future, and hopefully inspire others to make environmental improvements in their own daily life!

4. Increase your property value! Building with a solar array have a higher market value than similar properties without. Additionally, there is a higher resale value for owners!

5. Incentives! The federal government currently is providing a 26% tax credit for residential and business solar arrays. This is known as the Solar Investment Tax Credit, which was extended until the end of 2022. (Source)

6. Set it and forget it! Solar arrays have minimal maintenance requirements, as there are no moving parts. Additionally, the typical warranty lasts for a significant portion of the service life for the equipment.
   

Solar in Numbers

SSM has been a part of designing hundreds of megawatt-hours of solar!

What’s a megawatt hour? While a megawatt measures the power or capacity of an electric system, a megawatt-hour represents how much electricity is delivered through that system in an hour. For example, if a 1 megawatt solar array runs in the full sun for an hour, it will theoretically produce 1 megawatt-hour of electricity.

Between Wires: Electricity 101

ow exactly does your microwave run? Or, your hair dryer and your bedside lamp. Did you ever wonder how electricity is created and then gets from the wire to the device? We put our electrical engineers to the test to answer the question: “How does electricity work?”

Step One: It starts at a generating station with huge generators. This is what you know as a power plant. Here, electricity is generated through large alternators using wind, coal, natural gas, or water.

Step Two: The generated current goes through a transformer that increases the voltage for distribution. This allows the power to be distributed long distance- by distributing it at a higher voltage there is less loss.

Step Three: Next, the electrical charge gets distributed across the country through high-voltage transmission lines. You may have seen these large transmission towers that hold these high-voltage lines.

Step Four: The current reaches a localized substation which decreases the voltage so that it can be distributed through smaller power lines through local utilities. This is where you often see smaller wooden poles along the street.

Step Five: The current travels through your neighborhood via these distribution lines. Smaller transformers will, again, decrease the voltage before it enters your house. Sometimes you might see small transformers mounted on the wooden poles. Other times they may be located on the ground.

Step Six: The electrical current enters through your house by way of the utility company’s meter. When it passes through a meter, it measures how much your household uses.

Step Seven: Upon entering your home, the electricity goes to your service panel. This is often found in your basement or your garage. The service panel houses breakers or fuses which prevent your home wire systems from ever being overloaded.

Step Eight: Just like it traveled through lines outside, the electricity travels through wires inside of the walls of your home and allows you to access it through outlets and/or switches within your home!

A Solar Energy Case Study

Electric Dredge and Solar Array | The Aztec Materials sand mining operation was acquired by Delaware Valley Concrete, a firm that specializes in producing exceptional-quality product for concrete and sand buyers. The site is situated on 300 acres of property in Hammonton, NJ, consisting of sandpit and, formerly, a diesel crane and dredge. The labor-intensive operation relied heavily on trucks to transport sand across the site to screens that filtered out larger pieces. Aztec Materials enlisted Practical Energy Solutions, now a division of SSM, to provide comprehensive energy and sustainability services. The client’s operation now leverages an ecologically sound electric dredge powered by a large solar array.

Services

• Grant Acquisition Services
  - Calculations on energy savings, energy use reductions & emissions

• Engineering Analysis

• Financial Services
  - Technical and Financial Review
  - Cash Flow Analysis
  - Life Cycle Analysis

• Land Development Plan

• Erosion and Sedimentation Control

• Permitting Support

•  Utility Connection Coordination

• Solar Renewable Energy Credits
  - Utility Contract Negotiation
  - Ongoing SREC Applications

• Array Add-Ons to Monitor Output

• Reporting

USDA REAP Energy Efficiency Grant
The team acquired a $250,000 Renewable Energy for America Program (REAP) grant to purchase a new electric pump/dredge, to eliminate diesel fuel use.

USDA REAP Renewable Energy Grant
The 2nd grant acquired for the client was in the amount of $327,000 for a solar photovoltaic array to power close to 100% of initial scope and reduce their environmental footprint. Aztec Materials has since expanded their operations, and the solar array covers the majority of the new total electricity demand. This solar array should last 20 to 25 years.

Project Benefits
With energy cost savings, SREC savings and a 30% federal tax credit, the solar array paid for itself in under 4 years. In addition to satisfying a 10-year loan on the solar array the client will have saved $1.8 million net. Converting the new dredge from grid electricity to solar electricity reduces its environmental impact to almost zero. Considering the towering electricity costs in southern New Jersey, the solar array provides a strong financial and economic benefit for the company, as well as an environmental benefit for the region.