PV 101: Introduction to Solar Electric for Homeowners

With the extension of the federal tax credit and generous state incentives, don’t wait to invest in solar! This lecture class is for the homeowner considering an investment in a solar electric system who wants to be well informed. You’ll learn a lot about this hot topic and we’ll help you understand the basics of how a solar electric system works, how to establish how many solar panels you’ll need in your array and the approximate costs. You will leave this class knowing how to estimate the array wattage for a PV system; and how to estimate production and system cost with available state rebates and the federal tax credit. We encourage (but don’t require) you to bring a copy of your utility bill as we will review household power usage issues during the class.

By the end of this class, you should understand:

• The benefits and drawbacks of solar systems
• The differences between solar electric and solar thermal systems
• How to tell if you have a good site for solar
• How to estimate array size
• How to estimate system costs, rebates and incentives
• Your next steps toward a PV system

Thinking of installing your own system? You'll want to take our 300 level series of at least Basic PV and Site Assessment and Intermediate PV Design and Installation.

Lecture Topics for PV 101 include:

• Photovoltaic (solar electric) technology
• Energy Storage
• Energy Efficiency
• Site requirements for PV
• Installation considerations
• PV system sizing
• PV system costs
• Rebates and tax incentives
• Working with an installer