Page 3 - 2018_026_MVU_Residential Winter Newsletter 4
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SOLAR                                                  Fusebox or Electric Panel


        SEGMENT                                                AC electricity from your inverter is passed onto the electric

                                                               service panel where it is routed to power your home’s various
                                                               electric loads.

        HOW SOLAR WORKS                                        NET Metering


        A residential solar energy system is a great way to power your   Here in California, utility companies offer NET Metering. This
        home  with clean, renewable, cost-stable electricity. Over   means, when your solar system produces more power than
        10% of  MVU’s residential customers  have already installed   you use, an additional  NET meter (provided by the utility
        rooftop solar systems! The following diagram illustrates how   company) records the amount of electricity being sent back
        residential solar systems work.                        to the utility grid and how much electricity you are receiving
                                                               from the utility. During the day, when you produce more
        Solar Panels                                           energy than your home can use, it is sent back to the grid
                                                               and the utility.
        Powering  your  home  with the  sun starts here.  Typically
        mounted  onto  your  roof,  solar  panels are  made up  of   During the day, your PV system will first power any electric
        photovoltaic (or PV) cells, which convert sunlight into direct   loads in your building, before sending any excess generation
        current (DC) electricity. This electricity is just like the electricity   back to the utility. At night and when your generation is not
        produced by a battery. Panels produce electricity with no   enough to meet your full requirements, you’ll draw from the
        moving parts and last a very long time.
                                                               utility.
        Inverter
                                                               Your solar system meter only records the electricity produced
        Inverters convert the DC electricity from the solar panels into   by your photovoltaic (PV) system. The billing meter records
        usable AC electricity, which is the standard form of power   several pieces of information: the amount of electricity your
        used by home appliances. The type of inverter that will work   home has delivered to the utility and the amount of electricity
        best for your system is typically determined by the type of   the utility company has delivered to your home, and the net
        modules and the size of your system.                   difference between the two.















































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