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Innovations in solar panel production have steadily driven the cost to the consumer down, since this is typically the most expensive element in the solar power production systems. The development of thin film solar cells heralded a new era in solar panel design, and new products are constantly being funded and researched. Exciting innovations in silicon production are making solar panels cheaper to produce and lessening the impact that production facilities have on the environment.



Why Should Homeowners In Arizona Install Solar Panels? Because It's The Smart Thing To Do.


If you live in Arizona you know there’s one thing we have a lot of – sunshine. In many ways, the sun helps define our way of life, from the activities we engage in to the landscape around us. Why not take that a step further by installing solar panels?

The first thing many people think of is how solar panels help the planet and the environment. That is true. Energy has to come from somewhere, and unfortunately it almost always comes from fossil fuels or nuclear power. By installing solar panels on an existing home, homeowners can rest easy knowing they are helping not only the environment, but also the planet.

But solar panels are expensive, right? Yes, but not as much as one might think. Let’s say your house is a high energy using household and requires 10,000 KWh per year. A system that could produce that much power would cost around 35,000 dollars (plus installation costs). That sounds like a lot, but APS provides a $3 rebate per kilowatt hour. On top of that, the US government will pay a 30% rebate on solar installation, bringing the total down even more. Although the money needs to be spent by the homeowner in the first place, they will get much of it back.

Many states allow “net metering” or selling excess power back to the power grid. APS does allow this, but it will not send you a check. Instead, they run a sort of credit system. What that means is excess power that is generated by a house’s solar panel system gets sold back to APS and they keep a log of it. At the end of the month, they deduct the power that was sold back to them from the power that your house used. If your house used more than it sold back, they send you a bill. If your house sold back more than it used, the balance is rolled forward into the next month. This can be especially useful to save up energy credits for use during the hotter summer months. So although a homeowner may not receive a check from their power company here in Arizona, it is very likely that they will no longer need to send them one either.

And while many people are very concerned about the environment, getting their solar system installed for not very much money and no longer paying a power bill can be the best incentive of all.