2018 Fall Home

Page 32 2018 Fall Home & Garden Lincoln Daily News Sept. 26, 2018 See the process at: Steve Tesoriero of Renewable Resource Systems describes the steps in the installation process. In this installation, 24 panels are installed on one part of the roof. On another part of the roof a solar thermal system is installed. Inside, they replace a hot water heater with a solar domestic hot water system driven from the solar collector on the roof. Metal lags are next screwed in from the outside to 2 feet by 10 feet by 16 feet rafters in the attic to secure the flashing and racks to attach the panels. Before installing the panels, the roofers start with the flashing, which is part of the mounting system for the panels and prevents water from getting inside. After some reroofing, rails are placed horizontally on the roof to attach the panels. The last part of the process involves attaching and connecting 24 solar panels in three strings of eight panels each. Inside the attic six wires from the array of panels are brought through a small hole in the roof, combined in a “combiner box” to make the appropriate connections, and energy from the six wires is converted down to two wires. These wires are driven through Electrical Metal Tubing, a shielded cable that runs downstairs to connect to the inverter that will change the power from DC to AC. They also run through a DC disconnect in case it must be turned off. The AC power will go into a utility grade meter, which goes outside to the AC disconnect. The power comes back into the house through another wire. It will supply energy to the home’s appliances, and current coming through that is not being used will be sent back to the grid. Watch how it is done at: Infinite Solar Online explains how solar power works: When sunlight hits the panels on a solar power system, the panels convert the sun’s energy into electricity that can be used to power your home. Your home’s power performance stays the same whether electricity is drawn from the PV installation or from an energy company. Continued nn