PV stands for Photovoltaics; one of the main methods for capturing the sun's energy is through the use of photovoltaics. Photovoltaics (PV) utilize the sun's photons or light to create electricity.

The photoelectric effect occurs when a beam of UV light, composed of photons (quantized packets of energy), strike one part of a pair of negatively charged metal plates. This causes electrons to be "liberated" from the negatively charged plate. These free electrons are then attracted to the other plate by electrostatic forces. This flowing of electrons is an electrical current. This electron flow can be gathered in the form of direct current (DC). This DC can then be inverted into alternating current (AC), which is the electrical power that is most commonly used in buildings.

The United States currently relies heavily on coal, oil, and natural gas for its energy. Fossil fuels are nonrenewable, that is, they draw on finite resources that will eventually dwindle, becoming too expensive or too environmentally damaging to retrieve. In contrast, renewable energy resources – such as wind and solar energy – are constantly replenished and will never run out.

Renewable energy is important because of the benefits it provides.

The key benefits are:

1. Environmental benefits
2. Energy for our children and grandchildren
3. Jobs and the economy

Nihil Ultra uses PV panels with a 20 to 25-year limited warranty. Although panels have a useful life expectancy of more than 40 years, it is normal for panels to slowly degrade as they age, causing some decrease in output. This rate of degradation is typically about 0.5% per year.

Solar panels have a 25-year manufacturer's warranty, and inverters have a 10-year warranty. Performance efficiency for panels, after 25-years, is warranted to be at least 80% of the initial output. Batteries generally last 7-10 years if properly maintained. Nihil Ultra provides a 1-year guarantee on all installations.

The panels are UL certified and tested to withstand hurricane force winds, and rainstorms. Falling stone, tree or hail does not damage the panels in most cases.

It's almost laughable how easy maintenance is for PV modules. Because they have no moving parts, they are virtually maintenance free. Basically, you need to keep them clean. Most of the time, rain cleans them off. If it rains irregularly, just hose the modules to clean any bird droppings. Do not hose them off when they're hot, since uneven thermal shock could theoretically break the glass. Wash them in the morning or evening. For PV maintenance, that's it.

a. All installation (roofing and electrical) work will be done by licensed professionals with proper county and state approvals.
b. Equipment will carry UL certifications, where applicable.

All this does not add any risk to your home and thus home insurance in most of the cases does not get affected at all, although the system does contribute to an increase the home/property value.

According to a study by ICF Consulting, solar can add $20 of home value for every $1 of yearly energy cost savings. For more information about how solar can increase your home's value, visit
http://www.irecusa.org/articles/static/1/binaries/wfnews.pdf

Although you can take your solar electric system with you if you move, it usually is better to leave it on the original house because it increases the resale value of a home.

Solar electric systems are designed to withstand all weather conditions. However, these conditions will temporarily reduce its energy production.

In fog, marine layer, or June gloom your system will still produce about 25-30% of normal. A steady rain cuts production but is great for cleaning your panels.

During the time immediately following a snowstorm when the snow covered the system production will be minimal. However, the panels are tilted with a surface made of tempered glass allowing snow to easily slide off.

Scientists made solar cells of selenium in the 1880s. And, modern PV technologies were developed at Bell Labs and RCA Labs in the mid 1950s.

The most basic solar energy system is what is known as a “Grid-Tied” system. There are no batteries. Excess electricity produced by the solar panels, will be directed back to the local utility grid, spinning your existing meter backwards in the process. You will receive credit for any power that you “sell” to the utility company. This is what is known as Net Metering.

If you are interested in a solar system that will continue to power your home during a blackout, we do sell battery-backed solar systems.

Yes, both off-grid and grid-tied systems use the same solar panels. However, to add batteries to a grid-tied system, you will need to replace the inverter with a special hybrid device.

For starters, any size solar system will make in impact on your yearly power consumption. The bigger the system, the bigger the impact. To figure out how much of an impact, find the total number of kilowatt-hours you used in the last 12 months. If an entire year's worth of bills are not available, annualize your average daily consumption. We have found the average home in the mid-Atlantic area to use about 10,000 KW hours a year. A 1-KW solar system, will generate up to 1500 KW-hours in a year. Therefore, 1 KW will could provide about 15% of an average household's yearly power consumption.

In most situations, the PV panels can be easily removed and reinstalled. If the roof is a tar and gravel design, it may be possible to simply tilt the panels up and re-tar and gravel.

Yes, a solar panel does produce electricity even when it is not placed in bright sunlight. On a normal cloudy day there is always enough solar irradiance, by which the panel will produce electricity. However, the production of electricity is not as high as when the panels are placed in bright sunlight. So even on a cloudy day your panel will produce electricity.

Solar energy sources are clean and inexhaustible. The money spent on renewable energy installations tends to remain in the community, creating jobs and fueling local economies. The use of renewable energy equipment also reduces our dependence on foreign and/or centralized sources of energy, and is an important strategy in the process of creating a truly secure and sustainable energy future.

Many U.S. communities have to import fossil fuels, such as oil and natural gas, to provide electricity, heating, and fuel. The cost of these fossil fuels can add up to billions of dollars. And every dollar spent on energy imports is a dollar that the local economy loses. Renewable energy resources, however, are developed locally. The dollars spent on energy stay at home, creating more jobs and fostering economic growth.

Renewable energy technologies are labor intensive. Jobs evolve directly from the manufacture, design, installation, servicing, and marketing of renewable energy products. Jobs even arise indirectly from businesses that supply renewable energy companies with raw materials, transportation, equipment, and professional services, such as accounting and clerical services.

In turn, the wages and salaries generated from these jobs provide additional income in the local economy. Renewable energy companies also contribute more tax revenue locally than conventional energy sources.

The economic advantages of renewable energy also extend far beyond the local economy. The whole country benefits. In 1997, the United States spent about $65 billion dollars outside the country to pay for fossil fuels. But as one of the world leading manufacturers of renewable energy systems, we can bring in more money with the increased use of renewable energy sources around the world. Currently, for example, the United States manufactures about two-thirds of the world photovoltaic (PV) systems. And it exports about 70% of these PV systems, mostly to developing nations, resulting in annual sales of more than $300 million.

Most places have enough solar energy to meet some or all of their needs with solar energy systems. You can get more specific information from Nihil Ultra to discuss your power requirements, particulars of your property, what type of systems would suit your needs, sunlight availability, etc. In general, solar energy systems produce energy even under cloudy skies (although less than under full sunlight).

Photovoltaic (PV) cells convert sunlight directly into electricity. PV cells are the solar cells that are often used to power calculators and watches. PV cells are made of semiconducting materials similar to those used in computer chips. When sunlight is absorbed by these materials, the solar energy knocks electrons loose from their atoms, allowing the electrons to flow through the material to produce electricity. This process of converting light (photons) to electricity (voltage) is called the photovoltaic effect.

PV cells are typically combined into modules that hold about 40 cells; about 10 of these modules are mounted in PV arrays that can measure up to several meters on a side. These flat-plate PV arrays can be mounted at a fixed angle facing south, or they can be mounted on a tracking device that follows the sun, allowing them to capture the most sunlight over the course of a day. About 10 to 20 PV arrays can provide enough power for a household; for large electric utility or industrial applications, hundreds of arrays can be interconnected to form a single, large PV system.

Some PV cells are designed to operate with concentrated sunlight. These cells are built into concentrating collectors that use a lens to focus the sunlight onto the cells. This approach has both advantages and disadvantages compared with flat-plate PV arrays. The main idea is to use very little of the expensive semiconducting PV material while collecting as much sunlight as possible. But because the lenses must be pointed at the sun, the use of concentrating collectors is limited to the sunniest parts of the country. Some concentrating collectors are designed to be mounted on simple tracking devices, but most require sophisticated tracking devices, which further limit their use to electric utilities, industries, and large buildings.

The performance of a PV cell is measured in terms of its efficiency at turning sunlight into electricity. Only sunlight of certain energies will work efficiently to create electricity, and much of it is reflected or absorbed by the material that make up the cell. Because of this, a typical commercial PV cell has an efficiency of 15% – about one-sixth of the sunlight striking the cell generates electricity. Low efficiencies mean that larger arrays are needed, and that means higher cost. Improving PV cell efficiencies while holding down the cost per cell is an important goal of the PV industry, NREL researchers, and other U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) laboratories, and they have made significant progress. The first PV cells, built in the 1950s, had efficiencies of less than 4%.

The Database of State Incentives for Renewable Energy (DSIRE) is a comprehensive source of information on state, local, utility, and selected federal incentives that promote renewable energy and energy efficiency. Go to DSIRE…

Generally, yes. Contact your city or county building permit agency. If you have a home owners association (HOA), you may also want to contact them to learn of any others requirements specific to your neighborhood.

Most solar photovoltaic systems come with at least 20 year warranties!

Solar electric (PV) systems typically do not require maintenance, other than periodic cleaning of the solar panels. PV panel life is typically 25+ years. If you have a battery system, the batteries may require periodic maintenance such as "equalization" or water topping off.

Net metering allows your electric meter to go backwards when you are producing more electricity than you are using. Essentially, it indicates how much electricity you pulled from the grid rather than the amount of electricity that you used.

Net Metering is a special metering and billing agreement between you and your utility or electric service provider (ESP). Normally your electric meter spins forward as it measures how many kilowatt-hours of electricity you buy, and is read by your utility once a month.

A Net Metering agreement allows you to use the electricity you generate first, reducing what you would normally buy from your utility or ESP. If you generate more electricity than you use, the excess goes through your electric meter and into the grid, spinning your meter backward. Your meter shows the net amount, measured as the difference between the electricity you generate and the electricity you purchase from your utility or ESP.

Most residential and small commercial customers have simple meters that are bi-directional, capable of turning in both directions. Some utilities or ESPs may want two meters for net metering, one to measure electricity going from the grid to your home or business, and one to measure the excess going from your system to the grid. If you enter into a time-of-use billing agreement, you will need to purchase a bi-directional time-of-use meter. Contact your utility for more information.

Your utility will continue to read your meter monthly. Under a Net Metering agreement, you will receive a monthly statement indicating the net amount of electricity you consumed or generated during that billing period. In most states, on the anniversary of your agreement, you will be billed for the net electricity you consumed for the previous twelve months. You may request the option of monthly billing. Depending on the type of agreement you have, your meter might show a credit during some or all billing periods, even though the actual kilowatt-hours you generate and consume are equal. Your utility is usually not required to pay you or credit your account for your excess generation each year, but it might do so. Contact your utility or ESP to discuss the option of negotiating rates for purchasing excess generation. If your current utility or ESP does not purchase excess electricity, you may contract with another company that will agree to purchase it.

Yes, depending upon where you live and the nature of your product, you may be eligible for financial and/or tax incentives from your state or local government, your local utility company and the federal government. Additional information on Federal Solar Tax. Credits is provided below courtesy of the Solar Energy Industry Association. For state and local incentives and rebates, go to www.dsireusa.org for a comprehensive summary by state.

Nihil Ultra is in business for more than 10 years.

Registered in Texas and Michigan

Nihil Ultra provides turnkey solution for your complete Solar and Wind Power need: System Design, Part procurement and Installation.

We are “Sharp Certified Solar Installer”. Sharp is the world leader in this field.

We only use name brand proven products.

Our team of people got close to a decade of experience in design and installation of Solar Electric Systems.

Nihil Ultra is a dealer for more than three thousands products including solar modules, wind turbines, inverter, charge controller, batteries, mounting hardware etc.