Port McNeill Grid Tie Solar

Port McNeill, BC

Canada

We ventured further north on Vancouver Island up to the beautiful community of Port McNeill for this residential grid-tie install.

This install features 300W Mono-Crystalline Canadian solar modules paired with AP Systems YC500A inverters. A strong combination for maximizing energy in this location. These are mounted on Schletter racking.

FAQ: What is "Net Metering"

“Net metering” is the program and agreement with the utility (BC Hydro) that keeps track of how much electricity a solar array puts back into the grid. Excess solar power fed back to the grid is measured by the smart meter and you are then given energy credits against the energy you use from BC Hydro. This is calculated each billing period and you pay the net. If your solar array produces more than the household electricity used in a year, BC Hydro will buy that electricity from the homeowner at a fixed rate.

http://bchydro.com/netmetering

FAQ: What is a “grid tie” system

A “grid-tie” solar system is connected to the electrical grid and utility (BC Hydro). With a grid-tie system, the electricity from the solar panels flows into the electrical panel, the building electrical loads and if there is excess into the grid. When there is not enough solar energy to power the loads (like on a cloudy day or during the night), the home or building uses electricity from the utility grid as normal. In this way, no batteries are required. However, when the grid is not available such as in a power outage, the solar array also turns off for safety purposes. A grid-tie system is for offsetting electrical costs and environmental reasons.