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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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