Residential Solar Panels 101
Solar Panels 101 – How Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Cells Works
Solar panels create energy by absorbing photons from sunlight. The photons react with the photoelectric material in the solar modules, knocking electrons. These electrons are captured in the form of a direct electrical current, creating power for your home.
Convert Sunlight to Energy
This direct current generated by a photovoltaic (PV) module has to go through another step before it can be used to power your home. The current is run through a device called an inverter (or power converter) which converts the direct current (DC) from the solar modules to alternating current (AC), which can be used in your home and distributed to the utility grid. During this process, 14-18% of the energy produced by the panels is lost.
Distribute Energy to your home
After being converted to alternating current, power travels from the inverter to your electrical service panel (your breaker box). The power from the electrical panel is then distributed to any electrical loads in your home.
Run your Meter Backwards
When excess power is produced by the solar panels system, the power will flow into the grid through your electric meter. This will cause your meter to run backward gaining you a credit with the utility company.
Net Metering
The net metering legislation states that the utility company must credit you at retail rates (the same rate they would have charged you). Therefore, time of use customers will be credited peak rates for power fed into the grid during peak hours.
What Makes a House Suitable for Solar Panels?
There are several factors that determine how suitable a home is for solar panels:
- The number of sun hours received by your geographical location. Also known as solar isolation, this is the amount of sunlight that a geographical location receives in a typical year.
- The amount of shading received by your roof during peak production hours. Less is better. Tall structures (other homes or buildings, trees, telephone poles, etc.) can restrict the amount of sunlight that reaches an installed solar panel. The shade of those other structures create can reduce the effectiveness of your solar panels system.
- Available roof or ground area for the solar panels system. A solar panels system requires space for installation.
300+ 5-Star Reviews
Luz Obando
22:14 21 Dec 21
Nos gusto la puntualidad, y el profesionalismo del trabajo, y el cumimiento en los tiempos estipulados para realiza el trabjo.Igualmente el trabajo hecho por el ecargado de presentar el producto y el estimado de parte de Anthony Rivas.Igualmente el trabajo hecho por Gardel y Ricardo., igualmente el profesionalismo de los managers. Buen trabajo.
dennis Ettlinger
20:30 05 Dec 21
Florida Solar & Air installed multiple impact windows and 1 impact door. Absolutely best customer service ever. Jess project manager and crew updates you regularly on the status of the project. Highly recommend this company. And by the way. Top notch windows from CGI. Price is very good as well.
amparo briceno
20:06 03 Dec 21
Samantha Hodge
13:59 22 Nov 21
Claudia Massey
20:26 18 Nov 21
raymond castillo
19:23 12 Nov 21
Everybody in this company that I dealt with were very professional. Leo and Dan were very clean and Punctual. In their installations. I would highly recommend them for your needs. Great job! Jessenia who was the project coordinator was very Thorough and also did a great job!
Design EG CGC
15:09 09 Nov 21
My experience has been very good from the salesperson Patricia who took the time to explain the whole procedure to me, to the installers Alejandro and David who did a great job with Supervisor Daniel, all very well coordinated. Now I am going to make my roof with this same company.
Mary-Ann Massad
15:43 05 Nov 21
From our dealings with the sales person-Jonathan to the whole team who executed the project: Jesus - the PM, Israel, Gardel, the back-office staff-Lucy, everything was executed flawlessly, quickly, and with the highest degree of professionalism. This company gives me hope that there are still organizations out there who truly value their customers, love what they do and do it to the highest standard. To put a cherry on top: the city inspector, Eric from Fort Lauderdale was extremely professional and honourable-coming and doing intermittent inspections to allow the whole project to conclude from start to finish in 3.5 days.
Jennifer Rockburne
17:03 04 Nov 21
Everyone at Florida Solar & Air was A+ in all respects.Great workmanship - Greg and Brian, installers - install was efficient and cleanup was minimal.Trash pick up was 100% excellent.Jesus, supervisor, was attentive and visited the job site numerous times, even to follow up at end of installation.
Alex Van Mecl
20:22 03 Nov 21
I'm writing this review based on my initial and recent experiences with Florida Solar and Air (FSA). For the disclosure of other consumers reading this, the physical work I have contracted FSA to execute has not yet been initiated, but will in the next few months.That said, and on looking for a reliable and professional contractor to replace windows in my historic home, I found, and was introduced to, FSA and their fantastic sales agent, Jay Cruz.On first encounter, I was impressed by Jay's ability to understand and empathize with my concerns for a major restoration project in my home, with him taking ample time to listen and account for my wishes. As they say, you should always get a second opinion or quote, but in this case, and after three meetings and many discussion thereafter, it was clear to me that proceeding with FSA and Jay was the right thing to do - no other quotes desired.The contract that I signed to initiate the work intended to begin in the next few months was clear, and the financing couldn't have been easier. It was thanks to Jay and his personalized professionalism that made it seem as easy as its been.I look forward to the work of FSA in completing this exciting project that will no doubt add value and curb appeal to my recent home purchase.
Raul R Gianino
15:26 03 Nov 21
Very good work, very profesional.
Eric
13:57 01 Nov 21
Gardel and Israel are very clean and fast workers who pay attention to detail. Jesus, the Project Coordinator, is personable and very accommodating. The work went off without a hitch.
Patrick Whitener
16:31 29 Oct 21
Florida Solar and Air installed my impact windows in Sunrise, Fl. I work two jobs, so I am extremely busy. I don't have time to manage home improvement projects. After the initial consultation where I picked out my windows I didn't have to do a thing. Their staff handled it all from my HOA approval, to permits with the city, to installation while keeping me updated along the way. Windows look and feel premium. Our project manager, Jesus, went above and beyond.
Rafael Bedoya
15:17 28 Oct 21
Larosnet Saint Louis
22:52 26 Oct 21
I meet with Devon regarding my roof, he was on time and extremely knowledgeable about everything to do with roofing. He explained the warranties and different roof systems available. It was an absolute pleasure meeting with Devon from Florida Solar and Air.
MariElena Santana
16:25 22 Oct 21
Great service by Carlos & Michel!!
Gregory Sledovker
14:58 15 Oct 21
Juozas Vailionis
20:16 14 Oct 21
ina marjakangas
02:14 14 Oct 21
What a refreshing change. Manny came out to give me a quote, he was courteous, friendly and very informative. Great representative for this company. Highly recommend.
Andrea Levine
18:51 12 Oct 21
Very happy with the installation. Installation crew and Jesus answered all my questions.
Kala G
16:33 27 Sep 21
The Installers David, Alejandro and Project manager Daniel weâre all very professional and answered any and all questions we had regarding the instillation. The windows look amazing and we are so happy we used this company. I highly recommend this company.
Susana Lazaro
16:05 24 Sep 21
I am a very capricious person and did my homework really good, got over 7 estimates, top window & door companies. Tedious, but that is how I work specially if it concerns my money. Honestly, this was not the lowest in price, however, quality, promptness, service, material and warranty, yes it was.I am very happy and satisfied with the work already done, we still have a couple of more "add on" I requested, which they accommodated without any issues.The installers - now this is a totally different subject. I have never seen neater and more precise work than what these 2 guys provided me with, I don't think you will find in another company... "Greg & Brian". Detailed, punctual, cleanliness, exactitude, professionalism and always in a good and happy mood. They love what they do and they do it with pride. I commend them to their management.FSA, I highly recommend them.My Energy Consultant was Jay Cruz - very knowledgeable and his expertise is pleasing the customer with their needs and likes.My Project Manager - Yesenia Osorio, excellent, punctual, detailed and very professional.I, personally highly recommend them if you decide to follow my review.Be tedious like me and check the products out there, then you will see what I mean.By the way, I did all my windows in metal/aluminum. Vinyl I did not trust, but you can chose what is best for your taste, pocket & likes.
Jesi Longo
22:53 22 Sep 21
Excelente empresa!!! PAtricia me asesoro muy bien al momento de comprar mis ventanas!! Y el techo también.
Joan Reilly
19:24 10 Sep 21
Blanca Estrada
15:59 09 Sep 21
The gentleman that performed the work (Greg, Brian and Chris) were extremely professional, knowledgeable and clean. They installed impact Windows and sliding door. They are very meticulous and their work is pristine. They take a lot of pride in their work and protect the surfaces they are working on to minimize the dust. As a person with asthma and allergies, I very much appreciated this. The project manager, Jesus, also demonstrated much professionalism and knowledge about the project at hand. Lastly, the Richard Kerr, who came out to provide initial info and estimates blew me away with his knowledge on the products available. I highly recommend this company.
Rick Villegas
13:54 03 Sep 21
I was shopping around for quotes on impact windows for my Condo in Dania. I made an inquiry to this site and someone called me 5 mins later to set up an appointment the same day. They sent Manny Hernandez who gave a very informative presentation. I was blown away on how informed he was about everything and anything regarding impact windows. He has been in the business for many years. Their price was also reasonably compared to other quotes I've received. I would definitely recommend them to anyone of my family members or friends.
Byron Jones
13:57 02 Sep 21
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Areas We Serve
Miami-Dade:
305.428.2555
Broward:
954.828.0208
Palm Beach:
561.337.1373
Areas We Serve
Miami-Dade:
305.428.2555
Broward:
954.828.0208
Palm Beach:
561.337.1373