Blue Horizons Project Setting the course for clean energy Solar - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Blue Horizons Project Setting the course for clean energy Solar Panels Technology Presentation

Solar Panels Introduction Solar r panel els s instal alled ed at your r home e or business ess give e you direct acces ess s to clean n energy. gy. They y are now widely y availabl able e and affordabl ordable e all over the world. d.

How Do Solar Panels Work? A solar r panel el collects s sunligh ght and turns ns it into electric ricity, y, provi vidi ding ng you with your own energy gy and an alternat native ve to using fossil fuel energy. y. Unlike e fossi sil fuels, s, the panel els s produc uce e no pollutant ants s while e gener erat ating ng electricity. y. Since energy gy is produc uced ed at your home e or business, ness, less and someti etimes es no energy is required from the utility’s electric grid.

Benefits of Solar Panels Solar ar pane nels s produc uce e clean ean energ rgy, , ● reduc ucing ng Ashevil eville e and Buncomb mbe e County’s need for new fossil fuel power plants. ants. Solar ar pane nels s are a great eat invest estment ment ● because ause they save e you mone ney year r after er year, r, by gene nera rati ting ng energ ergy at your r home me to reduc uce e your r elec ectri tric bill. Excess energy can be sold to the utility’s ● elec ectri tric grid, making it even n more re afford rdab able, e, and providing ng the utility ty with h more re renewa ewable e energ ergy.

Solar panels Financial Cost? Solar Panel els can be purchas hased ed upfront ont, or through ugh a loan or paym yment ent plan. An average age home e uses 1 kW of energy gy per day. A 5 kW solar panel el can be purchased hased using g paym ymen ent plans s equal al to the cost of your r utility y bill. Total panel el cost may range e from $10,000 - $40,000, includi ding ng instal allat ation n fees. s. Costs s depend end on how much h energy gy (kW) the system em produc duces. es. Duke e Energy gy provi vides des rebat ates, es, one is $6,000 back for homeow eowner ners. s. The feder eral al tax credi dit also provi vides des 30% % saving ngs s on all solar-re relat ated ed costs. s.

Solar Panels Support Clean Energy Our Communi unity y in Ashev eville e and Buncom ombe be Count nty y is committed ed to creating ng a cleaner ner, smart arter er and more e affordabl ordable e energy gy future ure. Solar energy gy helps s our commun unity y becom omes es less reliant ant on polluting, ng, non- renewabl able energy gy sources, s, like fossi sil fuels. s. Solar panels s contribut bute to lowering ng CO2, which h affec ects s global al warming ng. And, the reduc uced ed usage e of energy rgy from om the utility’s electric grid will help eliminate new power plants.

Want to Know More? Frequently Asked Questions 1. Where can I find more info about using solar panels in NC? This website e link below provi vides des data and info o specific to using solar ar panels s in North h Carol olina. na. http tps:/ s://so solar aren ener ergylocal al.c .com/sta states/ tes/no north rth-car arolina/ na/ashev asheville/ e/ 2. How long do solar panels last? Differ erent ent solar panel els s have e differ erent ent lifetime e warrant anties es based ed on their design gn and mater erial als. s. Typical al lifetime e warrant anties es are betwee een n 15 and 30 years s for most st solar r panel el design gns. s. FAQ Page 1

Want to Know More? 3. Can I use solar panels to store energy with batteries? There e are many y types es of batter ery y storage rage techno nologi ogies es that can be used to store e solar energy gy rangi ging ng from om lithium um ion, salt water and hydrogen ogen fuel cells. s. Typical ally y an inverter er is required ed along g with the batter ery. A solar panel el provi vider der will explai ain n what’s needed and how to get it. 4. Can you explain the federal tax credit for solar panels? The credi dit applies es to the entire e system em being g instal alled ed and can offer er you 30% % back which h is explai ained ned well in the link below w from article e in 2018. http tps:/ s://ne news.e s.ene nerg rgysa sage. e.com/ m/cong ngress ress-exte xtends-th the-so solar ar-tax tax-cred redit/ t/. . 5. How can I receive a rebate for installing solar panels on my home? You can recei eive ve a rebat ate e from om Duke e Energy rgy and the rebat ate e applicat ations ns are found nd at this link below. There e is a limited ed number ber given n out per year. http tps:/ s://www.d .duk uke-energ rgy.c .com/ m/home me/pro roducts/ ts/ren renewab able-en energ ergy/nc nc-so solar ar-reb ebat ates es. FAQ Page 2

Want to Know More? 6. Is there a way to calculate my potential savings as a sneak peek? Yes. s. There e are websi sites es that offer er solar r calculat ators. ors. We linked ed a site below, w, where re you enter your address ess and estimat ated ed monthl hly y electricity y bill to find out how much h you can save e over the next 5-10 years. s. http tps:/ s://www.e .ene nerg rgysag sage. e.com/ m/so solar ar/cal alcul ulato tor-resu results/ ts/ FAQ Page 3