The solar industry has over 60 years of research and development experience resulting in a technology that is now considered safe and reliable enough to be backed by equipment warranties ranging from 10 years (inverters) to 25 years (modules). The core of the technology is relatively simple which offers advantages such as quick installation and minimal maintenance due to the fact that there are basically not any moving parts.

In a nutshell, this is how solar works … the main power source is naturally the sun itself and the sunlight that it produces. However, the sunlight that is absorbed by the solar modules generates DC electricity which has to be converted to “utility grade” AC electricity by an inverter so it can be utilized by the consumer. The AC power that is generated flows through the electrical panel and can then used in the home, building, or sent back into the utility grid through a separate interconnection.

Modules are expected to last at least 30 years while inverters are projected to last about 15 years depending on the quality of the manufacturer. The efficiency of each component (percent of sunlight converted to electricity for modules and percent of DC energy converted to useable AC energy for inverters) are both critical components of the overall systems performance, along with other variables such as the size and number of modules, their orientation to the sun, local climate conditions, and the ability to reduce shading.