FAQ

A residential Fast-Rack solar system has various components that work together seamlessly to convert the sunshine into usable energy for your daily needs at home.

1. Solar Panels

Solar electricity is generated when photons (sunlight) land on a solar photovoltaic cell.  Energy is created inside the solar cell as the solar radiation is converted into DC electricity. However, this energy will not be ready for use yet, you still need an inverter to blend it into your home. The main benefit is that there are no moving parts, so no maintenance or wear and tear.

2. Inverter

The inverter converts the solar energy from direct current (DC) to alternating current (AC), which is used by your home’s electrical system and appliances. These inverters may be small units mounted behind the solar modules called micro inverters or a larger unit mounted in the garage or outside wall called a string inverter. Your installer will help you choose the right solution for you.

3. Main Electric service panel

Your electrical panel takes electricity flowing from your inverter, and blends it into your home. The energy can flow into all the appliances that you are using at that time.  If your solar system is producing more energy than required for your current needs, the abundance will flow back into the utility grid.

4. Utility Meter

The bidirectional meter is a way to measure energy flowing to and from the grid and is supplied by your utility. Any excess electricity produced by your solar system will be sold back to the grid, providing a credit which offsets your monthly electric bill. The utility will read the energy you used and the energy you put back onto the grid and you only pay for the NET difference.

Net metering/billing is a program whereby eligible home owners can reduce their net energy demand by supplying their home with solar electricity and exporting surplus generated energy back onto the grid for credit towards their electricity bill.

Here’s how it works. When the sun is available on your solar modules, their power will be converted by the system and fed into your home. The loads in your home will consume this power and any power left over will flow back into the grid. Your utility will subtract the value of electricity you supply to the grid (outflow) from the value taken from the grid (inflow). What you’ll see on your bill is the “net” difference between those two amounts.

Net billing and net metering are similar programs in that they both offer you a NET savings. The key difference is for net metering the any excess energy generated is given back to you as an energy credit (kWh credit against kWh used). For Net billing the transaction is in dollars, consumption and generation are recorded and billed separately, and you will get charged your full retail rate per kWh when consuming energy from the grid, and are paid the wholesale price when you sell it back.

You can check with your local utility to see if your province operates under net metering, or net billing. Make sure the equipment you are using is approved for these applications. Fast-Rack solar systems are approved to feed power back to the grid.

A kWh stands for kilowatt hour, which represents 1000 watts x hours (power x time). It is the standard unit of measurement for how much energy your using, like volume. It is not the number of kilowatts you are using per hour, rather it is the amount of energy required to power a 1000-watt appliance for an hour.

For example, if you switched on a 100 W lightbulb, it would take 10 hours to rack up 1 kWh of electricity. The more power an appliance utilizes, the faster it will use up one kWh. A 500-watt vacuum cleaner will use up a kWh in two hours.

Your utility bill is based on the amount of kWh you used in the billing period. Your utility tracks how many kWh you purchase from them, and the amount of kWh you send back to the grid.

Yes, your Fast-Rack system will be able to produce electricity in all types of weather and seasons. The output of your system will vary from day to day with the changes in weather (temperature and amount of sun).  For example, on a cloudy day it is possible your solar system will only perform at the 10-25% range. This is OK, what is important is how much energy your system produces over the whole year.

In the summer your solar systems energy production will peak, and in the winter months it is expected to be the lowest because of the variable weather patterns and short days.

Snow cover may have an effect on solar panel efficiency, and steeper mounted panels are better at shedding accumulated snow and ice than flatter mounted panels. A study by Alberta Institute of Technology found that the impact of snowfall only results in a three percent loss of solar power. You can clean them off if you want that three percent.

When we provide a free solar assessment on your property, we will factor in the sunlight exposure, and climate of where you live to ensure that your solar system can adequately service your energy necessities.

The Fast-Rack solar panels have a standard warranty for 25 years. This does not mean that your panels will stop producing electricity after 25 years, it just represents the amount of time to which energy production capabilities are covered under warranty. The truth is, your solar panels should be able to work for over 50 years.

The solar panel degradation rate is unique to photovoltaic type, but you can expect your solar panels to be producing at 85% – 90% capacity after a 25year warranty period.

Fast-Rack solar systems do not comprise of moving parts; thus, they are less susceptible to damage and require minimal maintenance. To best take care of your system, your panels should be inspected a few times a year to clean any dirt and debris build up.

Given that solar panels need sunlight to generate power, their production is dormant at night. But you still have power at night when you go solar through net metering or a home battery system.

Net Metering: When you generate excess energy, it is sent back to the grid and you receive credits. During the night time you can apply those credits towards drawing electricity from the grid. This way you never waste the energy your produce from the sun!

Battery storage: Most places have utilities that allow for net metering or net billing. However, in certain places, often remote, energy independence is required from your solar system through battery storage. In this scenario, rather than sending your excess energy to the grid, you are able to store it and use your own energy later. Energy is first consumed by your appliances and then the access is stored in the battery.

Conventional Fast-Rack grid tied systems need utility power to operate, and will not power your home during a blackout. However, one may have their system designed with a battery bank, which can produce energy and power your home with, or without power from the grid. A home solar system used in conjunction with a hybrid or off grid inverter, associated electrical modifications, and a battery bank can enable a grid tied home the ability to maintain power during blackouts.