Patricia Finlay-Perfetti and her husband, Tom, installed solar panels outside their Rostraver home four years ago.
Since then, families have enjoyed the benefits of electricity and lower electricity bills.
"It's great to have zero electricity bills," says Patricia Perfetti.
Perfetis is one of a growing number of Pennsylvanians who, over the last twelve years, have chosen to supplement the electricity that utilities buy by connecting it to their roofs or installing electricity in their backyards. utility electricity production. - volume capacity.
The couple has 30 solar PV panels in their backyard. The panels are heated by the sun, and silicon cells in the panels generate and store electricity.
Patricia Perfetti is usually FirstEnergy Corp. Electric meter. In their homes, they can get power from the utility company or generate enough power from a south-facing panel and send the excess down the power line. On Finnay Street.
In the year as of July 1, the country's solar industry had grown to 40,345 installations - small and utility - generating 920 megawatts with 2,189 installations in 2010 totaling 57 megawatts. There are 6,714 systems registered in Pennsylvania. In 2015, the Public Utilities Authority produced 215 megawatts.
Duquesne Light Inc. has increased the number of customers installing generators in their homes and businesses, including solar, said Ashley Matzek, a spokeswoman for the Pittsburgh utility.
"The acceleration of solar power is due to the significant reduction in equipment costs, the rising cost of conventional energy, and the growing awareness that solar power works well and is an important tool in the fight against climate change," said Shannon Pillar. . . , executive director of the Pennsylvania Solar Energy Center, a Pittsburgh-based nonprofit that promotes solar energy. But the real game changer is the savings that solar power can bring to homeowners, schools, communities, businesses, and more. More money on their bills.
Giuseppe Scioli of Plum has 56 18-by-24-inch panels on the roof.
Duquesne Lite compensates for the generated electricity. Electricity usage. About 80%, says Scioli.
The amount of energy coming from the grid is measured with a two-way light Duquesne meter which measures the amount of energy coming from the power line to the home. If the building's electricity consumption is less than that produced by the generator, said Makic, the electricity is taken from the house and the meter measures energy production.
said Sciulli, who was initially unhappy with the idea because he was unfamiliar with the technology. For beauty, they chose a cover on the back instead of saying.
Paying just $7 for the electric utility for one summer month was enough to convince Joy Ushak that the decision to install solar panels on her roof in Hempfield "was a good one". He credits his late mother, Eleanor Thornbloom, who wanted solar panels at the age of 83, for prompting the decision to install the panels on the roof 18 months earlier.
From FirstEnergy Corp. "Our electricity consumption is very low," said Usak.
But while the state's renewable energy sector has grown in recent years—solar, wind, hydropower, biomass, and landfill methane—it has remained flat, according to the US Energy Information Administration.
According to the EIA, the country's solar power accounts for only 11% of the electricity generated from all renewables.
Even though Pennsylvania is not on the Sun Belt and western Pennsylvania is known for cloudy days, Tom Perfetti says the system provides electricity all year round, even on winter days. Interestingly, the meter shows that electricity is generated during a full moon - Tom Perfetti.
Pilar believes Keystone State will see more solar projects if the state enacts solar policies. The Senate and House have bills on committee that would update the Alternative Energy Portfolio Standards Act of 2004, including passing a community solar program that allows homeowners to connect to a solar system even if they can't turn it on. .
Worries about up-front costs
One of the doubts people have about installing solar panels in their homes is the initial cost of the project. A residential solar project can usually pay for itself within seven to 10 years, says Pillar, especially as electricity prices rise.
The average home solar system generates about 7 kilowatts and costs an average of $2,500 to $3,500 per kilowatt, or $17,500 to $24,500, excluding the 30% federal tax and no energy storage options, Pillar said.
There is also a fee to connect the home's solar power to the Duquesne Light transmission lines installed by PUC, Machek said. Costs for certified installed equipment range from $250 for systems generating at least 10 kWh to $100 for systems generating 2,000 kWh. This tool charges $350 to connect unauthorized devices to the network.
"This fee is used to ensure customers can connect to the network safely and does not affect system reliability," said Makic.
The amount of power that solar panels generate and how quickly homeowners can return their investment can vary depending on the slope of the roof, the configuration of the roof, and the direction in which it is installed to reflect sunlight. .
The federal government encourages homeowners to install solar panels using the Solar Investment Tax Credit, which allows them to deduct 30% of the cost of solar installation from their federal income taxes. That's higher than the 23 percent before the 2022 depreciation measure, which extended the tax break to 2033.
Installed at a time when the tax cut for solar panels was 23%, Sciulli opted for a payment scheme that splits the cost of the system over 15 years, so there are no installation fees, he says.
Patricia Perfetti estimates that it will take about 10 years for a solar energy system to pay off its savings from lower heating bills. The installer told them the panels should last 50 years and they could pass the energy savings on to their children.
Solar loan
One of the things that tempts people to consider installing solar panels in their homes is that they can sell them Solar Renewable Energy Certificates, or SRECs, which they get for every 1,000 kilowatts of power their system produces. A typical solar system produces 6 kilowatts, which is enough for five to six credits, according to the state's Department of Environmental Protection.
It's easier to sell solar credits generated by the owner's solar system because the state's 2004 Alternative Energy Portfolio Standard stated that 0.5% of Pennsylvania's electricity must come from solar power. To meet this demand, the utility purchased SREC to meet its annual solar generation needs, according to the Pennsylvania Solar Energy Center. Fees range from $20 to $30 per loan, and the average homeowner can earn $100 to $180 per year selling the loan.
These SRECs are commodities whose value fluctuates according to market conditions, said Ed Johnstonboe of Peters, Washington-based Exodus Renewables, which acts as the SREC broker.
Sciulli estimates that he has amassed around 31 SREC and could be worth around $1,300.
Johnstonbaugh, a former West Penn Power employee, said he was chairman of SREC and had about 600 customers that generated 15 megawatts and relied on credit sales. He says he started the company in 2008 and sells solar certificates, usually in bundles of 1,000 certificates, and sells them on the market, estimating credits of $44 to $48. It is impossible to sell in small lots.
"The market was good in the first and second quarter," said Johnstonbaugh.
He defended the SREC launch from opponents who said solar power was subsidized through tax credits and solar credits.
"It balances the playing field between fossil fuels and renewables," said Johnstonbaugh. "Fossil fuels are bad for the environment and highly subsidized."
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This story has been modified to reflect the correct spelling of the name Giuseppe Scoli.
Joe Nabesha is a writer for the Tribune-Review. You can contact John by email at jnapsha@triblive.com or on Twitter.
