When it comes to generating clean and green renewable energy, solar energy comes to mind as a great renewable energy source. Increasing temperature is a great concern for the world due to the use of traditional energy sources like fossil fuel and coal energy. It will play a vital role to fight against climate change. If you want to save your energy bill or want a permanent source of energy, then you should install solar power as soon as possible. But, before buying or installing any kind of solar energy, you need to understand the basic beginners guide.

Things to remember before buying or installing solar power.

1. Energy Assessment

•  Auditing energy is important step to know the requirement of your energy usage. It will give you insight about the size of solar energy according to your needs.

2. Know about local laws

• It is essential to know about local laws and permission requirements for installing it. Advise you to take necessary approval before installing solar energy at your location.

3. Know your necessity

•  This question always arises, why do you want to install solar energy? Do you want to reduce energy bills? Do you want a backup for your energy requirement? There are options like on-grid, off-grid, and hybrid solar installation processes that are essential to know before installation and will be discussed later in detail.

4. Selection of solar panel

• This is a significant part of your journey toward solar installation. There are three types of solar panels available in the market, 1. Monocrystalline 2. Polycrystalline 3. Thin-film.

Click here to know which Panel would be best for you as per your requirement and location.

5. Equipment

• You need different equipment while installing a solar energy system like an inverter, wiring, ACDB, DCDB, NET meter, etc. Please ensure the quality of equipment so that it can last longer.

6. Solar installer 

• We need to choose a qualified solar installer with a proper license to ensure a secure installation process.

7. Know about your space 

• Assessment of your space and location is important that give you an idea about what kind of solar panel you’ll have to install to meet your energy requirement. If you have a small space, and you want higher energy capacity, then you have to select the panel accordingly.

8. Budget

• The most essential thing before planning anything is budgeting which plays a critical role. You’ll have to decide what your requirements are and how much you can pay for it to adjust things accordingly.

9. Review the contract and warranty

•  If you are installing a solar energy system from a specific company, then you need to read and review all the contracts and warranties carefully. Make sure to agree with all the equipment and performance guarantees.

10. Discuss maintenance

• Most solar energy system needs regular inspection, cleaning, and maintenance. You can discuss this with the installer to ensure optimal performance.

Solar panel installation cost:- 

Cost of solar installation depend on various location, size of solar, type of solar panel and labor cost. Here we are providing some average estimation of price of solar panel and overall cost in the United States.

There are three types of panel available in market:-

1. Monocrystalline

This is one of the finest solar panel available in the market. It will cost you around $1 to $1.5 per watt. If you install a 2kw solar panel, it will cost between $2000 to $3000.

2. Polycrystalline

 If you want a cost-effective solar panel, then this is the best option you can install. However, it has low efficacy compared to monocrystalline panels. It will cost around $0.90 to $1 per watt, and 2kw solar will cost around $1800 to $2000.

3. Thin-film

This panel has lower efficacy. It will cost $0.70 to $1 per watt, and 2kw solar will cost $1400 to $2000.

Batteries

If you are installing an off-grid or hybrid solar system, then you need batteries. It will cost around $12000 to $22000. Cost may vary depending on the quality and storage capacity, and the location as well.

Inverter

This is the equipment that converts DC energy coming from solar panels or batteries to AC which runs all appliances of your home. The cost of the inverter also depends on quality. It will cost around $1500 to $3000.

Charge controller 

This equipment controls the charging system of batteries and protects them from overcharging.  The cost of the charge controller is around $50 to $400.

Labor cost 

Labor costs vary depending on location or state to state. Proper license holder labor or electrician charge higher compared to non-license holder. We suggest hiring a proper license holder to avoid any mishandling. The average labor cost in the USA is 10% of the total system cost.

Apart from this, there would be different cost for permit and inspection cost, maintenance cost and tree removal (if you have trees shades around your home).

If we look at overall expenses, average cost of 2kw solar installation is around  $17,430 USD to $23,870 before applying the federal solar tax credit discount. After applying federal tax credit, it will reduce price by 30%.

All these beginners guide will really help you to buy and install solar power. Please keep in mind price may vary depending on your location, it is an estimated price.