Have you ever wondered how solar panels produce energy?
When the energy in sunlight hits a solar panel, it interacts with the material inside.
This causes negative charges inside that material to move, and when negative charges move, that creates electricity.
So, the power inside your outlets is just flowing negative charges.
Credit: U.S. Department of Energy
And if you want that power to come from solar, what are the costs like?
69 News called a few solar panel installers to get an estimate for a four-bedroom home.
All of them agreed that it would cost between $20,000 to $30,000 to get and install solar panels on the roof of that home.
You do get a federal tax credit for purchasing and installing solar. The amount refunded on your taxes is 26% of the amount you pay for solar.
For example, say a solar system costs $25,000. Twenty-six percent of that is $6,500, so you’d get a $6,500 credit on your federal income taxes that year.
In 2023, the tax credit will drop to 22%.
If you purchase solar, it takes a few months before your solar is up and running. For one, it takes a month or two for the solar panels to arrive, then there’s getting the installation scheduled, and you also need to talk to your power company before solar is installed.
PPL, a local energy company, explained that they (or whoever supplies your power) have to prepare the energy distribution grid for solar energy coming from your home. It’s a short review and approval process.
“We fully support renewables, and we want it make it as easy as possible for our customers to connect their renewable sources of energy to the grid,” said Jane George, a communications manager at PPL.
“In most cases, residential customers will be able to offset their monthly bill with renewable energy produced at their home.”
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