There are three types of solutions for residential solar in Stroudsburg. They are grid-tied, grid-tied with battery backup, and finally, off-the-grid systems. Depending on your requirements and expectations from the solar installation, you can choose between these three solutions.
- Grid-Tied Residential Solar Solution
This system lets the homeowners get power from the traditional utility grid and the home’s solar system. They can easily switch from one power source to another as per their need.
When the solar installation produces more power than the home needs, it can be sent to the utility grid. When the home solar system is not generating enough power to meet the household’s needs, consumers can draw power from the utility grid. Their monthly utility bill is adjusted to the amount of energy they send to the grid during the daytime. This is called a net metering arrangement.
A grid-tied residential solar in Stroudsburg requires a basic solar power setup. So, it costs the lowest among the three solutions. You are also rewarded with SRECs for grid-tied systems.
- Grid-Tied with Backup Solar Solution
As the name suggests, the only difference between this solution and the previous one is the addition of a battery. The battery backup adds an ability to balance demand and production.
Grid-tied solar with a backup system reduces the household’s dependency on the utility grid. It gives the homeowners an option to either send the electricity back to the grid and earn from net metering or store the power in the battery for later use in the house in the event of a power outage.
This design makes your solar system more flexible. However, given the additional features, these systems are more complex, which further adds to the cost of design, installation, and maintenance.
- Off-The-Grid Solar Solution
This solution is completely disconnected from the grid. Since the utility company is not in the picture, you do not save anything from net metering or earn in the form of SRECs. A battery is understandably essential for such a system. When the solar power system does not produce or store enough power to meet household needs, a diesel generator is used to meet the power demands of the household.
The off-the-grid system is slightly more complex than grid-tied with backup because it also contains a generator. This setup is the most expensive because it is complex and does not offer any earnings to the system owner.
Pick The Most Suitable For Your Home
Each solution for residential solar in Stroudsburg comes with minor but significant variations from each other. If you want to offset your solar installation costs at the earliest, it makes sense to stick with grid-tied options. A professional installer can assess your household’s energy needs and consider your expectations from the solar power system to recommend the best solar solution that works for you.