What is Solar Electricity? What is Photovoltaic Power?

Sunetric is the leader in commercial and residential photovoltaic — also known as ‘PV’ — installations. Solar photovoltaic energy systems capture the sun’s energy to directly power your home. Solar panels mounted on your roof convert sunlight into produce direct current (commonly referred to as ‘DC power’). The final step in the process is something called an inverter — it converts the DC power to alternating current (‘AC’ power) for use in your home as electricity.

Can I become entirely self-sufficient in producing energy?

It depends on your PV installation. Most of us want to reduce our electric bill and switch to a cleaner form of energy. If this is your goal, we’ll recommend a system that connects you to the grid. With the net metering system, which allows you to send and withdraw your excess energy from the grid at no cost, you’ll be well on your way to energy independence.

If your goal is to become energy independent as soon as possible and to generate and store electricity for potential use at night or during power outages, we will recommend a system with storage batteries.

What happens on rainy or cloudy days, or if the power goes out?

Solar panels can generate energy even in inclement weather — the highly-efficient SunPower brand photovoltaic cells we use are so advanced that they generate adequate power even on cloudy days. However, if it’s dark and rainy, your system will draw power from the main electric grid through a process called net metering. Learn more about net metering.

If you have any more questions about solar photovoltaic systems, please refer to our FAQ or contact us at your convenience.