Understanding Solar Energy:
More Choices .. more solar .. for less
AZ Solar works with a wide variety of manufacturers in order to find the most up to date equipment for your solar system. AZ Solar’s constant research, benchmarking, and quality checks ensures that you receive the latest and best in technology for your system so that your solar system is the most efficient and powerful it can be. By working with so many manufacturers, AZ Solar also offers you flexibility so that you can have the exact solar energy system that you need and want. The following are components used in your system and some of the companies that provide them.
Panels
A Solar Panel is a packaged, connected assembly for photovoltaic cells. The solar panel is part of the larger system that generates electricity for home or commercial use. Multiple panels are used in most applications and because the panel is such an important part of your solar system, AZ Solar works with the following manufacturers to make sure that the panels used are of the highest quality; CentroSolar, Hanwha Solar One, Astroenergy, Sun Power, Mage Solar, and Solar World. Of these manufacturers, AZ Solar relies most heavily on CentroSolar and Hanwha SolarOne.
CentroSolar differentiates itself with its turn-key systems, regional support, and hands on training.
Hanwha SolarOne makes panels specifically designed for challenging environments – including the desert – making them a perfect fit for installations in Arizona. By using all these manufacturers, AZ Solar can supply you with the most durable and best value solution.
For more detailed information on types of solar panels
click here.
Inverters
A Solar Inverter is a device that coverts Direct Current (DC) electricity from a solar panel to Alternating Current (AC). This current is then fed into the existing electrical grid. AZ Solar sources the inverters they use in their equipment from several different manufacturers – Fronius, Tigo, SMA America, Power One, and Enphase. Of these manufacturers, Fronius and Tigo supply most of the inverters used by AZ Solar.
Fronius is known for intensive research and new and innovative solutions.
In its 65 year history, Fronius has received multiple international awards for innovation, environmental stewardship, and best practices. Fronius also offers excellent warranty packages to include up to a 20 year extended warranty.
AZ Solar also uses inverters from Tigo that are engineered to extract the maximum power from each module and increase the power output of each panel. Tigo’s DC Optimizer works independently so that power output is not significantly affected if there is a problem with one inverter. This means that your solar energy system will produce more power than a similar sized system that does not use this technology.
Racking
Racking is the part of your solar system that holds the panels in place. Choosing the correct racking is of critical importance. The racking must be placed where the panels will receive the optimal amount of sunshine. It must also be durable – made to last at least 25 years.
AZ Solar partners with a variety of solar racking manufacturers so that they can install the best type of racking for your solar application. Whether you need a ground mounted system or a roof mounted, a system for a flat roof or a peaked roof, AZ Solar can obtain just the right racking. Some of their manufacturers include ProSolar, Schletter, Zilla, and UniRac. ProSolar has been in business for over 20 years and makes a patented racking system called “RoofTrac”.
AZ Solar often uses RoofTrac because it has a rail/clamp system that allows their installers to clamp the panels from the top down making them easy to install on rooftops and easy to change out if needed. Schletter’s racking systems can be individually designed for any kind of mount needed, making them another great partner for AZ Solar and you. Schletter’s wide variety of durable racking includes a system designed for wind resistance as well as their standard “flush mount” system. This system lies close to the roof making it aesthetically unobtrusive as well as an economical choice.
Electric Boxes
The Electric Box is also known as a solar combiner box. This is an electrical distribution box where the DC fuses or the circuit breakers are placed. The output from the box is then fed into the inverter.
AZ Solar typically uses electric boxes from Siemens. Siemens is a world-wide industry leader in developing and manufacturing solar products and has been doing so for over 40 years. Siemens is known for the durability and safety of its products. Their “smart” solar combiner box includes a Simatic S7-1200 controller, FreeWave MM2, wireless Ethernet radio, modular and scalable design (12, 16, 20 or 24 strings), integrated string current and voltage measurement, multiple grounding terminals, integrated wire management, built-in diagnostics for remote troubleshooting and remote PLC code upload capability via wireless interface, and is rated up to 20A at 600 VDC per string.
What this means for you is that your system is much easier to repair in the unlikely event should something go wrong.
Monitoring
The monitoring system is what keeps track of how your solar panels are performing. The monitoring system can tell you if your system is off line or not producing as much power as it should. It can run diagnostic programs for troubleshooting. Some monitoring systems can be accessed through a wall mounted device while you can use the web or even your mobile device for others.
Solar monitoring systems can also be educational, showing you how much power you’ve saved, how much CO2 you’ve saved, and how much money you’ve saved. AZ Solar procures a wide array of monitoring systems so that you can choose the option that will be best for you. For example, they use AlsoEnergy, Solar-Log, Locus, and Sun Power among others. AlsoEnergy’s monitoring products can work with over 40 inverter types and its Power Track system will give you real time and historical data for one or more sites. It is a cloud based secure system that can be accessed via the web as well as multiple mobile devices so you can see how your solar panel system is performing at any time from anywhere.
Solar-Log makes monitoring systems for any size installation plus has an extensive line of accessories so that you can have a customized solution. Solar-Log monitoring systems are multi-vendor capable allowing further flexibility.
