Energy Lab

Ashley Hines, Danika Hasher, Samantha Howarth, & Jessica Yohn

Stockton University
October 1st, 2019
 Introduction
Our world as we know it is utilizing a limited fuel source for energy. Instead of being so
dependent on fossil fuels, the world could rely on an alternative energy source. Without an alternative
energy source, like solar, life as we know it would not exist. (Hugerat, 2003). Solar energy is an interest
of consumers because it is nondepletable, it cannot be embargoed, and fuel prices will not increase.
(Whipple 1980). Since solar energy has a low environmental burden, solar technologies have a positive
social and economic influence on the world (PĂCEŞILĂ, 2015). Throughout the course of six years, solar
energy has grown fifty percent and has improved greatly. The capacity of photovoltaic panels has
increased annually. In the year 2000, the capacity was less than 0.3 gigawatts. By 2014, the capacity had
grown to 45 gigawatts, which is enough to meet the power demands of more than 7.4 million homes in
America (Pinner, 2015). Panel capacity has grown due to technological improvements in the solar cells.
There are three types of solar cells: amorphous solar cells which are thin-film solar cells, monocrystalline
solar cells which are comprised of a large silicon crystal, and polycrystalline solar cells which are made
up of smaller silicon crystals. (SolarGreen, n.d.) Solar energy is available to every country in the world
and can easily meet global electricity needs (Nelson, 2013).

Methods
First, some information about the garage was needed. The width of the garage (Y) (figure 1) was
solved for by using the Sine function (Equation 1). The orientation of the garage is 126° southeast which
was determined using HelioScope, a website used to design solar projects. To collect the data, different
solar companies were called to estimate the cost of buying and installing solar panels on the roof of Dr.
Moscovici’s garage. The companies were helpful in concluding how many panels should be purchased,
cost, life-span, and energy output of those panels as well. Once a solar panel model of each type was
selected, HelioScope was used to show the orientation of each panel on the roof.
 Roof
peak
60
11
5 °
8
”
9” Solar panel
surface
30
°
Y=
102”
Figure 1. Cross-section of the garage roof.
118
Y
sin(60 ° )= ¿
Y = 118” x Sin(60 ° )
Y = 102”
Equation 1.
Results & Discussion
After speaking to several companies in the Philadelphia region, many of their answers were the
same. The company Solar States, located in the city of Philadelphia, examined the aerial view of the
property and determined that about six of their panels could fit on the roof of the garage structure. The
cost of the LG and Panasonic panels they use were about one thousand dollars per panel. The panels have
a 25-year warranty and a 30-year life-span. However, throughout this life-span, panels become worn out
and collect a smaller percentage of energy every year. This degradation is named the Staebler-Wronski
Effect after the people who made this discovery (Bagher, 2015). The energy output for these panels is
estimated at about 422 kilowatts per year. This is just an estimation because the amount of energy
collected is dependent on the amount of sun time the roof actually gets throughout the day. Depending on
the size of these solar panels there is a possibility to fit up to twelve panels in that area of the roof (Figure
4). The electric company PECO will credit the unused energy to your electric bill.

Table 1. A table describing the solar radiation potential of the garage roof, energy output of each panel type, and the
value of the energy produced by season. (Data generated from PVWatts.com)
 There are many different brands and types of solar panels that all produce different amounts of
energy. The Centrosolar B-series monocrystalline solar panels produce about 260-270 watts per panel
(figure 2). This type of solar also has 60 monocrystalline silicon cells built into them (CentroSolar, 2016).
Another type of solar panel is HiKa which produces about 395-415 watts per panel, this is 24% more
energy than conventional panels (figure 3). The cell type inside of the HiKa panel is a poly-crystalline cell
(Canadian Solar, 2019). Amorphous silicon solar cells are used in the Sharp solar panels (figure 4). These
types of cells are also used in everyday products like calculators (Bagher, 2015).
The best panel option for the garage structure is six Canadian Solar CS3W - 400 panels (figure 3).
This panel covers 56% of Dr. Moscovici’s yearly energy usage and provides the highest economic value
(table 1).

Figure 2: HelioScope representation of six CentroSolar panels on the garage structure.

Figure 3: HelioScope representation of six Canadian Solar panels on the garage structure.

Figure 4: HelioScope representation of twelve Sharp Panels on the garage structure.

Net metering is a way for customers with solar panels to sell their unused solar energy back to the
electric company to be added to the grid (SEIA, 2019). It is just one of three ways that residential solar
panels can be used to make money by selling excess power back to the grid. Net metering, feed-in tariffs,
and net purchase and sale can all help the consumer make money depending on their energy usage
(Yamamoto, Y,. 2012). Feed-in tariffs are great for quick deployment of renewable energy in a way that
has shown to be sustainable in places around the world (Couture et al., 2010). The last method of solar
sales, net purchase and sale, works in the same way that net metering works and is often called dual
metering (Growsolar.org, 2019). Based on research done all over the world, net metering is possible.
However, disagreements over revenue for the utility companies have created the need for rules and
regulations to be adopted in the United States (SEIA Net Metering, 2019). A breakdown of the net
metering rules as of 2017 all over the country are shown in figure 5 below.

Figure 5: Map of Net Metering rules from (SEIA Net Metering, 2019).

Strong incentives and policies can create strong markets for renewable energy credits (RECs),
especially in terms of solar (SRECs) (Burns et al., 2012). As of June 2018, State legislators in New Jersey
voted to change incentives for renewable energy. They decide to get rid of incentives for solar installation
starting in the year 2021 and they changed the lifetime of all existing SRECS from 15 years down to 10
years for those registered after October of 2018 (Matasci, S. 2018). Until these new regulations begin, the
price of the incentives offered in New Jersey is market dependent (NJ Solar Programs, 2019). As of June
2019, the cumulative weighted average price of an SREC was about $207.80 (SREC Pricing: NJ OCE,
2019). The state of Pennsylvania manages the price differently New Jersey when it comes to renewable
energy credit incentives. In Pennsylvania, they are referred to as alternative energy credits (AEC) and
they are tracked and transferred using the PJM- Environmental Information System (PA AEP Report ,
2019). Based on the PJM-EIS tracking system pricing for the AEC in Pennsylvania for 2018 ranged
anywhere between $3.00 and $350. Flett Exchange is a website used by brokers to sell SRECs for
individuals. Individuals cannot directly sell their SRECs, but they can view the price. As of September
30th, 2019, the price of an SREC in Pennsylvania is $38.00 for energy produced within July 2019 and
May 2020.
With the passing of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 an incentive tax credit was added to help boost
incentives for installing solar power. Since it was enacted, the act has been renewed several times and is
set to expire in 2021. Under this act, people who install solar power can deduct up to 30 percent of the
cost to install the panels in the form of a tax credit (EnergySage, 2019.). The price of the tax credit is set
to decrease in the next several years, as shown in figure 6 below, until the year 2021, when the act will
expire. After 2022 the tax credit will be set at 10 percent of the cost to install panels.

Figure 6: Investment tax credit breakdown from (EnergySage, 2019).

Figure 7: New Jersey solar installation and capacity rates from ( New Jersey Solar, 2019)
Figure 8: Pennsylvania solar installation and capacity rates from (Pennsylvania, 2019)
Figure 9: Map of property location and sun exposure.
 Conclusion
Solar energy is becoming a large part of renewable energy in the world. This is partially caused
by tax incentives that states offer at the end of the year. In addition, there are numerous types of panels,
locations, and pricing options that solar companies can provide to homeowners. With all these great
options and incentives, solar is becoming more accessible to the middle class. For Dr. Moscovici’s garage
structure, the recommended panels are the Canadian Solar CS3W - 400 panels. Based on figure 7, New
Jersey has had higher capacity residential solar installations along with high amounts of utility and non-
residential installations over the past nine years (New Jersey Solar, 2019). Pennsylvania, as shown in
figure 8, has had more non-residential installations in the past but in recent years that number has
increased (Pennsylvania, 2019). The installed capacities of both states do vary greatly in these two figures
with New Jersey having the higher capacity in MegaWatts. Based on the installed capacities and the
market dependency of SREC pricing in both states, it would be better for Dr. Moscovici to have solar
panels in New Jersey instead of Pennsylvania. Federal incentives would be the same but the stability of
SRECs and higher installed capacities make the argument for installing in New Jersey instead of
Pennsylvania. Solar, paired with other renewable energy sources, like wind energy, are a real possibility
for the planet’s future. New energy sources are being researched every day to become the solution to the
growing threat of depleting non-renewable fossil fuels.
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