Solar in Renton, Wa
Renton, Washington is one of Blossom’s hometowns, so it’s always special when we have a project here. But it was doubly special to have contracted with as warm and friendly of a customer as this one.
This particular customer selected an all black solar panel, the Silfab 400 (Silfab Prime SIL-400 HC+). This solar panel is manufactured in Washington state and boasts an efficiency rating of 20.2% and a 30 year production guarantee. The panels were paired with the Enphase IQ8A microinverters. To learn more about why we use microinverters as opposed to string inverters, check out our blog on the topic.
This 26 panel solar system totals 10.4 kW, intending to offset all of the customer’s current annual kWh electricity usage as well as some forecasted increases. During the discovery phase with our customers, we uncover their goals, which can evolve throughout
the process. And then, their goals become our goals. Oftentimes, our customers want to offset as much of their energy consumption as possible, and at times, more.
When does it make sense to build a system that produces more energy than what you’re consuming? If you plan to purchase an electric vehicle, install air conditioning or swap from a natural gas heat source to an electric heat source, it might make sense to size the solar panel system up to offset those future changes.
Does solar work in Washington? The answer is YES! For a more in-depth look, check out our deep dive into how solar works in Washington. In short, Net Metering is a great ally for Washington state solar. In WA, most of the energy produced with solar panel systems will be on those long spring and summer days. The system energizes the home and excess energy is sent back to the grid where utilities bank credits in a 1-to-1 ratio (Net Metering). So, for every unit of excess energy our customers send back to the grid, they receive a credit toward future billing that can be used when the sun isn’t out as much, like in the winter.
We also installed an Enphase backup battery system, powering the critical needs of the home during an outage. We should be clear, backup batteries are not a requirement when going solar, but a backup battery system is required are if you want your solar system to continue to operate during an outage. Since we have that Net Metering benefit described above, since solar panels backfeed excess energy to the utility, they need to automatically shutoff during an outage (unless you have battery) or they could harm people working on utility lines.
To learn more about solar and Blossom and if solar is right for your home, click the Get Quote button or take a look at how we’re different from other installers.
