Top 10 Signs of Battery Degradation
Making sure that your solar energy system is working at peak efficiency is always important. A common reasons that our customer’s systems start to become inefficient is battery storage degradation. Spotting battery degradation early can save you days, weeks, and months of low system performance and can also prevent severe damage to your system and property.
Spotting battery degradation can be difficult for even the trained eye, so our solar application engineers are always available to consult – you can email us a picture of your batteries any time and we can assess along with you.
Posted in General Solar Information
Read more
Top 10 Signs of Solar Panel Degradation
Making sure that your solar energy system is working at peak efficiency is always important. One of the most common reasons that our customer’s systems start to become inefficient is due to solar panel degradation.
Spotting panel degradation can be difficult, but catching it early can save you days, weeks, and months of low system performance and can also prevent damage to your system. Our solar application engineers are always available to consult – you can email us a picture of your panels any time and we can assess along with you.
Posted in General Solar Information
Read more
Yes, we design solar power systems. For free. It's what we do.
RESIDENTIAL. COMMERCIAL. INDUSTRIAL.
We work with everyone. From beginner DIYers to professional installers. Our team of Solar Application Engineers works as a team when necessary to solve the most complex design issues you can think of.
Posted in General Solar Information
Read more
Remote Monitoring.
Yes! We can help you manage and optimize your solar system through remote monitoring, at no cost to you.
Posted in General Solar Information
Read more
What do I need to know about batteries for solar applications?
Understanding how different batteries work, the maintenance involved, and understanding basic formulas all help you make the best decision for your specific needs. Our team of application engineers is here to make it easy, but we know some people really want to have a good understanding of their options before they decide to make this kind of investment.
Posted in General Solar Information and Batteries & Charging
Read more
What Are They?
Solar Powered EV Charging Systems are a combination of solar modules (panels), an inverter, an EV charging station, and optionally battery storage and a connection to The Grid.
These systems allow the user to collect solar energy and convert it into power that is used to charge an electric vehicle. Depending on the design and components, these systems may also be set up with battery storage or be used to draw from or “sell back” power to the Grid.
Posted in General Solar Information and Batteries & Charging
Read more
Do you need help with your permitting?
NAZ can help! We offer permit drafting and engineering review services for your solar power system to make the permitting process easier.
Posted in General Solar Information
Read more
Backup power systems are a way to keep things operating during power outages. You may already be familiar with a UPS (uninterruptable power supply), which is a specific type of backup power system that keeps your computer running long enough during a blackout to save your work before shutting down. A backup power system can be attached to essential appliances like a refrigerator so your food doesn’t spoil. Or, they can be large enough to run a whole house or even a business.
Posted in General Solar Information and Buying Guides
Read more
Change is on the horizon for California Grid-Tie Solar customers. The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) has approved new Net Metering rules for grid-tie solar energy systems – NEM 3.0. Effective on April 13, 2023, the new Net Metering rules will stretch out the payback period for grid-tie solar power systems in the Golden State by reducing how much customers are paid for their solar generated power.
Posted in General Solar Information
Read more
We have big news!
Northern Arizona Wind and Sun is now officially NAZ Solar-Electric.
Nothing has changed within the company. We haven’t been bought and our operations remain the same. After more than 40 years in the business, we thought a refresh was in order.
Posted in General Solar Information
Read more
Many people are excited by the idea of producing electricity from the sun to power their home. However, they may be discouraged when they think of all the paperwork they will need to wade through to get permission from the utility company to install a system. You don't always need to ask your Utility Company for permission to install a solar power system on your home. One could take advantage of a grid-zero configuration.
Posted in General Solar Information
Read more
Grid-tie solar systems are appearing in more and more neighborhoods as homeowners seek to reduce their rising electricity bills, charge electric vehicles, or just “green up” their energy footprint. However, many people are surprised to learn that the grid-tie solar panels on their roofs don’t supply power to the home when there is a utility blackout. This is due to the ani-islanding safety requirements of a grid tie solar power system.
Posted in General Solar Information
Read more
When you purchase a complete Victron system from NAWS, we support you for the life of your system. One way we can help you ensure your system is configured correctly and working at maximum efficiency is by enabling remote monitoring and configuration over the internet.
Posted in General Solar Information and Manufacturers & Brands
Read more
At Northern Arizona Wind and Sun, one of the most frequent conversations our sales and engineering team has with customers is the “off-grid” discussion.
Posted in General Solar Information
Read more
There are an endless number of options when it comes to configuring your solar power system, which is excellent! But it can make decisions a bit more challenging. In this video, James, our sales manager and application engineer, talks about why he installed the Sol-Ark 12K Inverter on his home as part of his grid-tied battery backup installation as a grid-interactive system.
Posted in General Solar Information, Inverters and Manufacturers & Brands
Read more
At Northern Arizona Wind and Sun, equipping our customers with knowledge is integral to the partner process. This is part of what makes us different. We do not just sell products; we offer turnkey solutions and ongoing support to every customer.
Posted in General Solar Information
Read more
There is a growing trend of Americans wanting to down-size and sell their homes for a different lifestyle. Huge mortgages and the burden of living in substantial debt has led people to reassess their situations. With a large portion of jobs now being done remotely due to COVID-19, people can now work from anywhere if they have an internet connection. Despite the overall economic impacts of the virus, the RV market is hot and showing no signs of slowing down.
Posted in General Solar Information
Read more
When designing an off-grid (not connected to utility power) solar or wind power system, it's very important to have an accurate estimate for how much energy you need.
Posted in General Solar Information
Read more
Lightning is the number one cause of catastrophic failures in solar electric systems and components. The first major reason is that many PV systems are poorly grounded and poorly protected. That is also the 2nd and 3rd major reason.
Posted in General Solar Information
Read more
This information is mainly aimed at reducing or eliminating radio, TV, cell phone, and other electronic noise and interference in photovoltaic and other DC powered systems and from equipment used in PV systems.
Posted in General Solar Information
Read more
An "array" may be one panel or many in series and may range from a single panel 12-volt up to multi-panel high voltage arrays for grid-tie systems.
Posted in General Solar Information
Read more
For designing a system, you almost always use the worst case, or December-January map. "Flat-plate collector" is simply a solar panel.
Posted in General Solar Information
Read more
The following is a listing of terms used primarily in the PV industry, but some general and solar heating terms are also included.
Posted in General Solar Information
Read more
You often see inverters rated in volt-amps (VA or va) instead of watts. For a perfect resistance, such as a heating element, watts and VA are essentially the same. However, many appliances, especially motors, are not a "perfect" load. Thus, the watts actually used may be less than the VA - but the inverter sees the VA. The motor or appliance may be using only 100 watts, but the inverter sees an "apparent" power of 150 VA.
Posted in General Solar Information
Read more
An off-grid solar electric system involves working with both alternating current (AC) and direct current (DC) voltages. These voltages can be lethal if all safety precautions are not followed.
Posted in General Solar Information
Read more