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I received a question from a potential customer today about power production guarantees for Photovoltaic (PV) Systems. I realized that I hadn’t covered that issue on my blog, so I thought I would copy the question and response here (revised for clarity). Question: Is there a guarantee on the percentage  power output of the proposed photovoltaic system? Answer: The Canadian Solar CS6P-250P modules themselves have a power production warranty that states basically that they will put out a minimum of 97% of rated power at test conditions during the first year and degrade no more than 0.7% per year thereafter through a total of 25 years. ThisRead More →

This typical pool pump performance curve shows that a small increase in head pressure is inconsequential if the pump is sized properly for best efficiency to begin.

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It’s true that FAFCO brand solar pool heating panels, which have a subheader for flow distribution, add a higher back pressure also known as head pressure, to pool pumps. Here are the facts: A FAFCO Sunsaver solar pool heating panel does have five times the pressure loss (also known as head loss) than some competitors’ panels at the recommended flow rate.  FAFCO systems use 2″ panel headers and PVC plumbing versus 1-1/2″ by some competitors, which does help, but there is restriction in the headers that choke the actual header inside diameter down to 1-1/2″. As a rule of thumb, FAFCO systems will typically add about 5Read More →

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Sometimes we are asked by a home or business owner why they have to sign a Notice of Commencement (NOC) when installing a solar pool heating, solar water heating, or solar electric system. Buyers may not realize that when purchasing a solar energy system, they are entering into a binding construction contract, which falls under the Florida Construction Lien Laws. Any time permitted improvements are made to real property, owners should consider a contract to be handled as any other construction contract. The laws are a bit complex, but the purpose of a NOC is pretty simple: It notifies the jurisdiction that improvements are beingRead More →