Produce your own pollution-free electricity with solar power. There are a few different ways to use solar for the home
and business.
Grid-Tie Systems: Solar systems built onto your building and property that connect directly into the electric
utility feed. This is possible in areas that allow net metering, whereby a solar or wind powered system turns your electric
meter backwards when it is producing more power than you are using. This type of system provides no backup power when utility
power fails.
Grid-Tie Systems with Backup: Solar systems with battery backup feeds excess solar electricity to the grid and
provides backup power when the utility grid is down. With this type of system you sacrifice some power generation efficiency
in exchange for having power when there is a utility power failure. The amount of backup power you have depends on the size
of the battery and electrical loads that draw on them.
Off-Grid Systems: This type of power system is independent of the utility grid. It can use solar modules, a wind
turbine, a micro-hydroelectric generator, or a combination of any or all of them to produce your electric power. Owners of
this type of system often use a gas or diesel generator for backup when the power system does not meet all of the needs.
