Solar

Q: What is solar energy?

A: A solar energy system creates usable power from sunshine. There are two basic kinds of systems:
Photovoltaic or PV uses sunlight to generate electricity. It’s the same technology found on pocket calculators, just on a larger scale. PV systems can be designed to generate the majority of the electricity used in your home, or just a portion of it.
Thermal solar uses sunlight to heat water. Typically this is used for a home’s hot-water supply. A well-designed thermal system can be extremely effective, and provide most of the hot water used in your home.
J.K. Mechanical provides both kinds of systems. Both let you do your part towards reducing greenhouse gases and improving the environment.

Q: Does solar work only on sunny days?
A: Solar systems work even when it’s cloudy. Naturally, cloud cover reduces the amount of solar radiation reaching the panels, but the system will produce some electricity and/or heat on all but the most overcast days.

In the linls below, we’re offering some answers to questions we’ve often heard as a solar designer / installer. We hope that by answering these FAQs, we can encourage more people to go solar.

Click to view the current output of a solar array

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