Solar Power for Homes with JW Peters

JW Peters, the President of Solar Power of Oklahoma, joins us today to talk about solar power for homes. JW wants his company to have a strong voice within the community and within the state, to make sure that he is doing everything he can to promote solar.

JW and Marla both serve on the Board for the Oklahoma Renewable Energy Council.

Currently, the US gets a lot of energy from burning fossil fuels. There is a finite amount of fossil fuel on earth so it will run out at some point. Solar, however, is a sustainable industry.

How JW got into solar

JW got into solar by accident.

His business partner, Kevin, was approached by an out-of-state company that was selling solar in Oklahoma. They were looking for someone to do their installations, so Kevin reached out to JW and asked if he was willing to team up with him to do that.

JW agreed, so they both took classes to learn about solar. They very quickly realized, however, that their jobs were not going to last much longer. By the time they figured that out, however, they had already learned how to install solar, properly, and efficiently, so they decided to step up their game and become the voice of reason for the solar industry in Oklahoma.

Neither JW nor Kevin had ever sold anything before, so they had to learn the best way to present all the information about solar to people. They aim to present all the facts so that individuals can make an educated decision about whether or not solar is right for them.

Solar is a viable industry in Oklahoma

The number of sun hours in a particular state will determine how well a solar industry will do in that state.

Oklahoma is the seventh-best state in the US for its number of sun hours. And yet the biggest problem that JW has encountered with his clients and customers is that most of them did not even realize that solar is available in Oklahoma. So they had no idea that it’s viable, and that it can save them money.

Utility rates continue to rise and most Americans are not even aware that their utility rates have gone up on average by 3.4%, year-over-year, over the last ten years.

Doing things a different way

JW tells his customers that with solar, they can do things differently. He explains to them that he can show them a better way, one that’s healthier for the environment and will save them money.

Storing solar energy

The energy from the sun has to be stored. In the early days of solar, about ten to fifteen years ago, very expensive batteries were used for storing solar energy. Those batteries were not particularly energy-efficient and they did not last very long.

Now, when you produce solar energy, you use only as much as you need and the rest gets fed back into the electric grid. This means that you will still be connected to a power utility but you will be feeding all the excess power that you produce back into the grid. You will gain credits for doing that and you can then access and use the power that you have stored whenever you need it, at night or when the sun isn’t shining.

That is known as net metering and it has been a game-changer in the solar industry because it means that solar systems no longer have to have batteries, and that reduces the cost significantly.

Solar is simple

Solar panels can be mounted onto the roof, they can be placed in a field, and they can even go into a back yard.

The solar panels produce DC power which is then inverted to AC power, which is what powers your home. That is done through a series of micro-converters which are usually situated at the back of the solar panels.

The solar power is then connected to the main electric panel of the house.

With a solar system, you will be able to produce about seventy to eighty-five percent of your annual electric consumption. And if you purchase a solar system in 2020, you will get a twenty-six percent federal tax credit.

In some states, you can even lease a solar system, rather than having to buy one.

Links and resources:

Solar Power of Oklahoma

SEIA (Solar Energy Industries Association)

Solar Chargers and Lights from Everyday Green Home