Solar panels (photovoltaic or PV ones) take the energy transmitted as sunlight and convert a portion of it into electricity, usually in the form of DC power. (By contrast, solar thermal panels convert the sun's energy into heat for heating water or other liquids). This DC power is either stored in batteries for use in an off-grid setting, or converted into AC power and fed into the local electricity grid to be shared as needed, as in the microFIT contract. As the pictures show,

PV panels can be mounted flush onto sloped roofs, or put onto racking for flat roofs. They are blue in colour in order to capture the greatest amount of the sun's energy, and can be made of a variety of materials.

Read an overview of Solar Photovoltaics for the Ontario Home, Farm or Small Business. Download a printable PDF that you can send to friends, neighbours and colleagues.

SWITCH has made a variety of presentations to groups of people who were interested in installing PV systems on their business or residential rooftops. You can download an annotated version of that presentation (5MB), which has notes added to make up for some of the information which we presented verbally. The latest version of the spreadsheet that is proposal software referred to at the end of that presentation can be downloaded from this page.

1. Most Frequently Asked Questions (Each of these has or will have a detailed, printable answer sheet; more answers to come in the weeks ahead!)
   1. What does a solar PV system cost?
   2. How long is the payback (a detailed, modifiable financial spreadsheet is available)
   3. Is financing available? At what rates?
   4. What is the right kind of roof to have? What is ideal?
   5. How do I install panels on a flat roof?
   6. Do I need to insure my panels? How much does it cost? How?
   7. Will Solar Panels affect the property value of my house?
   8. How will my neighbours react?
   9. Do I have to pay tax on the money my system earns? How can I reduce that?
   10. What are the panels dimension
   11. Help me with depreciation issues
   12. How long do solar systems last? What warranties are offered?
   13. Help me with size issues: how do I maximize the size of my panels and inverter when I am close to a size threshold (10kW, 250kW, 500kW, 10MW)? Is there any danger in putting extra panels into my system?
   14. What permits do I need?
   15. Are there municipal bylaws that I need to take into account? How does my municipality respond to solar panels?
   16. How do I ask for a quote from installer/reseller? (See our Request for Quotes form)
   17. How do I evaluate the different quotes I get from different resellers?
   18. Do I have to pay GST/HST on my solar system?
   19. What is the process to apply? (link to microFIT page)
2. General Questions
   1. I want to rent my roof to someone else for them to put up a system…
      1. List of available Roofs
      2. List of interested renters
3. Technical Questions
   1. How does it work? (To be added: graphic from pamphlet)
   2. What maintenance does the system require? How much does the maintenance cost?
   3. What is an Inverter?
   4. What are the Ontario content rules for microFIT?

1. Supplier Questions
   1. Are there certified installers and retailers in Kingston?

1. Financial Questions (Questions with a number in front of them can be found in the Appropedia)
   1. How can I get a site investigation and financial feasibility study done on my house?
   2. Are Solar panels too expensive to install to give me back a reasonable return?
   3. How is the FIT different from the RESOP? What about homeowners who are currently contracted under the RESOP program?
2. OPA and Electrical Utility Questions
   1. Can I install my system by increments as the price of PV panels goes down?
3. Technological FAQs
   1. What are the different types of solar cells?
   2. Does the efficiency of a solar cell decrease over time?
   3. How long will my solar power system last?
   4. What slope should I put my panels at, given that I have a flat roof?
   5. 1.5 Does Kingston have enough solar energy for solar panels to be feasible? What about winter?
   6. 1.7 What other options do I have if the system cannot be mounted on my roof?
   7. Are solar panels environmentally friendly? What is the embodied energy or energy pay-back of PV panels?
   8. 1.9 Can they be recycled?
   9. 1.13 What do the terms on-grid, grid-connected, grid-tied and off-grid mean?
   10. 1.14 What are the logistical requirements for connecting to the grid?
   11. 1.15 What if bird droppings fall on my panel?
   12. 1.16 What if a projectile or object hits my panels (roof top or ground mounted)?
   13. 1.18 Will my system work on cloudy days?
   14. 1.19 Why is shade a problem?
   15. 1.20 What happens if there is a power outage?
   16. 1.21 Can the modules withstand high winds and hail?
   17. 1.23 Can I be totally independent from the utility?
   18. 1.24 What is the difference between Solar Thermal and Solar Electric (Photovoltaic) Panels?
   19. 1.25 Can I add reflectors/concentrators/trackers to the solar array installation to increase the power they generate?

• SWITCH's Overview Presentation of Solar Opportunities with some additional how-to's