Most solar providers are found in your local phone book under Solar; or visit www.sanyo.com/solar
Look for experience, proper licenses, insurance, references, close proximity, and a provider you feel comfortable with. To ensure a reasonable price, solicit bids from several providers and compare their offers:
- Do they provide a timeline and checklist?
- Do they offer on-site inspection and bill analysis?
- Do they provide a multi-year financial and energy prediction?
- Will they handle all paperwork, permits, utility agreements, etc.?
- Is there a full system warranty for five years (or more)?
- Have they accounted for shade, poles, wires or future buildings?
- Do they include annual maintenance checks or cleaning?
- Is there a monitoring package included, so you can view the results of your solar system over the Internet?
Yes, before you install a solar system, it is best to increase the energy efficiency of your house. Install new compact fluorescent lights and insulation, and upgrade to energy efficient appliances and windows, where possible. When your house is more energy efficient, the solar system you purchase can be smaller (and cost less!) to meet your energy needs.
Wash dust and dirt off your solar panels twice per year with water and a soft brush. An easy solution is to ask your solar provider about a maintenance package, including cleaning, checking the electrical connections of the wiring and general condition of your system.
Solar systems should be oriented south or west to maximize performance. Shade severely affects solar system performance. Keep trees and bushes trimmed and wash panels as needed to keep off dust, dirt, and bird droppings. Allow space between your roof and panels to let air flow underneath and keep panels cool.
Weather conditions vary from year to year, and can affect the output of your system by plus or minus 12% per year, so your system may produce more or less than originally estimated. (Source: DOE)
The ease of installation makes solar systems an easy choice for most people. Installation for a house usually takes 1-7 days depending on the size and complexity of your system.
Talk with your solar provider about time requirements. Often, solar systems can be installed without the need to regularly enter your house.
Your solar provider will know the details of connecting your system to the electric grid and complying with local codes. They will advise you about any additional components that may be necessary.
There are no moving parts to break (meaning no mechanical wear and tear) so systems will last many years without failure, but if it does stop, contact your solar provider and request a visit. To be safe, do not attempt to repair the solar system yourself.
No. Solar panels are silent. However, the inverter may hum slightly.
Yes, because solar panels absorb various spectrums of visible and invisible light, but the energy produced by your solar system will be less than when the sky is clear and sunny.
Yes. Solar systems work in many weather conditions, and often work better in cold temperatures during winter months because cold temperatures cause an increase in the conductivity of metals and wires.
Not much. During the day, your solar panels capture heat from the sun, melting the snow, and are typically angled, which helps slough off snow, allowing your system to continue generating electricity. If you purchase SANYO HIT Double bifacial panels, the back face will continue to produce power even when snow covers the front face.
Yes, your solar system should be placed where there are minimal amounts of shade from trees, buildings, chimneys, satellite dishes or other objects.
The amount of space your solar system needs depends on the amount of electricity you want to generate. Most homes require between 120ft.2 and 320ft.2, which is equivalent to a solar system size of 2kW-5kW using SANYO HIT panels.
Yes, if your roof is old or requires repair, fix or replace it at the same time you install a solar system to avoid future costs of removal and reinstallation of your solar system in order to access your roof.
Solar panels are tested to meet certain safety requirements such as impacts of 1" hail, wind loads up to 50PSF, and certain fire standards. Your solar provider will attach and install your system and ensure it meets local requirements.
Bifacial solar technology, made only by SANYO, means our solar panels are able to generate power from both the front and back face of the panels simultaneously, achieving the highest power per square foot of any solar panels in the world.
With HIT Double panels, customers can enjoy new solar applications such as awnings, canopies, trellises, carports, walkways, etc., in addition to traditional ground-mounted arrays.
SANYO’s proprietary HIT cells are bifacial by design and have a single crystalline layer surrounded by amorphous silicon thin film layers on both the top and bottom of the cell, enabling power generation from both faces. SANYO designed the HIT Double solar panel with a glass/glass construction. This unique construction allows ambient and reflected light off surrounding surfaces to be harnessed by the back face of the panel. Typically, monofacial solar panels, including SANYO’s HIT Power series, have an opaque back sheet material. But with monofacial panels, unlike HIT Double bifacial panels, no extra power is generated from the back face.
- Elevate the panels as much as possible (at least one meter is recommended) above the ground or roof surface, allowing reflected and ambient light to be captured by the back face.
- Place the panels over light-colored surfaces.
- Ensure that mounting and support rails do not shade the back face.
HIT Double’s superior performance cannot be realized when mounting the panels extremely close to surfaces—such as flush on a roof—because the panel itself shades the area directly beneath it and prevents light from being reflected off nearby surfaces to the back of the panel.
Up to 30% above the HIT Double’s STC rated power level. Most installations achieve between 10% and 20%, with the average being a 15% gain in power. Please note that extra power will vary depending on individual site characteristics such as system design and surface reflectance.
Yes. HIT Double panels are approximately 10% more than HIT Power panels. Therefore, well-designed systems and sites with good surface reflectance that achieve 10% or more power gain due to the bifacial effect will actually cost less per kWh than HIT Power solar panels.
No. HIT Double solar panels are designed only to capture normally occurring ambient light beneath the panels. No mirrors, lenses, or other devices can be used in conjunction with HIT Double panels to focus or concentrate light onto the panels.
Approximately 15% of incoming light shines through the back face, allowing the panels to be used in architectural and other aesthetic applications.
Yes. Even when snow covers the front face, the solar panel can still generate power from the back face due to reflected light from snow on the ground.
Please contact SANYO’s authorized representatives for a local installer in your area by visiting www.sanyo.com/solar
Companies such as Florian Solar Products, Direct Power & Water, Uni-Rac, and others provide mounting solutions for the HIT Double.