Solar Panels

Monocrystalline silicon solar cells are manufactured using something called the Czochralski method, in which a ‘seed’ crystal of silicon is placed into a molten vat of pure silicon at a high temperature. This process forms a single silicon crystal, called an ingot, that is sliced into thin silicon wafers which are then used in the solar modules.

Monocrystalline silicon solar cells have a high conversion efficiency, which means that they produce high kilowatt-hours of electricity. Monocrystalline panels are very productive per square foot, more so than most other alternatives. These solar cells have a long life span too.

A common-size solar panel array is usually around 5kW and takes up around 400 square feet of space. An array of this size can produce an average of 350-850 kWh of AC energy per month. Conservatively, a monocrystalline silicon solar panel could produce 500 kWh of AC energy per month.

As the site plan suggests, we want to put solar panels on some of the undevelopable land. The portion that we want to put panels on, accounting for inefficiencies, is roughly 60,000 sq ft. This means that we will put around 150 panels and the energy generated by that will be a lot more than our project will need, so we will form an SEU and provide energy to other properties around us too.

The solar energy generated can be most efficiently stored in lithium-ion batteries. These batteries are cheap, low profile, and help fulfill a variety of needs. We can also apply for tax credits in the state of Michigan, for having solar panels, which will help us drive down the costs of the panels.

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