What is the difference between Energy and Power?

Power production is measured in Watts (W) or kilowatts (kW). Power output jumps up and down as quickly as the wind changes speed, so the industry measures output over time in kilowatt-hours (kWh) which is how many watts of power are consumed over a full hour. Your electric company charges you for energy usage based on a rate/kWh.

 

Can I sell electricity back to the grid?

Some utilities offer net metering or net billing agreements that allow electricity exported to the grid to be credited on your bill. Some places do allow the sale of excess power back to the grid using a Feed-in Tariff (FIT).

 

What is the wind speed at my location?

A wind study is the best way to estimate what the wind speed is at site. UGE's 1st Step Weather Station can be setup to provide this information.

These weather sites can also be used but they will not be as accurate:

Weather Underground

Canadian Wind Energy Atlas

Windfinder

 

How much energy will a solar system produce at my location?

NREL's PVWatts® Calculator

Estimates the energy production and cost of energy of grid-connected photovoltaic (PV) energy systems throughout the world. It allows homeowners, small building owners, installers and manufacturers to easily develop estimates of the performance of potential PV installations.

 

 

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