On July 29, 2009 the City of Cedar Key officially turned on a solar generating system at the Community Center. While most of this new electricity is used at the 6th Street facility, the City also sells excess power back to Central Florida Electric COOP. There are now a total of six "grid connected" solar panel sites in the Central Florida Electric COOP service area and four of those are in Cedar Key!
Renewable energy sources, like solar panels, provide some of the solutions to the enormous energy requirements facing the US and the entire world. The solar panels in Cedar Key and throughout Florida are a good start to solving this problem. We are fortunate that Cedar Key is in an ideal location for the availability of energy from the sun.
The basic requirements for a solar panel system are a south facing roof with little or no shading. Ground mounted panels (on racks) can also be used in an open area that is not shaded. For a 5000 watt system, like the one at the community center, 24 panels would be required on an area of about 400 square feet.
During installation the photovoltaic solar panels are connected to each other to generate electricity during daylight hours. When the sun shines directly on the panels in the middle part of the day production will peak. Surprisingly some electricity will be generated on cloudy and even rainy days as well.
The power generation will vary by time of day and for different seasons of the year. The electricity generated in each panel flows to the inverter which converts the direct current (dc-----like flashlights or car batteries) into alternating current (ac) that can be used in household appliances.
When more solar power is generated than required the excess will be sold back to the electric company. In some areas, the meter actually runs backward when the sell back is occurring and this condition is called "net metering". In Central Florida Electric COOP areas, a new and different meter is installed that measures the power in both directions. This is necessary because CFEC purchases the sold back power at a wholesale rate. The electricity generation occurs when the sun`s light rays (called photons) shine on the photovoltaic panels and cause electrons to flow in a circuit as described above and then to return to the panels. Many people think this process works best on a hot summer day. But heat actually has no impact and electricity will be generated just as well on a cold winter day. The discussion above concerns "grid connected" systems where the power company is both a back up supplier and purchaser. Some people want to be "off the grid" and totally independent from their electric company. However, a non grid system requires more panels and costly batteries to store electricity for nights and rainy days. Non grid systems cost considerably more than grid systems and the batteries must be maintained and replaced. Non grid systems are commonly used in remote areas where electricity is not available. System costs along with the availability of state rebates and federal tax credits will be topics of a future article. These and other factors are used to calculate an approximate "pay back period" that is unique to each specific consumer. As power companies continue to increase their rates, the payback and economics continually improve.
A final benefit is that solar electric panel installations are property tax exempt in Florida even though the real property value will be likely to increase. Renewable energy can be a good investment in addition to setting a great example for future generations! Dale Register
References include Photovoltaics (Design and Installation Manual) by Solar Energy International and the Kyocerasolar.com website. Questions or comments can be emailed to daleregister@gmail.com | 
