So, you’re sold on solar, but you’re a bit nervous. Join the club! Installing a solar power system into your home is a big step, and you’re going to need all the help you can get. Fortunately, there’s a lot of help available.

This blog is a pretty good starting point. Our articles are short, but we try to include the best info we can, and we link to many useful sources.

More tech? If you’re a DIYer, a browse through Wikipedia will give you useful working concepts on semiconductors and panel technologies, and some starting points for further exploration. If you’re really confident, check out instructables.com for a bunch of interesting, small-scale solar projects.

Consumer-friendly

Want something a bit more consumer-friendly? Most of the big manufacturers will give you  practical info on their products. Suntech and  CanadianSolar both run good-looking sites, but the real star is SMA, who make the Sunny Boy grid tie inverter — and run solar training events all over America (and on the web).

Once you’ve figured out what sort of system you want to build, you’ll want information about grants and support. In the US, that’s easy — use DSIRE to find out about breaks and incentives in your state. If you live in another country, a good starting point would be the Wikipedia page on Feed-In Tariffs, which lists out national schemes all over the world. You might also just Google the phrase ‘solar grant’ — that is, if you know how to do a country-specific Google search.

Ask your installer for help

Lastly, don’t forget to ask your installer for all their free info. Most of them have an office that’s stuffed with manufacturer tech sheets, and their hands-on experience makes them a mine of useful information.

Or, have installers come to you

Take 60 seconds to fill out our quote request form and have installers answer your questions over the phone. There’s no obligation to go solar and you’ll have the opportunity to get some hard numbers on the cost of a solar array for your home.