FAQ

Most top quality cell phones, plasma TV’s and laptop computers we use every day are made in foreign countries. For example Sanyo® is a Japanese company making panels in Mexico, SunWize® is an American company making panels in India, SuntechPower® is a Chinese company that will soon be making panels in Arizona. Global players such as SuntechPower® (the worlds largest), Sanyo®, Kiocera®, Sharp®, Sunpower®, SolarWorld® and others are all widely recognized as Tier One manufacturers providing the very best PV products and warranties. California is the largest PV market in the U.S. and maintains the highest standards when allowing PV panel Brands to qualify for their State Rebates. For the California list of Quality Reliable PV panels, visit: www.gosolarcalifornia.org/equipment

No. micro inverters are competitively priced and typically have no greater impact on the installation price than a central inverter. However, because micro inverters generate more usable AC electricity using fewer DC Watts (on your roof), a slightly more expensive micro Inverter PV system can actually be the better value since it will generate much more usable AC Electricity for your home.

To minimize any chance of roof leaks, you should insist that your solar provider use professional grade flashing and sealant at each penetration point on your roof. Sometimes, providers attempt to avoid this time consuming and expensive element of a PV installation.

No. If you want to minimize your electric bill with a single PV installation, ask your solar provider for a custom designed PV system. However, if you are acquiring your PV system in affordable annual phases, a pre-engineered system may be your best choice. Packaged systems use streamlined purchasing, permitting and installation processes, to minimize system cost.

Maintaining teams of licensed electricians on payroll at all times can sometimes increase the operating expenses for a solar provider making your PV system somewhat more expensive. The most important thing is that your solar provider has properly trained and certified the installation crew (employed or contracted) on how to properly install and support your PV equipment. For KumuKit™ installations, we maintain a highly trained and qualified installation crew on staff as our primary Oahu installers. Additionally, we have fully trained and certified only 2 highly qualified licensed electrical contractors on Oahu as well as two for Big Island, one for Maui and one for Kauai. These Electricians must follow our detailed installation procedures and standards for each and every install. Our certified contractors must maintain the highest levels of liability and workman’s compensation insurance.

No. While KumuKits™ introduced the first pre-engineered PV systems to Hawaii, a large percentage of KumuKits™ today are custom-designed installations. Today’s KumuKits™ range from a little more than 1kW to 10kW and larger.

No. Hawaii allows multiple, distinct, system istallations in the same year, each eligible for the maximum state tax credit of $5,000.

Both the State and Federal tax credits ”roll-over” to following years until they are exhausted.

Yes. In June 2009, Hawaii passed Senate Bill 464 allowing residents to claim 24.5% of the installed cost of renewable energy (PV) systems installed and turned on in that tax year, as a ”refundable“ tax credit.

PV providers often use “efficiency” as a smoke screen to claim system superiority. To avoid this trap, understand that higher efficiency only means equal “DC” (Direct Current) over a slightly smaller roof area. For example, a Sunpower® 315 Watt Panel (+5% to -3% ) 19.3% efficient, generates an average of 321 DC Watts per panel (18 DC Watts / Roof Square Foot ) Requiring a “Central Inverter” this will convert to only 15.3 Watts per Roof SqFt of AC electricity for your home. Sanyo® 215 Watt Panel (+10% to -0% ) 17.1% efficient, generates avg 225 DC Watts per panel (16.6 DC Watts / Roof SqFt ) Able to use “Micro Inverters” this will convert to over 15.8 Watts per Roof SqFt of AC electricity for your home. The 215 Watt panel with Micro Inverters makes MORE electricity for your home (Per Roof Sq Ft) than the 315 Watt Panel.

Not Necessarily. Often Higher Watt panels are just larger. For example, the SolarWorld® 230 Watt and SuntechPower® 175 Watt panels each deliver 12.74 DC Watts per Roof Sq Ft. The SolarWorld 230 Watt Panel is just much larger. In some cases, higher Watt panels can actually deliver LESS DC Watts per SqFt than a lower Watt module. If you have a small roof with many hips or gables, smaller panels will actually allow you to fit more DC Watts on your roof than a larger panel.