With solar panel prices falling and panel efficiency increasing, solar energy production in New Hampshire makes perfect sense with the caveat of having a good roof angle and not a lot of trees blocking the sunshine.
With the ever-increasing utility rates due to New Hampshire’s reliance on fossil fuels, going solar makes even more sense. The payback period of going solar is typically estimated at around 8-10 years in New Hampshire but with the rapidly increasing electricity prices for the region, this payback period is becoming much shorter.
And with solar panels typically warranted for 25 years, after the payback period, you’ll simply be harvesting free electricity from the sun. Besides, even after 25 years, the panels will still work, they just might lose some efficiency from becoming more cloudy. Also in 25 years, you can expect even more efficient panels to be available so they might be swapped out anyway.
Does New Hampshire receive enough sunshine to make going solar worthwhile? Well, we down have snowy winters and lots of cloudy days but if you compare New Hampshire to a super sunny state like Nevada and a very cloudy state like Washington, New Hampshire falls somewhere in the middle according to the following data:
Solar Radiation in New Hampshire
Below is a month-by-month comparison of how average New Hampshire solar radiation levels compare to average levels in an area with historically high levels (NV) and one with historically low levels (WA). [1]
| Month | Low | NH | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dec | 1.76 k/m/d | 3.26 k/m/d | 4.93 k/m/d |
| Nov | 1.87 k/m/d | 3.62 k/m/d | 5.87 k/m/d |
| Oct | 3.36 k/m/d | 4.21 k/m/d | 6.44 k/m/d |
| Sep | 5.01 k/m/d | 5.35 k/m/d | 7.46 k/m/d |
| Aug | 5.66 k/m/d | 5.81 k/m/d | 7.06 k/m/d |
| Jul | 5.92 k/m/d | 5.79 k/m/d | 6.72 k/m/d |
| Jun | 5.16 k/m/d | 5.35 k/m/d | 7.39 k/m/d |
| May | 5.27 k/m/d | 5.35 k/m/d | 7.44 k/m/d |
| Apr | 4.94 k/m/d | 5.41 k/m/d | 7.38 k/m/d |
| Mar | 3.42 k/m/d | 4.97 k/m/d | 6.89 k/m/d |
| Feb | 2.83 k/m/d | 4.69 k/m/d | 6.18 k/m/d |
| Jan | 2.01 k/m/d | 3.72 k/m/d | 5.54 k/m/d |
→ k/m/d = kWh/m2/day = kilowatt hours per square meter per day.
→ Values listed as 0 (zero) are not available (N/A).
→ New Hampshire values listed here are based on the capital, Concord.
What is net metering and how does it work in New Hampshire?
Unless you are looking to add solar energy to a backwoods cabin, most residential solar installations in New Hampshire are going to be grid-tied, meaning they are connected to the grid for receiving power when the sun isn’t shining such as at night.
Some days your solar array is going to produce less than your usage such as on a snowy winter day in December. Other days your solar array will be producing far more than your needs, such as on a beautiful sunny day in July.
Does solar make sense in NH?
Most of the time, yes, solar panels will save you quite a bit of money in New Hampshire. Solar PV equipment converts sunlight to electricity, so every kilowatt-hour your system produces will save you an average of 19.04 cents.
There are only few ways to use this excess energy – either run all of your electric device while the sun is shining – like running the dryer and mowing the lawn with your electric lawn mower or filling up the EV in the garage, or investing in battery storage or selling the surplus energy back to the utility.
This is what net metering is all about. Your excess energy goes back to the grid and the utility gives you credit for it (minus some “handling charges” known as distribution costs to pay for poles and emergency use). These credits can be used during the months when there is less sunshine.
The ideal solar installation will give you enough solar panels to produce enough excess electricity in the spring, summer and fall to cover your winter usage.
How to prepare for solar
Besides lowering your electrical bills, going solar has the benefit of reducing one’s carbon footprint. As you use more clean electricity harvested from the sun shining on your home, you can reduce your reliance on carbon-polluting power drawn from coal, oil, and gas. You can also start eliminating methane-producing appliances from your home by installing energy-efficient electric heat pumps to provide heat AND air conditioning from the same unit.
No doubt the future will bring an electric vehicle or EV to the garage at some point and this can be filled up with your locally produced solar electricity. So this is a good time to reduce the overall amount of electricity you are using by replacing outdated, energy-sucking appliances, buying LED light bulbs, and increasing the insulation in your house.
Use an energy monitor like the one above to see how much energy your devices are using.
Utilities usually have programs where that will pay YOU to haul away outdated appliances such as NHSaves.com. Also, there are state and federal tax rebates available for solar projects as well as insulation upgrades, electrical panel upgrades, appliance upgrades and more.
Consider buying a heat pump dryer which will save you 50% on energy costs when doing the laundry. Believe me, once you have solar installed and start seeing how much power a dryer sucks up, you’ll want a heat pump dryer.
Is my house good for solar?
Instinctively you probably have a good idea if your house is good for solar. Or you can observe your roof between 10 am and 2 pm to see if your roof gets good sunshine during peak solar production times.
Do I need to install a new roof before solar panels?
As long as your roof can support the weight of a solar energy system, and it has a significant number of years of life left in it, there is no need to install a new roof at the same time that you install a solar energy system.
Also, evaluate your roof’s condition. If you have a metal roof, solar is very simple. The panels just clamp onto the ridges. Traditional single roofs should be rather young since the panels will be up there for 25 years and re-roofing is difficult once they are installed. If your roof needs replacing, this is a great time to add solar since many roofers now offer solar panel installation and it’s possible to finance both the roof and the panels with a monthly bill costing less than your current electrical bill.
Do solar panels work in snowy weather?
Even under a light covering of snow solar panels will still receive some light and generate some electricity. Obviously, they will work better without snow so if you can reach them, use a soft foam brush to remove snow. Just don’t scratch or damage the panels and be careful around ladders and sliding snow/ice.
I’ve found that on some overcast days the sunlight scatters around so much that while you might not receive as much sunlight as a clear day, the panels often receive light at different times as the sunlight is bounce around.
The panels don’t generate any significant heat but the black color of the panels will absorb some radiant heat allowing the snow to slide off faster than it would on a regular roof. In general, the solar installers suggest not worrying about snow as you will make up for it in the summer months.
Researchers at the test centers have shown that solar can still successfully generate electricity in snowy areas and other harsh environments. A dusting of snow has little impact on solar panels because the wind can easily blow it off
One hidden benefit of snow is the cleaning effect. As the snow melts off it can actually leave behind a cleaner solar panel.
Is it worth it to cut down trees for solar?
It all depends on an individual’s property but obvious sunlight-blocking trees may need to come down in order to maximize one’s solar production. Some trees will be rather obvious, others might only make a difference in the winter months when the sun is at a very low angle on the horizon.
It might also depend on how long a certain tree affects the panels. Certain deciduous trees might be fine in the summer and then also fine after they drop their leaves.
Cutting trees is also a financial decision as they are expensive to take down. But do calculate their effect over the lifetime of the solar panels. If they only shade your panels for a few weeks, then it might not be worth cutting them down.
I have one giant white pine that is 30 feet from the house and I’ve noticed that for a few weeks in November, right around peak sunlight hours, it was casting a long shadow across my entire array. Energy production plummeted right at the peak. But then as the sun moved, this shadow started happening earlier in the morning so the effect wasn’t as dramatic. My average electricity production actually ticked up even though the days were getting shorter.
So some tree-cutting decisions can be made after living with solar for a year so you can focus in on the real problem trees. But don’t feel guilty about removing a tree for your solar panels. Remember your solar panels represent a massive reduction in CO2.
The average residential solar system has about 7500 watts. A 7521-watt system produces about 8318 kWh a year.
Revolution Sun
8318 kWh x 1.106 pounds of CO2 produced from conventional electricity comes out to 9200 pounds of CO2 avoided each year.
9200 lbs saved with solar divided by 48 lbs of CO2 stored by trees= 191.66 trees.
A typical mature tree stores about 48 lbs of CO2 a year.
If you divide the amount of CO2 that is avoided each year with solar panels by the amount of CO2 one tree saves, you get the value of the solar panels system, compared to that of one tree.
How much will my carbon footprint be reduced by installing solar panels?
In a New England state like New Hampshire, we are heavily invested in fossil fuels to produce our electricity – mostly in the form of natural gas which on one hand burns cleaner than say coal but on the other hand contributes methane gas to the atmosphere – one of the greenhouse gas that is causing climate change.
Installing solar panels will reduce your carbon footprint by a whopping 127 metric tons of CO2 in their 30-year lifespan.
The average homeowner’s solar array will produce more than 180,000 kWh of emissions-free electricity. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), that comes out to 127 metric tons of CO2 equivalent over 30 years.
– EPA
Now that is something you can leave behind for your kids and grandkids – a healthier planet.