If you find the idea of solar power for your business intriguing but think it's impractical, unaffordable, or just not for you, you may be in for a pleasant surprise. That's because Sunlight Electric designs solar projects to accomplish meaningful business objectives, generating immediate positive cash flow with no up-front cash outlay.
Sunlight Electric is Northern California's premier designer and retailer of commercial photovoltaic systems with a major focus on the sustainable food, beverage, and agriculture-related market sectors as well as deep experience in solutions for retail, corporate office parks, auto retailing, and refrigerated warehousing. Headquartered in Sonoma, Sunlight Electric focuses exclusively on commercial solar power systems, under the firm belief that by focusing on the commercial sector we can deliver better service to our commercial customers and leverage our expertise that comes from understanding commercial customers' needs.
Sunlight Electric has two guiding principles when it comes to getting projects done: 1) The project should be done on time and on budget, and 2) It's 100% our responsibility to manage the project implementation. Every Sunlight Electric project starts with a plan, a day-by-day, week-by-week detailed plan. This plan takes into account our clients' operational schedule, material lead-times, engineering, permitting, construction crew scheduling, and utility interconnection requirements. Sometimes the plan is put into immediate implementation, while other times, for reasons that are disclosed to all and agreed to (like a need for variance, or a new roof), implementation begins later.
For your Sunlight Electric system to provide decades of trouble-free performance, only a few simple maintenance procedures are required. PV modules are solid state, meaning they have no moving parts and require no maintenance beyond cleaning, which can typically done with a garden hose. Most systems should be cleaned 2-4 times a year, concentrated in the drier seasons. Systems in agricultural areas will likely require monthly cleaning and systems that are not cleaned for the duration of the summer will likely experience 5-10% loss of output.
You've got questions, we've got answers. We've organized these FAQs by topic. Q: How do photovoltaics work? A: Here's a short answer: Sunlight on photovoltaic modules produces direct current (DC) electricity which is converted to alternating current (AC) by a device called an inverter, which is then wired into your main service panel where it feeds your internal power grid. Q: I know people that have broken solar panels for their homes. How is this different and why is this more reliable? A: Good question!
Through years of experience and an unwavering focus on designing the best solutions for each customer, Sunlight Electric has a robust process that seems to work pretty well. Our commitment is to helping our customers make an informed choice, so we use this process as a guide but remain flexible as needed. We believe we can develop the most compelling solution that will motivate customers to adopt solar power if we start with understanding our customers' needs and priorities. We ask lots of questions because we want to know what you hope to get from a solar project so we can choose options in the Design phase to better meet your needs.