1) When was the first solar electric cell made?a. 1854b. 1910c. 1953d. 1975

C: 1953.

Solar electricity has been developing for over 50 years.

2) How much of the total sunlight falling on earth would we have to capture to supply the world’s electrical needs for one year?

a. One hourb. One dayc. One weekd. Six months

A: One hour.

3) What is “Concentrating Solar Power” (CSP)?

a. Five or more solar power plants in a small area

b. Focusing sunlight with mirrors to heat liquid to drive a steam turbine

c. A business district where many solar panel manufacturers are located

d. Solar energy generated by ESP

B: Focusing sunlight with mirrors to heat liquid to drive a steam turbine. PG&E is building large scale CSP plants in the California desert.

4) What area leads the nation in the installationa. Arizonab. New Yorkc. Texasd. California

D: California.

Over half of all solar installs nationwide are in PG&E territory in Northern and Central California.

5) True or False. At noon on a clear summer day, solar electric panels in Arizona produce more power than panels in San Francisco.

False.

Panels typically produce their optimum power at around 70 degrees F., and production declines slightly as the temperature gets hotter.

6) Compared to an area with no fog, what percentage of solar electricity will a foggy area in San Francisco produce on average?

a. 25%b. 50%c. 75%d. Over 90%

D: Over 90%.

Solar panels work in the fog, and official weather data confirms that even foggy areas get 90% or more of typical solar radiation on a yearly basis.

7) When “going green” with regard to your home energy, what is the first thing you should do?

a. Get a solar electric systemb. Get a solar hot water systemc. Find ways to reduce your energy usaged. Buy a timer for your hot tub.

C: Find ways to reduce your energy usage.

The first step is to use as little energy as possible, then consider purchasing a solar energy system.

8) What does the term “net metering” mean?

a. You can monitor your energy usage over the internet.

b. You can capture all your energy data in a meter than acts as a big net.

c. Your solar system is your safety net.d. You can both buy and sell electricity to the

utility company and pay only the net amount.

D: You can both buy and sell electricity

to the utility company and pay only the

net amount.

9) What are two types of solar electric panel technologies?

a. Crystalline and thin-filmb. Digital and analogc. DC and ACd. Laurel and Hardy

A: Crystalline and thin-film

10) True or False. A solar electric system must include batteries.

False.

The utility grid takes the place of batteries in a grid-tied system.

11) In a solar electric system, what is “tracking”?

a. Following the wires to find out where a short-circuit occurred.

b. Tilting the panels to follow the path of the sun.

c. Lining up the mounting rails so that they follow the roofline.

d. Viewing your house in overhead photographs.

B: Tilting the panels to follow the path of the sun.

12) True or False. Solar hot water systems work in winter.

True.

The panels use the “greenhouse effect” to generate heat even in low sunshine.

13) True or False. If you have a solar electric system, it’s best to replace your gas heater with electric baseboard heaters

False.

Electric heating is not recommended even with a PV system, since gas heating is much more efficient.

14) PG&E is very supportive of solar electricity because …

a. It helps reduce global warmingb. It helps meet the renewable energy goals

set by the state of Californiac. It helps manage peak demand loadsd. All of the above

D: All of the above.

15) Which of the following yearly maintenance procedures must be done on a solar electric system?

a. Check and clean all wiring contactsb. Replace the cooling fan in the inverter c. Re-seal the roof penetrationsd. None of the above

D: None of the above.

The only regular maintenance is to clean the panels, and this may not even be necessary in some cases.

16) What is the most important factor in determining if your home is right for a solar system?

a. The tilt of your roofb. Your zip codec. Whether you have a hot tub or notd. The amount of unshaded sunny area

available

D: The amount of unshaded sunny area available.

17) True or False. You have to lower your monthly electric bill to almost zero to make a solar electric system pay off.

False.

Any significant reduction in your bill can make good economic sense, particularly if you have a large bill to begin with.

18) What steps do you personally need to take to get a solar system installed at your home or business?

a. Choose an installerb. Get a building permitc. Schedule inspectionsd. All of the above

A: Choose an installer. A good installer will handle all other details.

19) How long is the typical warranty on a solar electric panel?

a. 5 yearsb. 10 yearsc. 25 yearsd. 50 years

C: 25 years.

The panels are typically warranted for 25 years and will likely last 30 or more.

20) What type of solar system is possible for an individual home?

a.Solar electric b.b. Solar hot water c. Solar pool heatingd. All of the above

D: All of the above.

Depending on need and available space, all three systems could work on an individual home.