Solar panels harness the sun’s power so you can generate clean energy. This means that you can have the electricity you need without the negative side effects that come with other energy production methods, such as burning fossil fuels that let off harmful gasses. On top of that, any extra watts your solar panel system produces is sent to your utility grid to provide clean energy to the city. Your system automatically exports your excess power to the public utility grid, which means you may become eligible to receive credits for all that extra power your solar energy system generates. It could also mean you’ll see a lower average power bill from your current energy provider.

This exchange of excess solar energy for utility credits is often referred to as Net Energy Metering or NEM, and it’s a major benefit to anyone thinking of making the switch from traditional energy providers to clean solar power. But we’ll talk more about that below.