Solar panels help cope with high utility bills. FILE/LD
In mid-2024, the National Energy Commission (CNE) reported that about 15,400 users of the national electricity system used photovoltaic panels to convert sunlight into energy for their homes or businesses.
With two years of experience in the solar panel business, Pascual Morillo is convinced that this number has increased to date due to its guarantee of electricity service and improvement in personal finances in the short, medium and long term.
Furthermore, it cites reduced electricity bills by generating renewable energy that offsets or eliminates purchases from the electricity grid.
For installation, Morillo, who sells solar systems, explained that customers don’t need a minimum electricity consumption, since the system adapts to what each customer wants to supply and doesn’t require special permits from the electrical authorities.
“You don’t need to connect to the grid; you simply buy your panels, inverter, and battery just like you would buy a conventional inverter. You don’t need any kind of permit for that because it’s for your personal use,” he said.
However, he clarified that grid connection and net metering require plans, certifications, and authorization from electricity distributors (EDES) so these companies can supervise and determine how much energy the solar panels will inject into the grid based on the household’s consumption.
Installation and operation
To determine how many panels a home or business needs, the monthly consumption in kilowatt-hours is analyzed from the electricity bill, and a system is designed to meet those needs.
During the day, under optimal sunlight conditions, the solar panels supply the property’s electricity directly, stopping the utility company’s meter. If the sky clouds over or night falls, the supply switches to the public grid or, if installed, to batteries, which also provide power during outages.
If these generate more electricity than is used, the surplus is injected into the distributor’s electricity grid and compensated on the bill, except for consumers of the Southern Electricity Distributor (Edesur).
Starting November 1st of this year, the company will implement a new billing scheme in compliance with Resolution SIE-007-2026-REG issued by the Superintendency of Electricity (SIE).
Morillo, owner of Green Deport Eléctricos, a company dedicated to renewable energy, explained that, depending on the project’s size, installing solar panels can take anywhere from three days to two weeks for larger projects.
Costs and investment
Since each person has different consumption needs, Morillo indicated that prices vary based on what the customer expects, but a basic kit, usually consisting of panels, a battery, and an inverter to power a fan and television, costs around RD$45,000.
On the other hand, if the user wants to be completely independent of the electrical grid and has higher consumption, the investment could exceed RD$600,000 and even reach RD$800,000.
Morillo added that, generally, people recover their investment in solar panels in approximately two years or even less.
He cited specific examples, such as a person who paid RD$6,000 and went on to bill less than RD$100 six months after installation.
“The best thing about it is not just getting your money back, but having the comfort at home of knowing that if there was a power outage or breakdown, you have control of your energy in your hands,” he said
Useful life
The inverters and batteries included in the solar panel package last 10 to 15 years, while the solar panels last up to 25 years.
Maintenance mainly involves cleaning accumulated dust, especially after two years, to prevent a drop in performance.
As smart devices, they offer remote monitoring via cell phones or computers and send preventive notifications if something goes wrong.