Depending on the period, you will need to check with your adviser over how many years and at what percentage. This creates a real saving, because the amount due for the year will be deducted from your income tax.
Clearly, the higher the percentage and the fewer the years, the greater the financial incentive to develop a photovoltaic energy production project.
Having looked at the general economic factors that apply to any type of system, let us examine the reasons why, in our opinion, it is attractive today to opt for an on-grid system.
How does the system work?
The on-grid solar system, connected to the public electricity grid, uses sunlight to produce electricity. Thanks to the inverter, it converts the direct current generated by the solar panels into alternating current, suitable for domestic use and for distribution into the electricity grid.
The current produced by an on-grid solar system always passes through the utility company’s meter. These systems work in such a way that the energy generated by the solar panels is first used to meet the energy needs of the building or facility to which they are connected.
If the energy produced exceeds consumption, the surplus is fed into the electricity grid.
The utility’s meter plays a fundamental role in this process, as it records both the energy drawn from the grid and the energy fed into it. In Italy, thanks to the net metering mechanism (scambio sul posto, SSP), the producer of photovoltaic energy can obtain a credit for the energy fed into the grid, which is then used to offset the energy drawn when consumption exceeds production (for example, at night or on cloudy days).
So, while the energy produced can be used directly, its flow through the utility’s meter is a key aspect of the system, making it possible to balance production and consumption and ensuring correct accounting of the energy exchanged with the grid.
So if the aim was to stop paying bills altogether, you would be better off turning to an off-grid system.
The cost-effectiveness of the on-grid system
Choosing an on-grid solar system proves particularly economical compared with off-grid systems for several reasons:
An on-grid system is less complex from a technological point of view and, although it is true that technologies improve every day, the principle that ‘what isn’t there can’t break’, as Henry Ford put it, still holds
An on-grid system generally needs less maintenance than off-grid systems, thanks to its lower technological complexity and the absence of batteries for storing energy
Reduction in energy costs: with the on-grid system, energy costs fall thanks to the use of the energy produced and the possibility of selling the surplus to the grid.
Another significant advantage, for those who do not want or are unable to pay for the whole system in one go, is the possibility of obtaining a more favourable financing plan, if only because the system costs less. While it is true that the prices at which the utility buys electricity are relatively low today compared with the past, it could remain com
