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New Arrivals
Net Metering Expansion
From $1,499
Already have rooftop solar but wish you could generate more?
California net metering agreements allow the expansion of your existing solar array by up to 1 kW*. Plug-in solar provides a simple, cost-effective way to grow your system using available space around your home.
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Easy Installation: Just plug in and start generating.
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Cost-Effective: Add solar capacity without the complexity and cost of traditional rooftop panels.
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Flexible Placement: Install anywhere around your home with enough sun.
Availability: Pick up/delivery available within one week of placing order. Pickup in Richmond, CA, or local delivery within 50 miles. Sorry, no shipping outside this area.
* Specifically, PG&E allows an expansion of up to 1 kW of generation capacity without losing existing net metering privileges, please see the last paragraph of this document.
GET MORE FROM THE SUN
Why Expand Your Solar?
Earn More Net Metering Credit
Extra panels mean more power sold back to the grid, lowering your energy bill.
Shrink Your Carbon Footprint Even Further
More panels, less pollution. Each kilowatt added means fewer emissions and more clean energy for everyone.
Keep Up With Your Energy Use
New EV, heat pump, or other appliances? A few more panels can help cover new energy use and keep your bills steady.
Support Clean Energy Access
Every purchase helps Bright Saver expand affordable solar to more households across the U.S.
PRODUCT
What You'll Get
Solar Panels
Two to four 400 W solar panels, complete with wiring and aluminum mounts. These are state-of-the art, high quality bifacial solar panels, similar to those used with rooftop installations.
120 V Inverter
One 900 W micro-inverter to convert the solar energy into power for your home and an app to monitor it. Simply connect the solar panels on one side of the inverter and plug it into an electrical outlet on a dedicated circuit on the other side.
Self-Install Instructions
Easy self-install instructions and optional installation support by our team. Stop by our warehouse in Richmond, CA to pick up your kit or schedule a half-day delivery window, including one hour of installation support by our local team.
Product Specs
Each Bright Saver Solar Expansion Kit comes with
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2-4 solar panels, 410 W each
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Panel Dimensions (LWH): 68” x 45” x 1.2” each
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Weight: 45 lbs each
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1 Microinverter, 120 V AC / 900 W
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UL 1741 certified and California Energy Commission approved
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1 AC power cord to connect to an outlet
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Smartphone app for energy production monitoring
All components are covered by a 10-year manufacturer's warranty.
FINANCIAL SENSE
Energy Production and Value
Each 400 W panel will produce up to 600 kWh of energy per year if optimally placed toward the sun with no shading. At an estimated value of $0.30 per kWh under Northern California net metering rates, the annual value and payback period can be estimated as follows:
System Size | Total Cost * | Annual Production | Annual Value | Payback Period |
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2 panels | $1,988 | 1,200 kWh | $360 | 5.5 years |
3 panels** | $2,492 | 1,800 kWh | $540 | 4.6 years |
4 panels | $2,932 | 2,200 kWh*** | $660 | 4.4 years |
* Including delivery and installation support and 10% estimated sales tax.
** If you have the space for 3 panels and would like to add an additional panel to your system, please contact us to purchase.
***The fourth panel will add less output than the first three since the 900 W inverter will “clip” peak production on very sunny days.
Why up to 4 panels make sense within the 1 kW limit
Oversizing the solar array with respect to the inverter capacity is intentional: pairing four panels with a combined 1600 W capacity to a single 900 W inverter maximizes overall energy production while keeping the system's maximum output below the 1 kW expansion limit required to maintain your NEM status.
Although the inverter will “clip” excess output for a few hours around midday on sunny days, the annual energy lost is surprisingly small – around ten percent – because most of the day’s generation happens under conditions where the panels do not reach their maximum rated output. The larger array delivers more power in the mornings, afternoons, and on hazy or partly cloudy days, resulting in more usable solar energy across the year.
Even with some clipping, the third and fourth panel significantly increase total production for only a modest added cost, increasing the system’s return on investment and shortening the payback period as the table above shows.
GETTING THE PANELS
Free Pick-Up and SF Bay Area Delivery Options
You can save money by picking up the panels on your own from our Richmond, CA warehouse. You will need a pickup truck, a cargo van, large SUV, or a car with a roof rack. Please note: Many SUVs are a bit too narrow to fit the solar panels inside the car, so please check for at least 45" of internal width.
We offer delivery and 1 hour of installation support for an additional $349 within a 50 mile radius of Richmond, CA. No shipping outside this area is available.
We will contact you within 2 business days of your purchase to arrange a pickup time or delivery time window, based on the option you chose.
REQUIREMENTS
Space Requirements
You will need a sunny spot on a flat surface for the solar panels, each slightly larger than a twin mattress. They have to face south or southwest and they need direct sunlight during most of the day.
The aluminum mounts allow for horizontal or vertical ground mounting and for adjusting the solar panels’ angle from the ground between approximately 40 and 75 degrees. The footprint per installed panel will be roughly as follows:
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Horizontal: 6’ x 4’ x 4’ LWH
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Vertical: 4’ x 4’ x 6’ LWH
ELECTRICAL WORK
Minor Electrician Work May Be Necessary
Putting the solar kit together is comparable to assembling furniture, and our experienced team will assist you with that if you choose the Delivery option.
However, you may need an electrician for these reasons:
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All Net Metering Expansion kits have to be plugged into a dedicated circuit, i.e. to an outlet that has its own dedicated circuit breaker. If such an outlet is not available or if you are not sure, please have an electrician install one.
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Outdoor outlets need to have a GFCI (Ground Fault Circuit Interruptor) and weatherproof cover for permanent use.
Electrical work is not included in our delivery and installation support service. Please hire your own licensed electrician.
Unsafe outlet: not GFCI-protected and left uncovered.
Safe outlet: GFCI-protected and covered on a dedicated circuit.
DISCLAIMERS
Know Before You Buy
REGULATORY NOTE: This is a portable solar device. Depending on how you plan to install it, your city may require a permit. Outside California, where the 1 kW expansion is allowed by CPUC Decision 14-03-041 (see page 27), please make sure the expansion conforms with your existing net metering agreement.
SAFETY NOTE: For electrical safety, the outlet to which you connect the system has to be on a dedicated circuit, i.e. having its own dedicated breaker with no other outlets or loads on the same circuit.
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POWER OUR MOVEMENT
Your Purchase Powers More Than Your Home
When you buy a Bright Saver kit, you're helping sustain programs that bring clean energy resources to communities that need them most. Proceeds from kit sales support our work to make renewable energy more accessible nationwide. Learn More.