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Now that you know more about SRECs, you’re aware of the significant benefits they can provide. So, right about now, you may be thinking, if a normal size system generates hundreds of dollars a year from SRECS, why not install a much bigger system that could increase that number by a multiple of 10? It seems like the perfect plan.

Make more energy than you need, make money from solar

It’s true, that a larger solar panel array will mean more SRECs—it probably means a larger net-metering credit that can be used to help friends and family, too—but there is one significant snag in this otherwise brilliant and inspired idea. By producing much more solar power than your home needs, you morph from an energy consumer into an energy producer – in other words, you become a utility. When this occurs, you are suddenly subject to all of the rules and regulations – not to mention fees – that apply to utilities and suddenly, your life becomes a lot more complicated.

EnergySage is all for increasing the number of SRECs you generate, but it has to be part of an overall plan related to your consumption. If you want to increase your SRECs, you should consider ways that you could increase your electricity consumption—things like switching from a traditional gasoline fueled car to an electric one that’s powered by your solar PV system. One EnergySager, Neeraj Aggarwal, did just that. He added additional capacity to his PV system size to accommodate an electric car. He not only increased his SRECs, but also eliminated his fuel costs and increased the ROI on his investment in solar dramatically.

The important thing to remember is that SRECs can be a great way to increase the return on your solar investment. More is definitely better… as long as you don’t become a utility in the process!