How solar works: from the sun to your home

Solar panelsAll-black modules

MicroinvertersBeneath the solar panels

DisconnectSmall load centre

Electrical panelFeeds your lights and appliances

Energy monitorTracks production and use

EV chargerLevel 2

Two-way meter Sending 2.3 kW to the grid Today: sent 14.2 kWh · drawn 2.6 kWh Example values

01 · SunIt starts 150 million kilometres away.
02 · EarthAbout eight minutes later, its light reaches Earth.
03 · Nova ScotiaIncluding rooftops right here in Nova Scotia.
04 · Your homeLate-afternoon sun reaches the house.
05 · Your roofPanels on your roof turn daylight into electricity.
06 · MicroinvertersMicroinverters beneath the solar panels turn it into AC power for your home.It runs down through a small disconnect to your electrical panel.
07 · Electrical panelYour electrical panel sends it to your lights and appliances.
08 · Your EVIt can charge your car in the driveway, too.
09 · The gridYour home uses solar first.The grid covers any shortfall, and any surplus flows back to it.
10 · Net meteringSurplus solar can offset power you draw from the grid.A two-way meter records electricity sent and received. Credits follow Nova Scotia Power's applicable program rules.

Imagery: NASA, Copernicus

Imagery: NASA (Blue Marble, Black Marble, Landsat via GIBS) and Copernicus Sentinel-2 (contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2025); textures: ambientCG (CC0). An example house with generic equipment. Lines are explanatory (green DC, gold AC), not a wiring design. Meter values are examples; credits follow Nova Scotia Power's program rules.

Shown as still images because reduced motion is turned on or this browser can't show the 3D view. The house is an example, not a JC Power installation.

The sun up close: a turbulent orange surface with flames along its edge — 01 · SunIt starts 150 million kilometres away.

Earth from space over the Atlantic: North America in daylight, Europe and Africa at night with city lights — 02 · EarthAbout eight minutes later, its light reaches Earth.

Nova Scotia seen from orbit, with a marker near Halifax — 03 · Nova ScotiaIncluding rooftops right here in Nova Scotia.

An aerial view of a house with an all-black solar array, in late-afternoon light — 04 · Your homeLate-afternoon sun reaches the house.

An all-black solar array on the front of the roof, seen from above in late-afternoon light — 05 · Your roofPanels on your roof turn daylight into electricity.

A cutaway beneath two all-black solar panels: a microinverter on the mounting rail, short green lines from the panels into it, and a gold line carrying AC power along the rail to a junction box at the corner of the array — 06 · MicroinvertersMicroinverters beneath the solar panels turn it into AC power for your home.It runs down through a small disconnect to your electrical panel.

A basement utility room: an open electrical panel with an energy monitor beside it, and gold explanatory lines running to the ceiling light, the laundry and the rooms above — 07 · Electrical panelYour electrical panel sends it to your lights and appliances.

A wall-mounted EV charger beside the garage, its cable plugged into a car in the driveway — 08 · Your EVIt can charge your car in the driveway, too.

The house from the street in late-afternoon light, with a gold line from its meter up the service wire to the utility pole and along the street lines — 09 · The gridYour home uses solar first.The grid covers any shortfall, and any surplus flows back to it.

The two-way meter on the front wall at dusk, with the windows lit and the line to the grid — 10 · Net meteringSurplus solar can offset power you draw from the grid.A two-way meter records electricity sent and received. Credits follow Nova Scotia Power's applicable program rules.

Imagery: NASA (Blue Marble, Black Marble, Landsat via GIBS) and Copernicus Sentinel-2 (contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2025); photo textures: ambientCG (CC0). Fictional house and neighbourhood. Lines are explanatory (green DC, gold AC), not a wiring design. The microinverters, disconnect, electrical panel, monitor and charger are generic illustrations, not specific products. Meter values are examples. For homeowners, credits follow Nova Scotia Power's Self-Generating Option.

Your next step

See what your roof could do.

Tell us about your home. We'll look at your roof, your electricity use and your electrical panel, then explain what a system could look like.

Book a free consultation or call (902) 442-3600