How Solar Panels Work

I´ll explain to you shortly How Solar Panels Work so you see how the panels are connected to batteries, inverters and further essential gear.

Solar cells, also called photovoltaic (PV) cells, allow you to work with the sun’s power to make energy with no noise, greenhouse gasses, fragile constructions or fossil fuels. This permits you to considerably lessen your carbon footprint and shield yourselves from yearly utility rate rises.

BATTERIES

Solar PV systems goes in two forms: including battery and direct. In the situation of battery installations the sun charges the battery on sunny days (it´s not the direct warmth of the sun that makes a PV installation effective, it´s the intensity of the solar radiation. Standard battery systems for rural homes and off-grid installations generate somewhat less energy (18 kilowatt hours) than the normal household electricity usage (20 to 30 kilowatt hours). Battery installations are though not merely suitable for off-grid solar power panels, they also operate as storage with regular grid connected houses for when the sun doesn´t shine.

To understand How Solar Panels Work, you should know that it is not possible to merely push your solar installation into your house wiring as the voltage output generated by your solar installation varies wildly due to instable solar intensity during the day. That would blow away your house equipment as it´s extremely vulnerable to electricity changes. You must have specific equipment such as batteries, inverters and transfer switches. Batteries act both as storage and as a barrier to absorb the fluctuating electricity output of the panels and protect the inverter.

In an urban place you are connected to the electricity grid (direct system) and a battery is not needed (although can be useful in case of power shortages for example). You will be able to use the energy made by the sun to power your dishwasher through the grid connection.

A battery is used to store the energy that the solar panel creates when the sun is shining and to make that energy available to your electrical devices at home when it´s required (this is during nighttime and when the sun doesn´t shine). When you are not able to supply the generated energy to the grid (which is the case for diy solar systems due to the technical requirements of your utility company), you ought to have a battery-bank. This is just the way how solar works.

While a PV panel creates energy when the sun is shining, there are extra items next to the batteries, wanted to conduct, control, convert and distribute the produced energy.

Which of these things you would need, depends on how you would need your Home Solar Energy System. You would however definitely need an inverter that converts your stored Direct Current (DC) power from your batteries to alternating current (AC) that your electrical devises at your house need.

INVERTERS

A bank of batteries can normally offer you 12volts, 24volts, or 36volts, while grid energy is usually at 240volts. The inverter changes the 24volts into 240volts required for the house electric equipment. A ‘true sine wave’ inverter sends a harmonious flow of electricity to your devices, just similar to the stream which comes from the grid. Matching the flow in the same way as it comes from the grid protects your sensitive appliances like your computers, a fridge or appliances that need a dimmer, or a speed control. This you ought to be aware of to realize How Solar Energy Works.

Now you realize How Solar Panels Work, are you ready to decide to cut down your power bill and that you won´t have to pay the always increasing electricity rates, than you can go to the local solar contractor or build the system by yourself.

Find Out More on How Solar Energy Works and Check Our Review on the Best Manuals For a DIY Solar Panel.

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, November 24th, 2009 at 3:05 am and is filed under home solar power. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.

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