Get Even More Visitors To Your Blog, Upgrade To A Business Listing >>

4 Basic Components Of A Solar Power System

Choosing to go off-grid and install a Solar power system and live green is a great idea! Once you start investigating the choices and designing a solar system for you home, it quickly becomes a sticky quagmire of uncertainty!

This post is the first in a series on how to design and cost a solar power system yourself. Hopefully we can help clear the fog around this topic and give you a clear view of the possibilities.

Our intention for this post is to give you an introduction to the basic components required for a solar power system. Future posts will discuss each component in detail. This will give you information to make your own decision as to what type of components will suit your needs.

The modular nature of solar systems is a great feature. This means that you can start with a smaller system to provide energy for one component of your household’s energy needs. You can then add on to the system as you expand to go totally off grid.

Why not try a small scale project with a solar powered motion sensor security light. This will give you the opportunity to see how the technology works.

Solar Panels

Solar panels are a key component in you solar power system. This is the component that converts actually converts the suns energy into electricity. Great strides have been made recently in the solar panel industry.

Solar panels have become more efficient and cheaper to produce. The advent of thin film solar cells is promising to revolutionise the solar panel industry.

Your choices currently for solar panels include the following:

  • Monocrystalline Silicon Solar Panels
  • Polycrystaline silicone solar panels
  • Thin Film Solar Panels

There are various pros and cons for each technology. We will cover these in the next post on designing your solar power system.

-6%
Renogy 100 Watts 12 Volts Monocrystalline Solar Panel
$134.04 $144.11
Buy this item
Amazon.com
Renogy 100 Watts 12 Volts Monocrystalline Solar Panel Bundle Kit with 30A...
$169.99
Buy this item
Amazon.com
-3%
Renogy 100 Watts 12 Volts Monocrystalline Solar Starter Kit w/ 100W Solar...
$189.99 $196.99
Buy this item
Amazon.com
-2%
Renogy 400 Watt 12 Volt Monocrystalline Solar Bundle Kit
$596.56 $613.40
Buy this item
Amazon.com
Last update was on: March 8, 2018 5:50 am

Batteries For A Solar Power System

The battery is another key component for a solar power system. The function of the battery is to store energy. This energy can then be used at night, or on cloudy days where not much sunlight is available. The batteries will probably be the most expensive component of your solar power system.

Your choice of battery is key in determining how reliable and efficient your solar system will be, and long term costs regarding battery replacement.

Currently, your choices in battery technology for a solar power system would be the following:

  • Lead acid batteries
  • Lithium ion batteries

Battery technology is moving forward at a rapid pace, but currently these two options are what is available for reliable storage of your electricity We will discuss the pros and cons of each battery type in a post dedicated to that subject.

Zareba Systems SB1R Solar Battery
$36.67
Buy this item
Amazon.com
-15%
35AH 12V DC DEEPCYCLE RECHARGEABLE SLA SOLAR ENERGY STORAGE BATTERY
$72.50 $85.99
Buy this item
Amazon.com
Universal UB121000-45978 12v 100AH Deep Cycle AGM Battery 12V 24V 48V(Black)
$164.49
Buy this item
Amazon.com
VMAX SLR100 12V 100ah Solar battery for Off-Grid Solar Systems AGM
$259.99
Buy this item
Amazon.com
Last update was on: March 8, 2018 5:50 am

Charge Controller

The energy from the solar panels fluctuates depending on the sun’s intensity. This has the potential to damage the batteries connected to the system. The charge controller regulates the voltage going from the solar panels to the batteries and prevents over charging of the batteries.

This ultimately increases battery life and performance, which is a good thing when you take into account the cost of the batteries!

-28%
PowerEZ 10Amp PWM Solar Charge Controller Solar Panel Battery Intelligent Regulator with...
$14.99 $20.98
Buy this item
Amazon.com
Y&H 80A PWM Charge Controller LCD 12V/24V Solar Regulator Charge Controller Automatic...
$60.99
Buy this item
Amazon.com
-55%
LCD 80A 12V 24V Solar Battery Regulator Charge Discharge Controller Solar System...
$80.99 $180.00
Buy this item
Amazon.com
EPEVER 40A MPPT Solar Charge Controller 100V PV Tracer A 4210A +...
$169.99
Buy this item
Amazon.com
Last update was on: March 8, 2018 5:50 am

Power Inverter

The voltage that comes out of the solar panels is DC (direct current) as is the voltage supplied by the batteries. The batteries also output the voltage as 12 volts. Most household appliances require AC voltageat between 120 and 240 volts.

The power inverter is the component in the solar power system that converts the voltage from 12V DC to either 120V AC or 240V AC, depending where you live. The additional function of the power inverter is the ability to charge the batteries from the power grid, or from an AC generator.

This is a useful function to have, particularly if you have access to the national grid as an option or a petrol or diesel AC generator to get you through particularly long periods of limited sunshine.

Meind Modified Sine Wave Power Inverter 2000W DC 12V to AC 220V...
$285.00
Buy this item
Amazon.com
-4%
WZRELB DC to AC Converter off Grid Pure Sine Wave Power Inverter...
$325.00 $339.00
Buy this item
Amazon.com
NIMTEK MM3000 Pure Sine Wave Off-grid Inverter, Solar Inverter 3000 Watt 24...
$518.99
Buy this item
Amazon.com
ECO-WORTHY 1KW Auto Switch MPPT Solar Grid Tie Inverter Power Limiter PV...
Buy this item
Amazon.com
Last update was on: March 8, 2018 5:50 am

The post 4 Basic Components Of A Solar Power System appeared first on MyGreenTerra - Let Your Lifestyle Heal the Planet.



This post first appeared on MyGreenTerra, please read the originial post: here

Share the post

4 Basic Components Of A Solar Power System

×

Subscribe to Mygreenterra

Get updates delivered right to your inbox!

Thank you for your subscription

×