Find Out How Solar Works And Why It Would Be An Improvement To Your House
Solar panels are made of solar cells (photovoltaic PV cells). These cells help you to get electricity from the sun and they don't make any noise, you are green because you don't use fossil fuels and you are not troubled any longer by the breakable constructions. This allows you to radically decrease your carbon footprint and protect ourselves from yearly utility rate increases. I will show you first of all how solar works.
Batteries
Solar PV systems come in two types: with battery and direct. On a day with high sun intensity the batteries of your PV system will be charged. A standard household uses 20 to 30 Kwh. A battery system produces a little less (18 Kwh). Fortunately, in grid connected houses you can get battery systems too, for when the sun doesn't shine.
If you wish to know how solar works, you should consider first that you can't just plug your solar system into your house wiring. The voltage of your solar panel varies widely because of the changing solar intensity. That would blow away your house equipment as it´s very vulnerable to energy fluctuations. As a result you will need specific equipment like batteries, inverters and transfer switches. To absorb the changing power output the batteries function as a buffer as well as a storage system.
In an urban area you are connected to the electricity grid (direct system) and a battery is not needed (though can come in handy in case of power shortage for instance). There are a lot of things you can power with the energy of the sun through the grid connection, like a dishwasher.
You also have to use a battery-bank when you installed homemade solar panels and it is not possible to give the electricity to the grid. Now you know how solar works.
Besides a PV panel, which generates electricity when the sun is shining, you will need more items to control your electricity.
Which of these items you would need, depends on how you make use of the system. An inverter is one of the items you can't go without. The inverter changes the electricity which is stored in the batteries (direct current DC power) into energy which we use in our houses (alternating current AC power).
Inverters
You will normally get 240 volts of grid power, whilst a battery-bank gives you 12, 24 or 36 volts. An inverter changes the 12, 24 or 36 volts of a battery-bank into 240 volts which you can use in your home. The electricity of the grid flows harmonious through your home. A good inverter can imitate this flow. Matching the flow as it comes from the grid protects your sensitive appliances like your PC´s, a fridge or appliances that have a dimmer, or a speed control. This you ought to know to understand how solar works.
Now you can decide if you want to go to a local solar contractor or make your own solar panels to decrease your energy bill.
Marly Kester (the author) is an expert in renewable energies and energy efficiency for ENERFY. ENERFY is an energy consultancy company advising their business customers on energy and ESCo contracts. Via www.bestenergysaving.net ENERFY provides energy efficiency and renewable energy tips and tools to DIY-ers, interested in reducing their energy bill and their carbon footprint.
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