Save Money With Solar Energy : Solar Energy Tech 101

A quick look at the history of solar energy

Bell Labs created the first silicon photovoltaic cell in 1954.

Although solar energy had previously been captured and converted into usable energy through different methods, it was not until 1954 that solar power became a viable source of electricity to power devices for extended periods.

The first solar cells converted solar radiation to electricity with a 4% efficiency - for comparison, many widely available solar panels today can convert sunlight to solar power with a 20% efficiency, a number that is constantly increasing.

Though solar energy acceptance was slow at first, various state and federal incentives and policies contributed to driving down the cost of solar panels sufficiently to make them more broadly accepted.

Roof attachments serve as the base of any solar panel.

There are several types and styles of solar attachments, each designed for specific roofing material.

The most common roofing material is composition asphalt shingles.

Different composition shingle roof attachment products serve as both a structural anchor and a waterproof flashing.

These "integrated" products help to reduce the time and cost associated with roof attachment installation.

Tile and slate roofs, on the other hand, necessitate more complex products and time-consuming installation procedures.

These difficulties are exacerbated by the fact that tiles are delicate and can crack if not properly handled.

When accepting bids from solar installers, homeowners with these roof types should expect to pay slightly more.

In addition, it's best to discuss in advance how the installer intends to avoid or replace damaged tiles.

What You Need to Know About Solar Energy Tech 101

Solar energy is a clean, cheaper energy source that can be a good alternative to your local utility company's unpredictable service.

With the solar panel, you can back up your power from equipment failures to natural disasters and be the only house in your neighborhood with lights on.

With a solar energy system, you can reduce your reliance on the traditional electric grid while generating monthly energy savings that lower your monthly electricity bill.

The solar panels absorb the sun's rays on your roof, which is made of solar cells.

The electricity produced by those rays is passed through your inverter, a component of your system that converts the energy received by your panels into energy in your home.

If your rooftop system produces more power than you can use, you can store it with solar batteries for later use, such as at night or when it's cloudy, so you're never left in the dark.

Most solar panels have a 25-30-year lifespan.

Nevertheless, solar panels lose their ability to absorb sunlight over time.

So, while they will undoubtedly continue to work after a few decades, they will do so at a lower capacity and with less efficiency as time passes.

The lifespan specified by the solar panel manufacturer indicates when the panel's capacity will deteriorate to the point where it is no longer efficient.

On-Grid or Off-Grid?

Another consideration will be whether you want to remain connected to your power company's electric grid as a backup energy source or go completely solar.

Being completely off the grid would necessitate solar battery storage when there is insufficient solar available.

When your grid-connected system is cloudy or at night, you will get your energy from the grid and pay grid energy prices.

Off-the-grid solar energy systems will draw energy from your battery storage to keep the lights on and seamless transition from day to night.

Here is a breakdown of on-grid and off-grid solar power systems:

On-grid solar power system

Photovoltaic (PV) panels are connected to the utility grid.

During the day, the solar modules provide electricity to your home.

The solar array could be installed on the roof or the ground.

Before investing in an on-grid solar system, you should figure out how large of an array you'll need to meet all of your home's energy requirements.

The PV modules are connected to an inverter during the solar panel installation.

There are various types of solar inverters on the market, but they all do the same thing: convert direct current (DC) electricity from the sun into alternating current (AC), which is required to power most household appliances.

When your energy needs exceed what your panels can provide, such as at night or on cloudy days, the utility grid delivers electricity to your home.

If your solar array generates more electricity than you need, it is sent to the power grid as an alternating current (AC) to power other homes or businesses.

Homeowners in net metering jurisdictions in the United States receive a bill credit for the surplus.

Individuals eligible for net metering may receive retail or wholesale rates, depending on where they live.

Later, when their solar array does not generate enough energy to meet demand, homeowners "redeem" their credits by using grid electricity.

Electric companies in some areas may charge higher rates during peak demand periods.

Homeowners who have solar may mitigate the impact of higher costs during peak daytime demand because their solar array offsets the need for utility electricity.

Nevertheless, power outages also cause your PV array to shut down because you are connected to the grid.

This protects electricians repairing transmission lines from being injured or killed by live voltage sent by your panels.

Off-grid solar power system

DIYers and those seeking complete energy independence may opt for a stand-alone solar array.

This off-grid system is not linked to the power grid.

Off-grid is also appropriate for people who live in remote areas far from power lines because the cost of installing transmission and distribution cables is prohibitively expensive in comparison.

Off-grid solar is also ideal for people who have specific electrical installation needs, such as in a barn, tool shed, fence, RV, boat, or cabin.

Since stand-alone systems are not connected to the grid, the solar energy captured by your PV cells and stored in batteries is all you have for power.

Unless, of course, you have another renewable energy source or a fossil-fuel-powered generator.

Some off-grid owners prefer to combine solar and wind by installing residential wind turbines.

The logic goes that when there are clouds that reduce solar production, the wind will likely pick up the slack.

Individuals considering off-grid solar must calculate their power requirements over a specific period (often several days at least).

If you don't, you could be without power for an extended period - and there's no grid to save you.

Of course, the advantage of off-grid solar is that you never receive an electric bill.

Several online calculators are available to help you figure out how much electricity you'll need to power all of the appliances you want to use.

The total amount determines the size of your battery pack (if you decide to use one).

A battery pack is simply a collection of interconnected batteries.

The battery pack can be costly.

In 2020, consumers will pay between $400 and $750 per kWh, though the total cost for the highest-quality brands could be much higher.

Another way to look at it is that solar batteries typically cost between $200 and $2,000 per unit, depending on their capacity to store energy.

A usual off-grid battery pack could include 12 batteries.

Most companies sell off-grid solar panel kits that include everything you need to set up your own off-grid system.

A charge controller is required for off-grid systems.

The charge controller, which is found between the PV modules and the battery pack, is an essential component of off-grid systems.

The charge controller protects the battery in a variety of ways.

First, to prevent overcharging, this device limits the amount and rate of charge that your batteries receive during the day.

It also prevents the batteries from draining back toward your panels during the night.

Finally, a charge controller has a low voltage disconnect.

This means that when the battery is nearly empty, the controller turns off the power to your appliances.

It will turn them back on after they have been recharged.

This feature protects your batteries from damage caused by over-draining.

On the market today, there are two types of charge controllers: PWM and MPPT.

The best one for you is determined by the voltage of your PV array, your load, and the voltage of your battery pack.

In most off-grid solar applications, where the PV modules are considerably higher in voltage than the battery pack, the MPPT controller is the better option.

Due to the big larger size required to power an entire home for a few days, weeks, or even months, the cost of an off-grid solar system is frequently astronomical, easily reaching $50,000 or more.

It could be much less if you do extensive research for the best prices and install it yourself.

The upfront costs are decreasing as PV and battery technology advances.

Federal and state tax credits are also available for residential off-grid solar projects.

Because all batteries are charged solely by renewable energy, they are also eligible for tax credits.

Nevertheless, if you sometimes charge your battery pack with a backup generator that runs on fossil fuels, you will not be able to receive full credit for your battery investment.

Hybrid Solar Power System

A hybrid system is when your solar panels remain connected to the grid's power lines and have a backup battery system to store excess power.

The energy absorbed by the solar panels from the sun is converted into usable electricity by an inverter.

The electricity is then routed to your home, your battery, or the grid.

The advantage of a hybrid solar system is that you will always have power no matter what.

The excess energy generated by your solar panels (but not used by your home) is stored in a backup battery.

When the sun isn't shining, this battery will keep you going through the night, system outages, and bad weather.

If you use up all of the power in your battery on a hybrid solar system, you can draw power from the electrical grid.

A hybrid solar system works by directing solar energy to your inverter, directing energy to your home.

Excess energy that is not used to power your home is stored in your home battery.

When your solar panels are not generating electricity, this battery can provide power to your home.

If there is still energy left over after all of these steps, it is sent to the grid.

Monitoring of Solar Performance

Solar monitoring is among the primary considerations when going solar because it provides information on how well your solar energy output is tracking.

Monitoring the electricity produced by the solar energy system ensures that your solar panels are in good working order.

With this monitoring installed, you can determine whether your panels operate efficiently and generate the best possible output, as stated when you bought the system.

The most important aspect of all of this is that you'll get a good idea of how much money you're saving on electricity bills and what your ROI will be for buying and using your solar energy system.

In the unlikely event that you notice that your system is not performing as well as it should, the solar monitoring system can pinpoint the issues that are causing your solar energy system to not perform as well as it should and assist you in quickly resolving an issue, either by calling a trained solar engineer or simply cleaning the solar panels of any dust.

The ideal solar monitoring system will provide you with real-time data on the various aspects of your solar system's operation, such as hardware configuration, efficiency, long-term usage, and more.

Monitoring solar power generation, consumption, and performance can be done in a variety of ways:

Direct PC Connection

The inverter is connected to a PC using either a Bluetooth device or a CAT5 cable in this method.

You can get free monitoring software from the inverter's manufacturer's website.

This method has the advantage of data acquisition and is one of the most affordable solar monitoring methods.

Mobile Device Use

You can now monitor your solar system from your smartphone, thanks to advances in technology.

Because most inverters support Bluetooth integration, you can connect it to your mobile device and track it from there.

This method allows you to remotely monitor your Power system and central control settings to create custom user profiles.

Wireless solar energy monitoring is possible with the system.

Additionally, depending on your settings, you can view data remotely via internet connections or SMS texts.

Monitoring Display Unit

Historically, this was the primary and only method of monitoring your solar system.

The method entails collecting data from one or more combined inverters and displaying it on a display unit.

The data is collected using either Bluetooth units or the CAT5 cable.

Internet-Based Monitoring

This method sends power generation data to a router, making it available on the internet.

The information can then be easily accessed because each user has a password-protected dedicated website.

One advantage of this method is that you can access this data remotely at any time.

Use of Historic Data Viewing Features

The current generation of solar monitoring units allows for simple interconnection with various data storage systems.

As a result, the system allows you to view your system's historical performance data.

As a result, you can better understand your usage habits and identify areas for improvement.

Solar Warranties

Solar panel warranties secure your investment and are an essential component of any solar installation.

There are several types of warranties that protect your panels.

Understanding the differences between them and which products have the best warranties is critical to ensuring you get the best deal for your solar energy system.

If you install a solar PV system for your home or business, your panels will most likely operate without issue for decades.

However, solar panel problems happen occasionally, so if you have a problem with a solar panel after it has been installed, you must understand that the rest of your system will not be rendered inoperable.

A solar panel typically comes with two types of warranties: the efficiency warranty and the equipment guarantee.

The efficiency warranty on a solar panel guarantees 90% output after 10 years and 80% output after 25 years.

On the other hand, the product warranty focuses on the product's craftmanship and guarantees you a minimum of 25 years.

Most manufacturers will provide warranties or limited warranties on some or all of your solar energy system components.

If a company is willing to stand behind a product for several decades, it is usually a sign of high quality.

Your system could last 25 years or more if you choose the right quality equipment and solar panels and have a competent installer to help you enhance their performance.

Assessing and comparing panel manufacturers' product warranty coverage can help ensure that your service and support needs will be met if a solar panel problem arises.

Manufacturers' product warranties are thus an important supplement to other factors in evaluating a panel manufacturer's performance details and its business practices.

If a solar panel fails, the manufacturer will ship you a replacement panel and, in some cases, will even pay for shipping and labor to replace it.