Solar power for homes is the only way for us to get truly carbon neutral. This is the new slogan for both governments and home owners. It is quite a recent change in pace as well. As for years people have happily relied on fossil fuel-based grid power for their energy needs.
But now, as climate change becomes more extreme. And extreme climate events disrupt our power supplies quite regularly. More and more people are realizing that we can’t simply rely on the grid for survival. And even if we did, our combined carbon footprint will eventually cause more harm than good.
Moreover, utility scale solar power plants haven’t reached enough concentration. That we can use them as a serious solution to meet our increasing energy demands. So, the only solution remains is to work on an individual level. By placing solar power for homes on the forefront of our energy infrastructure.
This will have multiple benefits for our society in general. The energy produced by these systems will not only reduce the bills of the people who own them. But also reduce the load on the grid in general. With more people demanding lesser energy. We would also be able to reach surplus production figures sooner, and at lower costs. Not to mention all the carbon we will stop from being abjectly released into the atmosphere.
In order to accomplish all this, we will need to upgrade existing power setups. As well as install new ones on every home in the country. Depending on your budget and preference, this can happen in a variety of ways. But before we begin exploring them all. Let us first take a look at all the components that make up a solar system. To get an idea of what is actually involved in getting it up and running.
These are easily the most important, and one of the most expensive parts of any solar system. They help capture the energy from the sun and convert it into electricity. Although they aren’t really that efficient at it. With most commercially available panels working at barely 20% efficiency.
Home use panels these days often come in the range of 100-365W. And are often arranged in an array to get a usable energy output. They are often placed on the rooftops or on top of parking structures. Where they can soak in the light from the sun throughout the day. While they don’t really require much maintenance after installation. You will still need to keep them clean, if you want them to work properly.
This is another vital component of any solar system for homes. It is also the biggest recurring expense you will have to face. It is common knowledge that solar power doesn’t work at night. So, any decent solar system requires deep cycle batteries to store the power until it’s needed.
Depending on the number of panels, and your power needs, this can be an array of multiple batteries as well. Also, depending on your budget, these can be either high-quality lead acid batteries. Or state-of-the-art lithium-ion storage solutions. The former requires some basic maintenance for regular usage. While the latter is a pretty self-sufficient technology. Even though it is a lot more expensive.
This is a pretty basic, but lifesaving component of any solar system. It is basically a switch that can cut off the power supply from your panels. Or even the power supply coming from the normal power grid. Depending on your requirements, or need for repair.
It still has to be a robust unit though. Since it has to handle the load of your entire solar array during peak production. People use them when they need to take their solar system offline. Or when they simply want to bypass grid power and operate only on solar.
This is a device that acts as an interface between your batteries and the outer world. It ensures that the batteries get a consistent charge throughout. So, they don’t get overcharged or overheated. It also makes sure that the batteries don’t discharge their energy through the night.
You can think of it like the charger on your EV. Which handles the same function, but for EV charging. It isn’t too expensive, and you only need to worry about it, if it breaks.
As usual, when it comes to electricity, you need an inverter. More specifically, a solar inverter that can convert DC energy from the panels, to AC energy. This energy output can be easily modulated. To safely match the power requirements of your home appliances.
Some inverters are specifically designed to work without batteries. And act as a simple tie-in between the panels and the grid. This is for those individuals who just want to reduce their bills. And have no intention of spending money on a battery array.
Modern solar inverters even have monitoring systems that can give you regular updates. About your energy production, usage, as well as battery status. Some models are more efficient, and can even be remote controlled via an app. You have a lot of options in this regard. With most modern inverters being moderately expensive, but reliable.
These are the main components that make up a solar setup for home use. You can always add other components to make it more elaborate. But you still need these basics at least, to get you started.
Different type of Solar Power Plants
Depending on your budget and needs. You can configure these systems in lots of different ways, with or without batteries. Here is a brief overview of how that works.
These are the most basic type of solar setups. They are essentially meant to pass off all power generated to the grid. This way you can save a lot of money on batteries. While also getting your electricity bill reduced.
This all works depending on the rules set up by your local utilities. Some places offer you a simple reduction in units based on how many units your system generates. While others have a separate billing system with each unit costing a specific amount. Which can then be simply deducted from your existing energy bills.
Some regions also have different rates for different time of the day. Which can entice some people to invest in batteries to manage the timings. Of when their system will release the energy generated back to the grid. Although those system come under the next category.
These are the most common type of solar systems found in homes. They often use high-quality lead acid batteries to store the energy produced. This energy is either used to power the home, or sent back to the grid.
The benefit of the battery is that you can decide when you want to use the energy stored. For instance, power companies in some regions charge more money for energy used in peak hours. Which is often during the noon, or at night. Depending on the season of the year, or general usage patterns.
With these systems, you can store the energy produced during the day. And then use it during the night, or next day. Depending on when it can save you the most money. These systems don’t need a lot of batteries either. Just enough to match the output of your solar system.
These systems go one step further than regular battery based solar setups. And are often deployed in areas where grid power is completely unreliable. They require a lot more solar panels and batteries. At least 30% more than what your daily energy requirements are.
Because when you can’t rely on the grid to provide stable power. Then you need at least some surplus to ensure you don’t lose power in the middle of the night.
Some setups even skip the regular UPS for tying into the grid. And go straight for a charge controller that powers all devices directly. Depending on your needs, this can be quite an expensive setup. Even though no amount of money is too much, if it gives you peace of mind.
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These are supplemental charging systems for power backup systems. These power backup systems are simply known as an inverter/UPS. And are quite popular in countries like India. Where we often see random power cuts at all times of the day.
But if the power cut goes on for too long, the batteries of the power backup can also get drained. This is when you benefit from having a solar charging system. That can charge your backup inverter for emergency use.
It isn’t as expensive, since you already have an inverter and batteries as part of the power backup system. All you need it are some solar panels and a battery charge controller to get you started.
Now, you have a better understand of how solar power for homes is generated. And what components you need to get it done. You also have an idea of the different types of setups you can develop using these components. With this knowledge, you can easily begin your own journey to becoming self-sufficient. Which is a future we want for all the citizens of our country. As, in a renewable future, we all win.
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