Components Of Solar Energy System

We all know how efficient solar systems are and how quickly they are being sold throughout the world. Let’s take a look at the working of solar energy systems, their requirements and how they can be installed.

Things to Keep In Mind

Ideally, the site where solar panels are, should be free from shades. During the prime sunlight hours of 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. panels need to be exposed to sun so that they can be charged to full. Trees or other factors that cause shading during the day will cause significant decreases to power production.

A south-facing installation will usually provide the optimum potential for your system, but other orientations may provide sufficient production. In a solar panel, if even just one of its 36 cells is shaded, power production will be reduced by more than half.

Experienced solar contractors use a device called a Solar Pathfinder to carefully identify potential areas of shading prior to installation. You can visit www.solarbrokerscanada.com to get information about home solar power contractors in your area.

Solar panels And How they Work

Solar panels, also known as modules, contain photovoltaic cells made from silicon that transform incoming sunlight into electricity rather than heat.

Depending on the size of the installation, multiple strings of solar photovoltaic array cables terminate in one electrical box, called a fused array combiner.

Contained within the combiner box are fuses designed to protect the individual module cables, as well as the connections that deliver power to the inverter.

The electricity produced at this stage is DC (direct current) and must be converted to AC (alternating current) suitable for use in your home or business.

Inverter

The inverter turns the DC electricity generated by the solar panels into 120-volt AC that can be put to immediate use by connecting the inverter directly to a dedicated circuit breaker in the electrical panel.

The inverter, electricity production meter, and electricity net meter are connected so that power produced by your solar electric system will first be consumed by the electrical loads currently in operation.

The balance of power produced by your solar electric system passes through your electrical panel and out onto the electric grid. Whenever you are producing more electricity from your solar electric system than you are immediately consuming, your electric utility meter will turn backwards!

How Solar System Reduces Your Utility Bill

In a solar electric system that is also tied to the utility grid, the DC power from the solar array is converted into 120/240 volt AC power and fed directly into the utility power distribution system of the building. The power is “net metered,” which means it reduces demand for power from the utility when the solar array is generating electricity – thus lowering the utility bill.

These grid-tied systems automatically shut off if utility power goes offline, protecting workers from power being back fed into the grid during an outage. These types of solar-powered electric systems are known as “on grid” or “battery-less” and make up approximately 98% of the solar power systems being installed today.

You can contact Solar Brokers Canada and get all the information about solar installers in your town.