Once you have built your solar panel array. The next step is to put them into a system which can use all the electricity which has been produced. So you either feed the electricity to the grid, store it in batteries or power your appliances. You probably have a rough idea of what you want your finished system to look like, but plan very carefully. Know exactly how many watts of energy you need and how many watts of energy your solar panels are capable of producing.
Transportable Solar Powered Generators
This is the simplest of all the systems. It only consists of four components – a battery or batteries, inverter, solar panel and the charge controller.
The important thing here is that you can increase the capacity of the system very easily just by adding more solar panels. The inverter will switch the current from DC to AC so you can power directly your household appliances.
If you find yourself in the enviable position of having excess electricity, instead of wasting it, you can feed it to a battery bank. Not your normal car batteries.
On-Grid Solar Power Generator
If you are connected to the national electricity grid then you should definitely consider this system. What you do is not waste time with batteries, you can send the extra power straight back to the grid. The benefit is you get paid by your supplier for producing the electricity, how cool is that.
Once you know how to do it, build a solar panel is very straight forward. It takes less than a day to manufacture a solar PV panel and in one year you can easily make 26 of them. If you built 26 panels, this would probably be more than enough to cover not only your electricity bills but many other monthly as well.
Grid Tied Generator + Battery bank
However, it still may be prudent to have a battery backup with a grid tied system. Should you have a cloudy day, or at night when you are generating no power, what do you do then? The battery system can kick-in and supply your needs without having to take power from the grid.
Off-Grid Solar Power Generator
I would think that if you do not have electricity piped straight to your home then definitely look at having a battery bank integrated with your setup. By doing so you will not waste any of the electricity you have generated.
Batteries perform better when they are warm so it is wise to invest in a battery box and keep them in your garage. A battery box also doubles up as offering a safety feature, so kids or animals don’t get to close. Just imagine if your dog peed up against a battery, or perhaps not!
You may already have a generator to power your home. If you do, I suggest you connect this to your system as well, it can charge your batteries should they start to go flat.
Different Types of Solar Powered Systems For the Home
- On Grid + battery bank + generator
- Solar panel with a battery backup
- Grid tied system without a battery bank
- Off grid system
- Grid tied systems
For more information about how to build a solar panel and use it for producing power for your appliances visit build a solar panel.
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