After you have manufactured your solar panels. You now need to connect them to a system that will allow you to either use, store or feed to the grid the electricity you have generated. Before you start anything though, have it fixed in your mind’s eye exactly what it is you want to end up with. Make sure you design a system that will satisfy all your energy requirements.
Mobile Solar Powered Systems
Smallest, cheapest and the most simple system. It only consists of four components – a battery or batteries, inverter, solar panel and the charge controller.
You don’t have to build all your solar panels before you install a system in your home. You can add more solar panels as and when they are available. The solar panel produces DC current. This needs to be converted to an AC current which is the job of the inverter.
Should you produce more electricity than you use then the excess electricity can be stored in deep cycle batteries. These aren’t ordinary batteries so make sure you source the correct ones.
On-Grid Solar Power Generator
If you currently have your electricity supplied by a utility company then give this type of setup very close consideration. Instead of storing the excess electricity in batteries, you feed it to the national grid. The benefit is you get paid by your supplier for producing the electricity, how cool is that.
After you build a solar panel, you will appreciate how easy they are to make. You can easily build one panel in 7 days and let’s say over a year you build 35 of them. You will be sending so much electricity back to the grid, that you can make a nice little income on-the-side to supplement all your other household bills.
Grid Tied Generator + Battery bank
To cover all basis you may want a battery backup system integrated with you grid tied solar system. For example, if it is a cloudy day and you are using some DIY tools which demand a lot of electricity. The battery system will store any previously unused electricity and so instead of tapping power from the grid you use your batteries.
Off-Grid Solar Power Generator
If you are not connected to the grid then you will want to have a battery bank of some considerable size. The battery bank will ensure you have the most effective system as it will store the unused power.
Batteries perform better when they are warm so it is wise to invest in a battery box and keep them in your garage. Not only does the battery box keep your batteries warm they also prevent them from being tampered by children or animals. If a dog weed on a battery it would do a lot of damage let alone what it might do to the dog!
The other thing to bear in mind is that for long cloudy periods or during the winter when you don’t get much sun, it would be worthwhile connecting a traditional generator to your solar powered system.
Different Types of Solar Powered Systems For the Home
- Off grid with just a battery backup
- Grid tied setup + battery bank
- Photovoltaic system without a battery backup
- On Grid + battery bank + generator
- Off grid setup + generator + battery bank
Understand more about how to build a solar panel and use it for powering your home visit build a solar panel.
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