https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7w3tecmyw
If you think about installing solar collectors for your home, it is good to familiarize yourself with the various components of a system what your roles are and the common confusion points.
The main components of a modern solar power system are:
Solar collectors
The stars of the show, solar collectors transform sunlight into electricity. Basically, electrons are electrons in one circuit. In order to get the electrons into a solar panel, the so -called PV effect includes, in which sunlight makes electrons loose from silicon in the many solar cells of the panel.
The weak horizontal lines (metal fingers) collect the moving electrons on a solar cell, which are fed into the thicker vertical lines, which are referred to as bus bars. This movement is then recorded as a direct current (DC) that flows from the panel to the inverter.
In Australia there is a dizzying selection of solar panels. Discover how to select the best solar collectors for your home.
Solar inverter
The inverter is the brain (and the muscle) of the operation. A solar inverter takes the DC stream out of the panels and transforms it into 230 volts AC power (AC), which is used by devices in your home. Find out more about solar inverter.
AC -Solator
This is a switch that performs the performance of your inverter. Always switch off the AC insolator switch when you have to shut down your system. This is the safest way to do this.
Telephone headquarters
Everything is connected in the switching board. A circuit breaker for your inverter is installed here. And something else that should be installed in the switching board …
Energy (AKA consumption) meter/monitor
A good installer adds a consumption monitor to your switch so that you can see how much electricity your home uses, how much solar energy contributes and how much is pulled out of the grid. Although it is a very small device, a switchboard is not space for it, but a switchboard upgrade is required and this can be expensive (at least 1,200 US dollars).
Lattice knife
Your electricity retailer either installs a new measuring device after your panels have been installed or software has updated on the existing one. Just like the old measuring device, the new will still measure how much electricity you pull out of the net, but also how much excess solar power you export to the network to owe your bill with a feed -in tariff.
But be aware that sun lining in tariffs are generally stingy these days. Most of your sun savings are reduced to a reduction in power consumption from the network.
Important: Power vs. Energy
One of the most frequently confused aspects of solar is strength and energy – and they are very different. Use the analogy of a car:
- The performance is measured in kilowatts (KW). It is the “top speed” of your solar power system.
- Energy is measured in kilowatt hours (kWh). Consider it as the mileage of your car. If your calculation says you have used electricity from kilowatt hours of electricity, it is as if you had driven x kilometers.
But just like you probably never reach the maximum speed of your car, it is unlikely that you will achieve the maximum performance of your solar system for two main reasons.
With the example of a system with 13 kW panel, most have a 10 kW inverter -this is your speed limit. Second, they only meet a few hours on a clear, mild day (usually in spring). The following graphic shows the output of a 13kW system with a 10kW inverter in one day with ideal conditions for solar energy generation.
Even if you had a 13 kW inverter, it is unlikely that you will ever hit this with dirty panels, that the cabling always gives a power loss, inverters are not 100% efficient, the panels will slowly deteriorate over time and the panels will lose a certain efficiency in the heat (and it does not have to be particularly hot). Most systems only reach about 80% of what is on the box.
Find out more about Power VS Energy.
Calculate how much energy your system is produced
A very fast and dirty method to estimate the daily average performance of your solar power system for over a year is very easy. 4 is the magical number:
System size (KW) x 4
A 13 kW system produces an average of around 52 kilowatt hours a day. Remember that on the summer days it will be much more due to longer hours of sunshine and much less in winter. Also note that the magical number for a system with the north -north panels applies. If you have panels with a view of the east or west, conclude about 15%. When the panels are aligned south, they lose about 30%. The magical number also varies depending on the geographical location – for Perth and Darwin they are 4.6, while it is 3.2 in Hobart.
Another simple but more precise way to determine what a system is generated is the solar computer of Solarquotes. It offers a daily average, an annual total and numbers for each month. Plus other very useful details, including an estimated simple repayment.
Confusion of the electricity bill
A very frequent confusion point for new solar owners is if you receive your first electricity bill after the installation of panels. It is not unusual that solar quotes receive e -mails as follows:
Again solar saves them in two ways:
- Avoid the consumption of the network – this is far from the largest saver.
- The solar feed-in tariff, which is usually a pittanz these days.
The savings specified on their electricity bill are * only * for the feed -in tariff. What you cannot see on the invoice is the money you save if you do not buy a power supply from the network. Your electricity company can only see what works in your house and not what happens inside. And that is exactly why it is so important to have a consumer monitor. You can see what you use and export through the app of your inverter.
The founder of Solarquotes, Finn Peacock, urges:
“Don’t buy solar without a consumption monitor. And don’t let the installer go until it has shown you that the app works and exactly how it uses it.”
This article and the video above are a summary of the Full understanding available here -Solar ‘101’, which is available here. In this series there are two other guidelines that concentrate on the purchase and possession of solar power systems, and you can read all solar, battery and EV charging processes from Finn 101 here.
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