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HOME SOLAR POWER
SYSTEMS
There are two main forms of solar systems for residential
use: the “grid-tie” system and the “off-grid”
or stand-alone system. In a grid-tie system, a home
has solar cells but is still connected to the local
power grid. The home solar system includes solar cells
installed on or near a home that collect the sun's energy
and convert it into DC electricity. Then the inverter
converts the DC power into AC power, which can then
be used directly in your home.
Electricity produced by the solar cells that is not
used immediately in the home is returned to the power
grid. When this happens your electricity meter literally
spins backwards as you are passing energy to the grid.
You are also building a credit on your power bill. This
is called “net-metering”. The benefit of
the grid-tied system is that it does not include expensive
batteries to be installed in your home for the storage
of power; the grid acts as the storage system and your
home and the grid exchange power as you need and produce
it.
Off-grid or stand-alone systems are typically used in
remote locations where standard grid-based power is
not available. These systems are more expensive, but
do allow for complete electrical independence. These
systems require deep-cycle batteries for storing the
electricity as well as a charge controller to assure
the flow of electricity from the cells does not over-charge
the batteries.
For a solar system to work well it needs an unobstructed
view of the sun. In the United States, typically the
best orientation for solar panels is to the south as
the sun is in the southern half of the sky (lower in
the winter and higher in the summer).
Solar panels can either be attached directly to a slanting
roof, or bolted onto frames on flat roofs. If your roof
is not a good option, then panels can also be mounted
on the ground. They can either be placed on a fixed
mount frame or on a “tracking mount” that
follows the sun across the sky.
Solar
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