How To Choose The Right Sized Solar Power System

Solar power is an increasingly popular option for homeowners or businesses looking to save money on their energy bills. Solar panels are now used in residential, commercial and even military applications.

However, this new technology has not come without its challenges; unlike traditional generators that produce more power as you demand, solar energy production is dictated by nature (the sun).

Find out how much energy your home uses.

Finding out how much energy your home uses before switching to solar is essential, as it will determine the size of the system you need. To find out how much energy you use in a month, check your monthly energy bills or talk to an electrician.

Characteristics of solar power systems, Solar power systems come in two different types: Grid-tied and Off-grid solar power systems. Grid-Tied Solar Power Systems. Grid-tied solar panels are best for people who live in a place where power outages are common, as off-grid systems need batteries for energy storage.

Off-Grid Solar Power Systems, Off-grid solar panels require batteries for energy storage. They can be helpful if you live somewhere without mains electricity or where power outages are frequent.

Check the size of your roof and calculate square footage.

The best way to estimate your energy needs is to use a solar calculator. You can enter in information such as the size and pitch of your roof, how many people live in the house and what appliances you’ll be using, and it will calculate how many kilowatt-hours (kWh) you need a day.

This may not be necessary if you’re connecting directly to the mains as most small-scale domestic systems are grid-tied. Check to see if the batteries required to store extra energy, either on-site or off-site at a bank, are included in your quotation.

Understand the basics of solar power

Understand The Basics Of Solar Power To Get The Best System For Your Home. Once you know this, you can purchase a system that will cover your needs. The next step is to consider inverters and batteries. Check if your solar panels will need an inverter, which converts the direct current (DC) produced by your panels into alternating current (AC).

If you have a grid-tied system, the inverter is incorporated in the grid-tie box. Batteries are not included in standard installations because they increase the initial installation cost. PVs systems produce DC power, so you need to buy a battery bank if you want to store any of this.

Consider how much money you want to spend on the system.

You can get a reasonable amount of solar power with a DIY kit, but if you are interested in more efficient systems, it may be better to invest in a pre-assembled one. If you buy an off-the-shelf kit, make sure it includes all the components required for your installation.

It’s also a good idea to buy from a manufacturer that offers some warranty for their products. If you have an existing grid-tie system, it will not suit your needs if you plan to sell power back to the utility company.

The inverter will detect when a grid is present and divert excess electricity to avoid overloading the circuit. Additionally, grid-tie systems will not function with solar trackers and other modern-day additions such as micro inverters. Check the specifications of any such products to ensure they are compatible with your system.

If you want information about Solar Panel Prices – Why Install A Solar Power System? check our previous post.

What is the right size for your home or business?

If you are looking to use solar power as a backup or battery storage, there is no need to worry about this. Many local councils have rebate programs that give you credit for excess energy, so sizing your system can be based on these figures instead of doing more complicated calculations.

If, however, you are looking to reduce your utility bills with a solar power system, you will need to go through some more complicated calculations. First of all, most companies that install solar power systems in the Newcastle area use the following standard size for an average house: 5kWp. That means your panels supply 5 kilowatts of power in total. But how much electricity do they provide each hour?

Different factors will affect how many kilowatt-hours (kWh) of energy your panels produce every day, including the time of year, weather conditions and even your latitude. The final figure you require is how much electricity your household uses every day. To calculate this, multiply the number of hours in a day (24) by how many watts your family uses when everything is switched on, then times that value by 30. This gives you the total number of kWh per day your household uses.