Types of Solar Power Systems For Private Or Commercial Use | Technology

By AdrianFletcher
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The sun's energy can be used to create electricity to power homes, businesses and many remote devices and vehicles. There are quite a few systems around these days and while in many cases it is obvious which system is the best fit for your needs this is not always the case. This article will cover some of the solar power systems and discuss which one is more suited for your requirements.

If we consider an RV, for example, the ideal solar power system would be a portable system. These systems are economical, as they have a smaller number of solar panels and batteries than a larger stand-alone system. They may be moved around so that they can make the most of the sunny conditions depending on your location.

A stand alone solar power system is configured with a number of solar panels. The more solar panels the more electricity can be created. The electricity is stored in a battery or a series of batteries. The batteries store DC current and this needs to be converted to AC current using an inverter.

For those that like an each way bet or are new to solar power electricity there is the grid tie solar power system. This means that the home or business building is still connected to the grid but has a solar panel installed too. The grid-tie system will have an inverter that changes the DC current into the purest sine-wave AC electricity so that it will mesh with the utility grid. Thus there is a seamless connection between the solar and grid electricity.

This system is attractive to solar newbies because it is painless to set up. The utility company will do all this and maintain the components of the system. There is no need for batteries which are time consuming to maintain as the electricity is stored by the utility company.

Eventually, as people become more experienced with solar power they will move towards a completely stand alone system. That is an off the grid system. They will become completely self sufficient for energy needs. Of course this requires more management by the individual and more responsibility but it is cheaper than using grid power and more environmentally friendly.

The complete off grid system will contain more inverters, probably two, so that there will be enough current to run large appliances like air conditioners and electric heaters. It also gives the solar power system more flexibility in that one can be operated while the other is being maintained.

Another reason for going for an off grid set up is when there is no grid to connect to. This is the case in isolated areas where the utility companies have not got round to installing a network. In these situations the solar power system would be the primary source of electricity and would be a vital to the home or business that it operated in.

Hybrid systems are generally the best way to go when attempting to go self sufficient in energy creation or when in an isolated area. A hybrid system uses two or more energy creating systems in conjunction. So you may use your solar power system during the day and then rely on wind power at night. Or instead of wind power you might use a normal generator that is powered by diesel or gasoline.

It makes sense to have as many contingencies to your solar power system as you can afford. The sun can't always be relied on. However introducing three or four different methods of creating electricity significantly increases the complexity and may not be worth the effort in maintaining them for the benefits that you may receive.

About the Author

Get more details on off the grid solar power systems and information on solar hydronic heating at the solarpowerappliances website.

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