You must have noticed the sparkling, color-filled rooftops that many buildings have these days, haven’t you? These rooftops seem to dazzle with colors of various shades as soon as the sunlight falls on them. However, these are not at all mere fancy items that only enhance the beauty of a home. In fact, they are solar panels, which serve a very important purpose, viz., the generation of electricity, which can be used by the householders for domestic purposes. Over 10,000 residences in the United States of America are found to possess domestic solar power systems, according to a survey that was held recently. Solar photovoltaic cells are found to be present in more than 200,000 blocks of houses (in the major American cities). These solar cells generate power in the AC form. Also, far from being only a local phenomenon of the United States, the growing popularity of solar power is, in fact a global trend. All over the world, a greater number of users are switching over to solar power systems with time.
Know the intricacies of a solar power system
A typical solar power system has certain specified components. Firstly, an inverter needs to be present, which would be able to generate usable 120 volt AC electric power, when DC current is passed through it. The DC current, in turn, is produced by harnessing the solar energy that is captured by the photovoltaic panels. Wires are required to keep the parts of the system together, and different poles and clamps are used to set up the solar power system on the top of roofs and/or in areas which receive abundant sunlight for the majority of the day. In addition, the system might also be provided with a battery backup too. For practical purposes, a certain number of photovoltaic (PV) cells are clustered together to form a module. Several such modules can then be combined to get a solar panel.
Let us now try to understand what the necessity of using these systems is, and who actually uses them. Two basic reasons become immediately apparent, due to which solar power systems are becoming popular in both grid areas as well as non-grid localities (where utility power remains inaccessible for people).
Normally, power is generated by the systems only during the day time, as long as sunlight remains available. This is because, these systems stop working at night. This factor worked against the solar power units, and prevented them from becoming popular earlier. As a result, solar power could not be used much at that time. However, the situation has completely undergone a change owing to the tremendous technological advances that have taken place. Now, extra amounts of electricity, produced during the day, can be stored and later on, retrieved and used during the night. The storage of electric power is also useful on days that remain cloud-covered. Indeed, technological progresses have made the modern solar power system extremely useful.
There are several other factors that are also worth a mention. For example, those who have grid-tied solar power systems can supply electricity to the grid. The extra electric power can be sold off in exchange of money of course. For this, the solar power system only has to be kept connected with the grid. In fact, there are many people who are using the solar power systems in precisely this way – generating the electricity that they require to meet their needs, and selling off the surplus to earn some extra cash in the bargain. The headquarters of Google, at California, is one of many busy cosmopolitan urban regions where this type of setup can be commonly seen.
Getting into the details, it is indeed a fact that, when the power grids are situated at a certain distance (generally, around a couple of miles) from the residential locations, economic benefits from the solar power systems is the maximum. This is in view of the observation that, a significant amount of money needs to be spent for installing the poles, and then for extending the power cords through the poles right to the home. Having the solar power system at the residential structure itself offers a much more cost-effective option. The raw material used here is just sunlight, which is freely available. Hence, after installation, the question of paying hefty electricity bills every month does not arise, if solar power systems are used. The government and other local bodies are also trying to encourage more and more citizens to start using solar power. And so that this can happen, they offer many incentive schemes, rebates and attractive discounts.
Once you install a home solar energy system, you shall be able to generate electricity in a totally environment-preserving manner, and will also be able to cut down on your power bills. Surplus amounts of power generated can be easily saved, stored or sold off in exchange of money as well. You should ideally be following a training manual that has detailed discussions on how to install the system, the place where you should do so for the best outputs, how to complete the wiring and also the safety measures that you should be following. A guide would also let you know how to get free batteries for the system, as well the other components at relatively cheaper rates. With such information, the guide would help you greatly in the process of installing a home solar energy system.
