Once you have built your solar panel array. The next step is to put them into a system which can use all the electricity which has been produced. So you either feed the electricity to the grid, store it in batteries or power your appliances. Remember that to ensure you get a fully working system that is capable of producing enough power to provide for all you home electricity needs, plan what you are going to do and always plan with the end goal in mind.
Transportable Solar Powered Generators
Smallest, cheapest and the most simple system. All you need is an inverter, charge controller, a battery and your PV solar panel.
The important thing here is that you can increase the capacity of the system very easily just by adding more solar panels. The inverter will switch the current from DC to AC so you can power directly your household appliances.
If you find yourself in the enviable position of having excess electricity, instead of wasting it, you can feed it to a battery bank. Not your normal car batteries.
On-Grid Solar Power Generator
If you currently have your electricity supplied by a utility company then give this type of setup very close consideration. What you do is not waste time with batteries, you can send the extra power straight back to the grid. The benefit is you get paid by your supplier for producing the electricity, how cool is that.
If you think about it, it is so easy and cheap to build a solar panel. It takes less than a day to manufacture a solar PV panel and in one year you can easily make 26 of them. You will be sending so much electricity back to the grid, that you can make a nice little income on-the-side to supplement all your other household bills.
On-Grid Solar Power Generator with a Battery Store
To cover all basis you may want a battery backup system integrated with you grid tied solar system. Should you have a cloudy day, or at night when you are generating no power, what do you do then? The battery system will store any previously unused electricity and so instead of tapping power from the grid you use your batteries.
Generate Solar Power With Off-Grid Homes
I would think that if you do not have electricity piped straight to your home then definitely look at having a battery bank integrated with your setup. By doing so you will not waste any of the electricity you have generated.
Batteries perform better when they are warm so it is wise to invest in a battery box and keep them in your garage. A battery box also doubles up as offering a safety feature, so kids or animals don’t get to close. Just imagine if your dog peed up against a battery, or perhaps not!
You may already have a generator to power your home. If you do, I suggest you connect this to your system as well, it can charge your batteries should they start to go flat.
Different Types of Solar Powered Systems For the Home
- Portable solar power pack
- Grid tied systems
- Solar panel with a battery backup
- Grid tied setup + battery bank
- Photovoltaic system without a battery backup
Learn more about how to build a solar panel along with discovering and to earn money from producing power for your appliances visit build a solar panel.
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