What Equipment Do You Need For a Solar Power System?
Around the world, homeowners are looking to substitute electrical power costs by using solar power systems. The motivation comes from saving costs and minimizing the carbon footprint. Solar panel systems have components other than solar panels to help them function properly.
Although it seems easy to power connect your devices straight from the solar panel, the energy might not power all the devices you need. For you to set up a functioning solar power system, you need a battery, solar panels, a power inverter, and a charge controller.
All this works together to ensure you have a steady power supply to all the devices and lights you need powering. A company like Unbound Solar deals with all this equipment.
Main Equipment Solar Panel System
- Solar Cells
Solar cells are the most important part of the power system. A solar panel is made up of several solar cells. When exposed to light, a solar cell makes electrical energy. Depending on how your connection is done between the cells, the solar panel system achieves different rates of ampere and volt ratings. You can also have different output ratings from the solar panel. If you have different solar panels you can use a combiner box to add up their output.
- Charge Controller
The power output that the solar panel provides fluctuates depending on how much sunlight exposure it receives. During the day the output of power is quite high. At night, the cells have no power output. Powering a device directly from the solar panel might not give you the desired result and that is why it is important to have a battery to store the energy. The power stored needs to go through a charge controller for the battery to be long-lasting.
- Battery
The power from the charge controller is stored in a battery. The power is stored based on the battery amp hour rating of the solar power system. The amp hours show how much power the battery can give off in one hour without the need to charge it. The battery does not discharge as fast. It takes time to drain the battery. Most batteries take about 20 hours to drain the battery when fully charged. With an output of 8amps, a 160 amp hour battery takes about 20 hours to discharge.
- Inverter
Solar cells and batteries give out direct current. However, most devices in the house need alternative current. For this reason, you need an inverter to convert the DC to AC.
- Grid-Tied Systems
Sometimes you can connect the solar system with a power grid nearby. That way, you can use power from the solar system and the power grid if the solar power is not enough. You are billed the difference between the power used and that produced. You can use this system without batteries or a charge controller. You might only need them if the grid fails.
Companies like Unbound Solar can assist you with the installation of a solar power system in a professional manner. They also give you options for the equipment you need to install at a fair price. You can also contact them when you are considering relocating solar panels.