Have you been thinking about installing solar panels for your home, but got discouraged because the cost of solar panels turned out to be too high? With the help of proper system design and sizing methods, the cost of solar energy systems will be greatly reduced. Plus, you can easily save close to 40% on the cost of a solar power system by getting a kit and installing it yourself.
To begin with, you need to decide whether to go for a network-attached system or an off-network system. One of the main advantages of a grid-connected system is that you never have to buy batteries. Batteries are generally expensive, not to mention they need routine maintenance and need to be replaced every so often. You may also decide to set up a smaller, less expensive system to lower the cost of your solar panels. Since it is still on the grid, the small-scale system only needs to provide only part of the electrical power. On the downside, grid-connected systems do not provide power when the power grid is down.
The second step in planning your solar energy system is to evaluate rebate options and purchase permits. The power utility company in your area has rules you’ll want to follow when connecting the finished system to the grid, and building codes may apply as well. Along with federal incentives, states (and certain cities) offer rebates that can help with the price of the system. Finding out the rules in your region before you start will certainly save you frustration later on. Check the Database of State Incentives for Renewable Energy (DSIRE) for information and data related to rebates in your state. It’s also a good idea to know the net metering guidelines where you live, including how much money you can get paid for generating excess energy.
Choosing your system size is the next step. With a grid-connected system, size is less important, due to the fact that the grid supplies electrical power whenever your photovoltaic (PV) system falls short. Solar power systems of no more than a couple hundred watts have proven to be practical, however you can also install solar panels which will be able to generate enough electrical power for all your needs. Review how much electricity you use now, then estimate what you’re likely to save as a result of implementing energy conservation and efficiency measures throughout your home. This approach will give you a better understanding of how large a system you will need to build. You can build the system any size you want, even then it may not be cost-effective to install a larger one. A reduced system will reduce the cost of your solar panels.
Determining ways to use less electrical energy in your home is almost always more cost effective compared to installing a larger PV array. The average amount of electrical energy used monthly in a standard American home is about 1,000 kilowatt-hours (kWh). In fact, it’s doable to reduce this to about 500 kWh by investing around $1,000 in energy-efficient lights, power strips with switches, an efficient refrigerator, and a few other strategies. Compare that to a solar power system that generates 250 kWh per month but will cost you $6,000; it is obvious where the best profitability is. Do the efficiency measurements first, then design the solar panel system.
Once you have a better understanding of how much solar power you need to produce each month, you will be able to determine what your solar panels are likely to cost. For example, if you conclude that you want a photovoltaic system that generates approximately 250 kWh per month, that’s 3,000 kWh per year. These statistics will be used to calculate what size PV system is really ideal for your specific location. You should start with a service like the National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s PV Watt Calculator to estimate the size of a solar power system that would generate 3,000 kWh per year in your region.
The next step is to determine how to properly position the solar panel array. If possible, your home’s solar PV panels will face south and also be tilted at an angle equal to your local latitude. They will also be in full sun with no shade from about three hours before solar noon (the time this sun is right in the middle of its course in the sky) to three hours after solar noon. Performance won’t suffer much if you can’t orient the panels directly south or at the perfect angle; on the other hand, even a small amount of shading can have a serious negative effect.
A fairly new feature that is recommended for grid-tied systems is the implementation of microinverters. Microinverters provide a benefit in partial shade scenarios as each PV panel has an inverter that provides maximum power point tracking to get as much electrical energy as possible from that particular solar PV panel, whether it is slightly shade or full sun. . With respect to typical string inverter systems, partial shading can cause the voltage of a string of solar PV panels to drop to the level where the inverter shuts down and electrical power production drops to zero, a great effect, in fact. If you have serious shading problems that you can’t fix, chances are a solar photovoltaic panel system isn’t a beneficial option for your situation.
A solar site inspection should tell you about any kind of potential shading problem for any season. You can do the solar site survey in a couple of ways. One way is a process where you work with a “sun chart” for your location along with a basic sighting of objects that can cause shadows; this approach can end up being an interesting family event to help teach everyone about the course of the sun all year long. Another simple method is to actually model the solar PV panel array as well as possible shading objects in the free Google SketchUp drawing tool. SketchUp has a feature that will display hatch patterns for any period of the day and year.
If you have the space, you’ll probably go for a ground-mounted system because it’ll make solar panel installation a little easier (and less scary), and you won’t have to remove the panels in the event that the roof ever falls. needs to be replaced. Solar PV panels will most likely last 30 years, so it is very important to choose where and how the solar panels will be mounted. Designing a system that gives you the option to start small and grow the system as time and finances allow can certainly make starting solar panels more affordable.
