Using solar panels for power generation is one of the easiest & most reliable systems you can use to power a small business or modest home. Once set up the solar power system works automatically. During daylight hours the system collects the daylight & converts it into electricity. It only requires daylight, although direct sunlight is the ideal situation for solar panels.
All solar panels are not created equal, although solar panels of the same wattage are all pretty much the same. Prices vary greatly, & I have yet to find satisfactory solar panels for cheap. The reasons for that are, solar panels are difficult to manufacture & the competition in the field is limited. Supply & demand issues, & that maxim if you really want it you’ll pay for it, regardless of the cost.
The amount of power solar panels can produce is called “wattage”. You can find solar panels for too many different wattage’s to list. An example is solar panel kits for charging a car battery versus solar panels for a large array for the power generation of a home. The higher the wattage rating is, the more power you can expect to produce. It is always preferable to use panels of the same wattage.
( A note here approximately wires. There is a feature in physics, & especially in electronic dynamics, that voltage degrades over distance. This phenomena is known as “line loss”. Larger wires are best for low voltage transfer. ) ( Second note. All solar panels are low voltage, usually manufactured for 6, 12 or 24 volt systems.)
I haven’t seen a system yet that had enough solar panels, yet that’s because I’ve been in the northern states & in the winter, there is never enough daylight to fully charge a large battery bank, in one day. But in the summer there is the reverse problem of too much power being produced by the solar panels. The answer to the too much power scenario is a way to burn off the excess power, or to see if you can sell it to the power companies, yet that is another article, & I’m not sure you want that much information right now.
There isn’t a pleased medium, with solar panels alone. Solar power via solar panels is always at extremes, yet it’s still a tremendous choice for part of your alternative power generation system. Solar & wind work well together, yet the wind is just as stubborn as the sun when it comes to power generation. The solar panels are effortless to use, & effortless to add-on to the system if you don’t obtain enough panels on the first go.
The only drawbacks to using solar panels is cost & darkness. At night you will be drawing power from the batteries, without the benefit of sunlight to assist with the load ( power being used ). The cost at this time is rather high, yet if you’re conservative with power consumption, the cost of this type of system can ultimately pay for itself.
All alternative energy power systems rely on a battery bank. The battery bank always supplies the power you need. When the alternative power generating sources are operable, the power is sent to the batteries first, then on to your inverter(s). I’ll tell you more approximately this in another article, later.
I highly recommend the use of solar & other alternative power systems. If all homes & small businesses were to utilize these power systems, the impact of fossil fuel produced power can be lessened. Also these types of power systems can make you independent of the grid, at least in a huge part. But energy consciousness must always be applied.
Rusty Garner-Smith
www.corrosionworks.net
02/20/2012
