Solar How To
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This solar how to article will discuss each part of a solar power system, talk about what it does and how it fits into the system as a whole. You don’t have to include every part in every solar project, but every piece does a particular role. A standard solar power system generates electricity, stores it in batteries to be used later and then converts the Direct Current electricity from the batteries to the same kind of AC electricity that comes from the wall sockets in your house.
Solar Panels
The first part of a solar power system is the solar panels, which produce electricity using energy from the sun. Electrons are knocked loose from a layer of silicon after being hit by photons from sunlight. These electrons become electricity and are directed through wires. Many solar cells, each of which generates about 1/2 volt are put together to make a single solar panel. By putting together the proper number of solar cells, any voltage you need can be generated. Building a solar panel and producing your own free electricity is actually farily cheap and easy. If you’re interested in reading about how to build your own solar panel, see Building a DIY Solar Panel
Charge Controller
This component charges the batteries using the power generated by the solar panels. The electricity going to the batteries is regulated by the charge controller. It also gradually lowers the power sent to the batteries as they get closer to fully charged to make sure the batteries don’t overcharge. After the batteries are fully charged, it will also “top off” the batteries if the batteries fall below full charge to make sure the batteries remain fully charged. If you’re interested in more detailed information about charge controllers, visit Solar Charge Controller
Batteries
The majority of solar power systems use 12 volt batteries like you find in your car. The most common type are sealed lead acid. This type of battery is easy to find, rugged and cheap. Weight is the only potential downside, but since you aren’t going to be moving the batteries around, it isn’t really much of a problem. You often can get batteries from surplus computer UPS systems for cheap or even free.
Power Inverter
The appliances in your house use 120v Alternating Current (AC), but the batteries in a solar power system use 12v Direct Current (Dc). The power inverter will convert the DC electricity from the batteries into the AC power that your appliances require. There are two types of power inverter: Modified Sine Wave (MSW) and True Sine Wave (TSW). MSW is not as good as TSW because TSW exactly matches the electricity that comes out of the the wall sockets in your house. It is preferable to use TSW over MSW becuase TSW more closely matches the electricy that comes from the grid. A TSW inverter will cost more than an MSW inverter, but it is generally a better choice in the long run.
Complete Solar Power System
Now we will put all the parts together into a complete system. You generally mount the solar panels on the roof. Wires are used to connect the solar panels together and then send the electricity to the charge controller. The batteries are charged by the charge controller with the power coming from the solar panels. The power from the charge controller is stored in the batteries all day while sunlight is hitting the solar panels. When an appliance like a TV, or lights or a computer needs electricity, the power inverter converts the power from the batteries in to standard 120v AC electricity and that power is delivered to the appliance. This type of system can be big enough to power your whole house or small enough to power just a single appliance.
If you are interested in how much it will cost for enough solar panels to power your house, check out this guide to Cost of Home Solar Panels
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