Residential Solar Power Systems

September 4, 2010 by SolarInfo
Filed under Home Improvement

Jim Lofton asked:

There are several different kinds of residential solar power systems that are now available. It has really gotten a lot easier to right size a system to fit your needs and your bank account. The three main different systems are the grid-tie, the utility-interactive, and stand alone systems.

The most affordable option is the grid-tie system. Solar panels generate electricity in DC current so the first thing you need is an inverter to change your DC to AC so that it can be used for your appliances. Basically with this system you have your solar panels connected to an inverter which in turn connects to your existing utility service, there are a couple of safety devices that will also need to be in the circuit though.

With this setup you don't have any batteries so you are still relying on the power company for a portion of your electricity needs, especially at night. During the peak sunlight hours you can actually generate enough electricity to spin your meter backwards. When you manage to spin your meter backwards then the power company is now buying electricity from you. The fall back is that you don't have any batteries to enable you to store electricity so even though you are saving money from your electricity bills you are still very reliant on the power company.
The next kind of system will cost you a little more but it provides some extra functionality at the same time. This system is the utility-interactive system and it still connects to the grid in much the same way as the grid-tie system does. Staying connected to the grid means that you will not experience any power problems during peak power demands.

This system uses batteries so that you can actually store power from your system when the system is generating more power than you are using. This means that during a blackout or at night time you can still use the power that is stored in your batteries to continue to supply power to your home. While this system is more expensive than the grid-tie system it does have some definite advantages.

The third kind of system is the stand alone system. It is basically the same as the utility-interactive but does not connect to the power grid at all. This system is primarily used in areas where there is not any utility service available in the first place.

While this system removes you completely from the power grid you will need to make sure that you have enough power generating and storage capability that you will not exceed the abilities of your system. The biggest draw backs of this system are a very high initial cost to ensure that you can produce your power needs and the fact that you won't have the utility company to fall back on if you need it.

With the variety of residential solar power systems that are available today it is making it easier for us to do our part in reducing fossil fuel consumption. Most people can't afford to just completely remove themselves from the grid because of the high start up cost but we can start using the grid-tie systems to ease the strain that the high fuel costs are causing.

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