Solar
Made
Simple
All you need to know about Solar Electric
Systems
It
now simple to harness the power of the sun, provide your home with a cost
effective, environmentally-friendly solar electric (photovoltaic (PV)) system.
Solar
electric power produces electricity from the sun. Once added into your existing
electrical wiring in your home or
office, the electricity is exactly the same as that coming from your local power
company. The electricity can be used for any purpose in your home-running
appliances, powering lights, operating PC's and home entertainment products such
as televisions and stereos.
By
adding a solar electric system to your home or office, you will reduce the
intake of electric power from your power company. This will reduce your monthly
bill plus make a
important
contribution to the environment. Solar
electricity is valuable to our future in many different ways.
How Does It Work?
A
solar electric system consists of five major parts:
1
First,
the sun. Sunny days and cloudy days will produce power in a solar electric
system. Light rays from the sun -
those that you can see (visible light) and some that you can't see
(ultra-violet), both help to produce electricity in the panels.
2 Second, the
power producing mechanism. This consists of the solar electric panels. These
panels are assembled from solar
cells. Each cell will produce electric when exposed to sunlight. These cells are
manufactured in a high-tech process similar to that which is used to make
computer chips.
Solar panels have no moving parts, are very reliable, and have a long
life.
3 Third, the roof
mounting structure. This consists of aluminum and stainless steel units which
are used to mount the system to the floor of your home or office.
4 The fourth part of
the system is the electrical inverter. Solar cells produce DC (direct current),
which is similar to a car battery or flashlight battery. The electrical
inverter, through electronic circuits, produces the AC (alternating current)
which is used by your home appliances and lighting fixtures. The inverter makes
the power useful by producing AC power to the standards of your local power
company. The inverter is in an attractive cabinet and can be mounted inside the
home, in the basement, or on an outside wall.
5 The fifth part of
your solar electric system is the wiring to your home or office's power system.
This will be connected to the load center (circuit breaker box or electrical
panel) of your home. The solar electric system, when installed this way, can be
thought of as a home appliance which produces power, rather than one
which uses power...….
A
solar electric system for your home or office can be installed by a qualified
electrical contractor or electrician. In some cases, your local power company
may arrange the installation for you. Tell your electrician that section 690 of
the National Electric Code (NEC) book tells how to install Photovoltaic (solar
electric) systems.
If
you have power storage (like batteries) your house will keep running until the
batteries go dead. A nice feature in an area with
frequent outages.
Yes,
there are emergency power systems, which will provide solar power in normal
circumstances, and limited amounts of emergency power from batteries during
periods of outage.
The Benefits Of
Your Solar Electricity~
Produce
your own power!! The impact of
even a small solar electric system is significant. Your system is sold on the
basis of peak power. This is the power produced during bright sunlight (note
that you will also obtain power during cloudy days). The power produced from
your individual solar electric system is partly dependent on the weather
pattern. A 1 kilowatt AC system will annually produce about 1300 kilowatt hours
upstate New York, and over 2000
kilowatt hours in many areas of the south and southwest.
Realize
the financial return on the investment.
Many areas of the country have net metering which allows the customer to sell
back electricity to the utility. In all cases, consumption during the daylight
is reduced by production from your own power source. Therefore, the rate of
return is dependent on electric rates in your area.
Stabilize your energy costs.
Currently, consumption of electric power by the U.S. is growing at 2% per year.
Nuclear power represents 20% of our power production today, and will be reduced
in the next two decades. Hydroelectric production (from dams) is no longer
growing, and represents 10% of our production. With some limitations on coal
plants, we are increasingly dependent on imported oil and natural gas. The
future cost of electricity is unpredictable.
And Now A Word For The Environment.
An
enormous benefit of solar power is its impact on air quality and other aspects
of the environment. According to the US government's Energy Information
Administration, over one fourth of the air pollution produced by burning fossil
fuels is a by-product of electric power production.
Acid
rain caused by emissions of sulfur dioxide during the burning of coal and oil,
has been reduced in the last 20 years, but has not been completely solved.
Installing
one kilowatt of solar electric will result in reducing emissions over the course
of the 25 year minimum expected life of the panels, by the following amounts:
Carbon
dioxide
49,500 pounds
Nitrous
oxides
125 pounds
Sulfur
dioxide
400 pounds
What Size System Should I Have Installed?
For
most residential and small offices, a 1 kilowatt to 3 kilowatt system should add
some real value. For smaller homes and limited roof space, a 250 or 500 watt
system can be installed. A rough calculation is that 100 watts of AC peak power
requires 1 2~square feet of roof space - or 1 kilowatt requires 120 square feet.
How Can I Learn More?
Email
any questions to Da Energy Mon
