Comments on: How do solar power systems for your house both on and off grid work mechanically? http://zeroisthenewblack.com/how-do-solar-power-systems-for-your-house-both-on-and-off-grid-work-mechanically Shrinking Our Footprint Fri, 03 Feb 2012 15:47:54 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.3 By: donfletcheryh http://zeroisthenewblack.com/how-do-solar-power-systems-for-your-house-both-on-and-off-grid-work-mechanically/comment-page-1#comment-8485 donfletcheryh Sat, 19 Dec 2009 22:02:47 +0000 http://zeroisthenewblack.com/how-do-solar-power-systems-for-your-house-both-on-and-off-grid-work-mechanically#comment-8485 On grid, yes you do need an inverter to send power to the grid, in fact you will require a standardized control module that will shut off your supply to the grid if the grid is powered down, it will not allow your system to send power below the voltage on the grid, or out of phase with the grid. You can have batteries even while on grid, to keep your own home powered up while the grid is down, The size of inverters you need is based on your generating capacity if you are on grid, but will be significantly greater off grid. When you use batteries they increase your amperage compared to just your panels. Panels are an array of cells. Photo voltaic cells have a semiconductor that allows electrons to flow only in one direction, and for instance aluminum foil plates that kick electrons out, ready to travel in which ever direction they are allowed. Alternatively concentrating thermal collectors create steam to power a steam engine of some kind, often a turbine. In places that have lots of clear sky concentrating thermal collectors are very effective. Direct current dc moves in one direction, the way a battery and a solar panel create it. We have designed and built our houses and factories etc to use AC, because AC converts from one voltage to another readily, and converts to DC. Voltages both AC and DC are all open to design criteria. Normally solar panels will deliver some multiple of 12 volts to the battery or to the inverter. Mostly 12 and 24 but this is not cast in concrete. How much battery power do we need off grid? If we move all of our power use to daytime, not much. We can do a lot of that. But almost always we design things to allow us to ignore the fact that we are using solar power. Battery storage can be as costly as solar panels when we plan to use all of our power from batteries. To cut down on costs we use too few batteries but add more as we find that to be needed. Inverters need to be large enough to carry the largest concurrent load, which again can be reduced by having intelligent load switching mechanisms, but it is more economical to buy a single inverter large enough to carry most of our loads and a second that stays shut off until it is needed. It does not make sense to try to go for all DC appliances. It does not make sense to heat water with solar electricity if we can use thermal solar. On grid, yes you do need an inverter to send power to the grid, in fact you will require a standardized control module that will shut off your supply to the grid if the grid is powered down, it will not allow your system to send power below the voltage on the grid, or out of phase with the grid.

You can have batteries even while on grid, to keep your own home powered up while the grid is down,

The size of inverters you need is based on your generating capacity if you are on grid, but will be significantly greater off grid. When you use batteries they increase your amperage compared to just your panels.

Panels are an array of cells.

Photo voltaic cells have a semiconductor that allows electrons to flow only in one direction, and for instance aluminum foil plates that kick electrons out, ready to travel in which ever direction they are allowed.

Alternatively concentrating thermal collectors create steam to power a steam engine of some kind, often a turbine. In places that have lots of clear sky concentrating thermal collectors are very effective.

Direct current dc moves in one direction, the way a battery and a solar panel create it.

We have designed and built our houses and factories etc to use AC, because AC converts from one voltage to another readily, and converts to DC.

Voltages both AC and DC are all open to design criteria. Normally solar panels will deliver some multiple of 12 volts to the battery or to the inverter. Mostly 12 and 24 but this is not cast in concrete.

How much battery power do we need off grid? If we move all of our power use to daytime, not much. We can do a lot of that.
But almost always we design things to allow us to ignore the fact that we are using solar power.

Battery storage can be as costly as solar panels when we plan to use all of our power from batteries. To cut down on costs we use too few batteries but add more as we find that to be needed.

Inverters need to be large enough to carry the largest concurrent load, which again can be reduced by having intelligent load switching mechanisms, but it is more economical to buy a single inverter large enough to carry most of our loads and a second that stays shut off until it is needed.

It does not make sense to try to go for all DC appliances. It does not make sense to heat water with solar electricity if we can use thermal solar.

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