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
