Solar power is energy from the sun that is converted into thermal or electrical energy. Solar energy is the cleanest and most abundant renewable energy source available, and the U.S. has some of the richest solar resources in the world. Solar technologies can harness this energy for a variety of uses, including generating electricity, providing light or a comfortable interior environment, and heating water for domestic, commercial, or industrial use.

When it comes to solar power for residential use, there are several types of systems that one can choose from. While these are based on different factors like grid connection, material type, battery, and placement; there are basically three main types of solar power systems.

Off-Grid Solar PV Systems

Most of you have heard of off-grid solar systems, but not everyone understands the components that make up an off-grid system or why it may be ideal for you.

What is in an off-grid solar system?

ff-grid means you’re disconnected from the power grid or the local utility company, the guys that send you a bill every month. It’s important to note that both grid-tied photovoltaic systems and off-grid solar PV systems can eliminate your power bill.

However, off-grid solar photovoltaic systems are going to give you the freedom to live where you want, remotely, away from the power grid. So you can be your own power company. 

We’re going to take a minute to discuss the essential components of an off-grid solar energy system, starting at the Coulee mono PERC solar panels (or polycrystalline solar modules).

Coulee mono solar panels capture the sun’s energy and convert that to DC power, which is then going to be wired down to the power center, more importantly, into the charge controller that is wired to a battery bank and regulating that voltage into a battery bank to store the energy. From this stored energy were able to utilize the inverter, which is going to turn that energy into AC power that will power all your common household appliances. 

In most off-grid home solar systems, a generator is included which is going to keep that charge on those batteries in the event the solar alone is not enough to do so. This has been a basic overview of the components included in an off-grid system.

Grid-Tied Solar Power Systems

Grid-tied solar power systems are opposite to the off-grid systems, as these are connected to the electrical utility grid and to the home. This enables the homeowners to get power from either the grid or the power system, and switching between them is also smooth.Grid-tied systems allow to balance the power requirements. An excess power generation from the system than the demand is transferred to the utility, which is known as net metering. And when there is under-production, the energy can be drawn from the electrical utility grid.

What equipment do you need for a grid-tied solar system?

Grid-tied systems are the easiest solar systems to install. They require the least amount of equipment, as there is no on-site storage equipment or wiring to deal with.

All you need for a grid-tied solar system installation is:

• Solar panels: These will generate DC electricity. A typical 6 kilowatt solar power system would require roughly 20 individual panels.
• Racking and mounting: These serve to hold the solar panels in place, as well as allow for ventilation to cool the panels.
• Wiring: This conducts the power from the solar panels to the inverter, and then onwards to the home or net meter.
• Solar grid-tie inverter: The grid-tie inverter converts the DC electricity to AC electricity usable by both the house and grid. It also assesses energy flows in real time to determine if solar output should be used in the home or exported. As this is the most common type of solar inverter, this is often referred to simply as an ‘inverter.’
• Net meter: This is a meter that allows and monitors the two-way exchange of power between the home and utility company. If not already installed in your home, the net meter will be provided by the utility once the grid-tied solar system is ready to be connected to the grid.

Grid-Tied Solar Power Systems with Battery

Traditional grid-tie systems are systems in which solar panels are placed as a roof mount, a ground mount, or elsewhere, and then the light and energy from the sun is gathered through the panels and is then transferred to an inverter, which converts the power into usable energy. With the basic grid-tie system, there is a connection with the utility company, however, there is no battery backup system, and so if there were to be a power outage, your reliance on connectivity to the grid means you would be completely without power even with having the solar panels installed. And so, in order to not be stuck without power and to be able to be self-sustaining in the case of an emergency, your best option is to have a grid-tie system with battery back-up which gives you the option to both use the utility company when needed and build credit with them, and be self-sustaining in case of an emergency.

Source: Prom sun / Big dog solar / Mpp solar / Solar Reviews / Coule Energy

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