Welcome to a beginner's guide on solar power basics, where we will walk through a solar electric power system and how to build one – Solar panels, batteries, charge controllers, and inverters. Having built one by myself, I can easily see how this unlimited renewable energy source is quickly bei Contact online >>
Welcome to a beginner''s guide on solar power basics, where we will walk through a solar electric power system and how to build one – Solar panels, batteries, charge controllers, and inverters. Having built one by myself, I can easily see how this unlimited renewable energy source is quickly being adopted by cities worldwide.
For you guys who are still thinking about adopting the solar technology, I hope the information shared in this guide will prove to be useful. I took a small leap of faith, and just a small solar setup has reduced my bills Very satisfying, and you can do the same too.
TABLE OF CONTENTS What Solar? System Overview Considerations How to Build Recommendations Go Green
SECTION AWHAT SOLAR ELECTRICITY? IS IT GOOD ENOUGH?
The core technology behind solar power systems (and solar panels) is Photovoltaic (PV) cells which converts light into usable electricity. While some people may think that this is some kind of advanced rocket science thing, it really has been around since the mid-1800s.
But back then, as you might have guessed, solar technology is just way too inefficient to be useful. It has only become mainstream lately with the progress in technology. But is it really good enough? Personally, I will say yes – Solar panels are affordable these days, and you will get free electricity as long as the sun is shining. What is so bad about that!? 😆
BUSTING THE MYTHS
There are so many objections whenever it comes to solar energy – It is expensive, it does not produce enough power, and it breaks easily. To smash some of those myths:
If you are still not sure about solar technology, check out the Solar Impulse – Solar energy is already mature enough to power an airplane. Personally, I think that solar power is the next game changer. So much that electricty might even become free one day with it.
What do we need to build a solar energy system? Will it cost a bomb? Do we need to know how to build a rocket? No worries, solar systems are actually pretty simple. When it comes to the raw basic components, there are only 4 of them:
TYPES OF SOLAR PANELS
The fabled technology that turns light into power. While most people only know them as "one kind of solar panel", there are currently 3 common types of solar panels.
POLYCRYSTALLINE SOLAR PANELS
The slightly newer technology, where solar cells are made with a large block of many crystals instead of one continuous piece. This results in less wastage, and thus less expensive. While it is generally less efficient, technology is quickly catching up and poly-crystal solar panels are quickly becoming the "cheaper better" technology.
AMORPHOUS SOLAR PANELS
This is the youngest technology among the three, and it is basically a thin layer of silicon over metal or glass. The thin film solar panel is the cheapest to manufacture, flexible, ultra-portable, but also the least efficient.
TYPES OF BATTERIES
Solar panels will only work when there is the sun, and thus we need batteries to store energy for the night. I am sure we are all already familiar with AA and AAA batteries. But for solar systems, we use the slightly bigger batteries.
ABSORBANT GLASS MAT (AGM)
A slight improvement over SLA batteries by using a thin piece of fiberglass mat to absorb the acid, and relying less on a lead casing. While lightens the battery a little, it is still essentially acid inside a box.
GEL BATTERY
One of the safest batteries that I prefer to use. GEL batteries as the name implies, do not use liquid-based acids, but a gel based one. So even if the casing breaks, nothing is going to spill.
LITHIUM
Lithium batteries are commonly used in smartphones, tablets, and laptops these days. The ones used for solar systems are a little larger though. Lithium batteries have an edge over traditional acid batteries in terms of capacity and weight. They don''t spill acid either. But they explode when punctured. Handle these with care.
AA BATTERY
The common Joe battery. I have not seen anyone tried using these for solar systems, but I guess they do work It''s just that AA batteries cannot survive the heavy charge-discharge cycles, and thus, not cost efficient in having to replace them often.
Can we just use solar panels to directly charge batteries? The answer is yes, but that is very risky. There is no way we can tell if the battery is already fully charged, and overcharging batteries usually end up badly.
So this is why we need a charge controller. To stop charging when the battery is full, and to stop discharging when the battery is low. The charge controller basically acts as a safety device to prevent disasters and to extend the lifespan of your batteries.
MAXIMUM POWER POINT TRACKING (MPPT)
MPPT controllers are more intelligent and heavy duty than PWM controllers. Basically, they do the magic of self-optimizing whatever solar array you throw at it. As you can guess, these toys cost a lot more than PWM.
INVERTERS
For a basic solar setup, the above 3 components will suffice. But before you get too happy, there is something that you need to know.The power we get from the solar setup is direct current (DC).The power we get from wall plugs is alternative current (AC).
Which means, you simply cannot plug your house appliances directly into a basic solar setup. If you want to use your "usual electronics" with the solar setup, you will need a fourth component called an inverter, which converts DC to AC.
As to why are there 2 "types" of power? Well, this is the history of Thomas Edison and George Westinghouse. I am not going into the details, but you can read the war of the currents if you are interested.
SECTION CCONSIDERATIONS BEFORE BUILDING
Before you build the masterpiece, you need to have a plan. Nope, planning is not about wasting time and being a smart aleck. It is about what you need, buying the correct stuff, and not spending too much money on things that you don''t need.
When it comes to choosing solar panels, there are several considerations:Which type of solar panel?What voltage?What wattage? (Measured in watts, the higher the number, the more power the solar panel produces)How many to get?
Each technology has its own pros and cons. If you just want a small portable solar charger for your phone or tablet, the thin film makes sense. Otherwise, for general home use, go for monocrystalline or polycrystalline panels. As for choosing the voltage, it''s simple.
Lastly, for the wattage and how many to get, some experts like to throw numbers. But for me, I go with the simplest instinct – How much space and budget do you have? If you have space to deploy and budget to burn, just splurge on a big solar panel array. If not, start small, and you can expand the system in the future anyway.
WHICH BATTERY?
Choosing a battery (or batteries) is just like choosing a solar panel.
There are many kinds of batteries as we discussed above and note that every kind of battery is different. Personally, I recommend GEL batteries as they are probably the safest. Lithium holds a lot of power, but they explode when punctured.
As for the voltage, I like to keep things simple again. 12v batteries to 12v panels, and 24v batteries to 24v panels. There should be no confusion over this one. But personally, I recommend 12v systems as many car and boat accessories run "natively" on 12v; You can just buy these accessories and directly plug into your solar power system.
Lastly, for the battery capacity – The lazy way is to start with one huge battery first (maybe a 100 Ah battery), then expand as your solar panel array is producing way too much power.
WHICH CONTROLLER?
Lastly, you will need to choose a charge controller. Which are just 2 questions :
Generally, if you are looking for a small and affordable setup, just go with the PWM. If not, get an MPPT to cater for future expansions. If you plan on using PWM controllers, note that the voltage of the solar panel and battery must match. I.E. If you buy a 12V battery, the solar panel must be 12~18V.
INVERTER
The optional component if you want to use household electronics. This is simple. Get a small 1000w inverter for light-weight systems, get a 10000w for heavy usage. One thing you should be aware though – inverters are inefficient. Use 12v DC accessories if you can.
SECTION DHOW TO BUILD
So now we know all about solar panels, batteries, charge controllers, and inverters. But how do we put them together into a system? How do we design one, and what are the tools that we need?
Series VS Parallel connections (click to enlarge)
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