Residential Solar Systems

The main component of any residential solar power system is the solar panels. They actually convert the sunlight into electricity and are at the center of any solar power system. The homeowner must consider a number of things before selecting a type of solar panel for his or her house as there are many differences between solar panels even though they may look alike. A great set of plans for building your own solar panel is Green DIY Energy Review.

The construction and efiiciency of modern solar panels is much better than what was available in the past. Because of these advances, any homeowner will be better off with newer panels than they would have been even a few years ago. While it is true that all of the newer panels are much better than in the past, there are many differences between different models of solar panels so selecting a panel should be done based on both your budget and how much electricity you need to produce.

The voltage requirement of the system you are building is the first thing to consider. There are a number of standard voltages that residential solar panels use and you should choose which you will use. This choice concerning voltage level will have an impact on which solar panels you use as well as which power inverter you select. Higher voltage panels have some advantages as they have less power loss in the long wire runs than lower voltage panels have, but they are also more expensive. Residential solar panels usually have output voltages of 12, 24 or 48 volts and there are some that are even higher. Selecting panels with the highest voltage level your budget will allow will usually be the best option.

Voltage will also dictate whichsolar charge controller you choose.

Another difference between different types of panels is efficiency. Even panels that look the same can have almost 10% higher or lower efficiency than similar models. From a given level of sunlight, 10% higher efficiency will mean a huge difference in the amount of electricity produced. The difference in the amount of power that will be generated over the life of the panels is really huge. Because of this, you will need less space for panels and you will need to spend less money because you will need fewer panels. You should check the efficiency rating of any panels you are considering and generally go with the highest efficiency rating that you can afford. If you spend a little more money now and get a better quality panel, you will get that difference back many, many times over the life of the solar panel.

One more thing to consider is some of the newer specialty residential solar panels being produced now. A single panel that combines both thermal and solar together is one such specialty panel being produced now. This type of panel can be used for both hot water and electricity.This kind of panel can produce both electricity and hot water at the same time. These panels will make the most efficient use of available space on your roof and provide double the benefit.

Another newer development is panels that include a micro inverter. A micro inverter is a power inverter that is built into the solar panel itself rather than being separate. Converting the DC electricity from the panels or batteries into the AC electricity that comes out of the sockets in your home is the job of the power inverter. Typically a single, large power inverter is fed electricity from all of the panels or batteries and does the power conversion for the entire system. Instead of spending money on a big power inverter right away, you can build up your system slowly. Building up your system using panels with micro inverters means you’ll get the benefits of AC power at every step as you continue to build. The AC electricity will also be at a higher voltage and have less loss in the long runs of wire. If you’re interested in micro inverters, there is an in-depth article at Solar Micro Inverter.

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