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Solar system for home or a business is made out of several components that have to be picked and sized correctly to match together. To make this task simpler for our customers, we offer complete systems where all the parts already fit each other well. If you want to learn how to choose solar power systems — keep reading!
The grid-tie solar power system is the most popular configuration. Most home systems and almost every commercial system are like that. Having a grid-tie system means that your house or an office building is connected to the commercial grid, but you use solar panels simultaneously.
The main benefit of a grid-tie system is the option of net metering. Not only can you use solar energy instead of commercial electricity, you can also pump unused solar power into the grid. This makes your electrical meter go backwards. Net metering is the main way in which a solar energy system pays for itself. The drawback of a grid-tie configuration is that the system shuts down once the power outage occurs. The reason for this is a safety protocol — there must be no current in the grid for workers to repair it.
Off-grid system is the opposite of a grid-tied one. Your house isn’t connected to the grid at all, and you rely solely on your solar panels. This configuration requires batteries which will power everything at night and on especially gloomy days, when panels don’t generate enough energy. This is a popular solar panels system design for houses in remote locations and mobile installations: RV and boat solar systems. The advantage of an off-grid system is full autonomy, since you aren’t connected to the grid. The downside of an off-grid solar panel system is the absence of the net metering option and the high cost of batteries.
Hybrid solar systems took the best of the two other options. Your house is connected to the grid and you can sell your solar energy into it. However, you also have an energy storage which serves as a backup in case of a power outage. Having an uninterrupted power supply can be very important for those who work from home. Hybrid solar systems require a special type of inverters that function with or without grid connection. Sometimes these hybrid inverters have a built-in battery.
The components of solar system kits differ in grid-tie, off-grid and hybrid systems. However, solar panels and inverters remain essential.
No solar power system exists without, well, solar panels themselves. The most dominant type of panels is monocrystalline. Mono-panels last for over 25 years and they are more efficient in comparison to polycrystalline and thin-film modules.
The panels for home installations generally range from 300 W to 400 W in power output. The size of one module is around 39 × 66 inches. Panels for commercial and industrial installations reach 600 W in output and their size is larger (depends on the wattage). The division of panels on commercial and residential is conventional though — you can put on your roof anything you want, as long as there is enough room for it. Generally, a home solar energy system needs 12-30 panels.
Solar panel system cost heavily depends on the panels and especially their brand. Chinese panels are the cheapest. The PV modules from NA are average in terms of the cost. There are also a few brands with premium-class panels, such as REC, Panasonic and Solaria.
Inverter is another essential part of solar energy kits. It performs several functions in a system:
Whichever design you went for, you’ll need an inverter to use current that is coming from your PV modules. However, each configuration requires a different inverter. There are grid-tie inverters which can’t function without grid connection and which usually don’t support batteries. There are off-grid inverters which aren’t designed to work with a grid. Finally, there are hybrid inverters that can work with or without a grid. They can be paired with batteries and sometimes they have built-in energy storage.
There are different types of inverters: string ones, central inverters and microinverters. String inverters are the cheapest and they are the most common option in solar panel kits. Central inverters are used in commercial systems of a large scope. Microinverters are a special case: each microinverter goes on top of a single panel and converts DC to AC on the spot. They are easy to install, very efficient and sturdy but they end up being more expensive.
Batteries allow you to store the energy that your solar panels generate. You can use it at night or at times when electricity rates are high and panels don’t produce enough.
Batteries are usually a part of an off-grid solar panel kit. When you rely only on solar power, batteries are what powers everything at night. Grid-tie inverters usually don’t support energy storage, but you can hook up batteries to a sub electrical panel for critical loads in case of a power outage.
There are several kinds of batteries on the market. In the past lead-acid batteries were the most dominant. However, lithium-ion batteries are more advanced. Their efficiency, depth of discharge and longevity are much higher than those of gel and lead-acid batteries. The cost is what held Li-Ion energy storage back before, but in the last few years the average price for it has gone down.
Solar regulators, also known as charge controllers, are often overlooked, but they are an important piece of the solar panels system, whenever you add batteries to it. Controllers significantly prolong the lifespan of your battery and it’s much cheaper to get one than to buy a new energy storage every few years. Here is what the controller does:
Charge controllers usually come in off-grid solar panel kits. Hybrid inverters with an integrated battery generally have a built-in regulator.
Wires usually don’t make a part of solar power kits and for good reasons. Their thickness and length can differ so much depending on the size and configuration of your system that it only makes sense to purchase them yourself or leave the task to the installer. You can consult with your contractor about the wiring or check out our guides on wires and connectors for solar panels.
We offer a variety of different solar panel systems for sale. You can pick the system of the right size for your particular situation. Here are the reasons to buy from A1SolarStore:
If you are interested, don’t hesitate to contact us. Our managers are always happy to answer any questions concerning solar panel kits for sale, their cost, warranties and shipping options.
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