Solar Panel Basics

Solar Panel Basics

Solar Panel Basics

Once the cells are electrically connected, they become the solar panel we all see on the roofs of building and placed in fields for commercial use. These panels often have a protective covering on them (glass or plastic) to protect them from the elements. These panels are then connected together to produce large amount of DC voltage and current (think of a battery supplying DC voltage).

The next question one would ask is "How many of these cells and home solar panels do I need to produce enough electricity to power my home?" Good question. First of all, we must consider the orientation of the roof on your home. In the Northern Hemisphere we should ideally point toward true south, although orientations that face in more easterly and westerly directions can work too, although less efficiently. Solar panels should also be at an angle as close to the area's latitude as possible to absorb the maximum amount of energy year-round. Now of course, we must also take into consideration whether any trees or obstacles are blocking the solar panels, at ANY time of day. This is a definite No! No!

Now let us look at how much electricity do you need. The first place to start is looking at how much electricity you use which will be determined by looking at your electric utility bill (Ugh!). The bill tells you the amount of KWH (kilowatt hours) you used during a specific billing period which is normally a month. One kilowatt = 1000 watts per hour. You now need to determine how much electricity you want to use from your panels. Besides looking at your electric bill you can also identify specific loads you want to power with solar. Look at the faceplate on your appliances for a wattage rating. There is a meter called the Kill-a-watt meter that connects between an appliance and a wall outlet. It gives a reading of volts, amps, watts, and KWH over an elapsed time. The Kill-a-watt meter is very informative about how much electricity different devices consume and can be purchased at some of the big-lot building supply houses, your local hardware store or an electrical supply house. Either way, it's a good way to determine how much power these appliances are consuming and will give you a good idea where all the $$$$ is going.

It's now time to determine what size panels you need since the panels come in a wide variety of sizes and wattages. Let's first divide the total watts you use each day by the hours of sun you receive, which will equal the number of watts you need to generate in one hour. Solar panels are rated in watts. For instance, a 200-watt solar panel will produce 200 watts of power each hour of peak sunlight. So, if you need to produce 500 watts of power each hour then you'll need five 100W solar panels. Panel ratings vary, meaning you could choose five 100W panels, ten 50W panels, or just one 500W panel. As I said earlier, you really need to determine where you're going to place the panels and how many square feet of space the panels will occupy. A good example of a system in my neck of the woods, New England, is I use about 730 kwh/month which works out to a system that generates 3.56 kwh based on producing 50% of my electrical requirements. A good source to determine your requirements based on your zip code and the sun's rays is http://www.findsolar.com/index.php?page=rightforme. Don't be frightened when it calculates what the cost would be as this is just a rough estimate and doesn't include and State or Federal rebates and is professionally installed from beginning to end. We're talking saving money here but it will certainly show you how much you can save by doing most of the buying and installation work yourself.

Of course, once you've calculated the wattage you need, the space you have and the peak sunlight, you'll need all of the necessary hardware and wiring to hook this up to your panel. If you're doing this yourself, it's still recommended that you hire a licensed electrician to do all of the connectivity. You'll also need to determine whether you want the panels motorized in order to follow peak sunlight or whether you want battery backup. All of these items add additional expenses that you must take into consideration before even purchasing the panels.

Obviously, there's a lot more information you need to fully understand solar power for your home. To obtain more detailed information on installing solar panels and sources for the equipment, I suggest you visit http://thefreeenergynews.com/articles to get what you need.

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