What You Should Know About Grid-Tied Solar Panel Systems

What You Should Know About Grid-Tied Solar Panel Systems

There are so may incentives now to install solar power kits and systems that many people around the country are thinking about installing a system of their own. Let's talk about a few common terms that you should be familiar with before you consider a system for yourself.

Photovoltaic (PV) Module

This is also called a solar panel and a solar module. This is what you've seen attached to roofs and signs lately. They generally have rows and columns of black solar cells in them and are encased in aluminum and tempered glass to ensure that they are not damaged by the weather. They come in all shapes and sizes and generally produce more energy the larger they are.

Solar Array

This is basically an arrangement of a group PV modules. Multiple modules are needed to produce certain wattage and voltage depending on an application, and solar professionals will arrange the modules in an array to achieve this.

Mounting

The mounting of an array is one of the most important parts of the system. Often arrays are mounted of roofs, but they are also ground, pole, and siding mounts. The angle and direction of the array is very important to maximize the energy collected, so a lot of thought must be put into the mounting system.

Inverter

Photovoltaic arrays produce direct current (DC) power while most electronics and residential systems require alternating current (AC) power. The inverter does the job of converting DC to AC so that your home can use your solar energy. The inverter also insures that any power that goes back onto the grid meets the power company's standards.

Net Metering

Most homeowners will want to connect their renewable energy system to the power grid. Net metering will allow them to sell any excess power to the power company. When the home is producing more power than it is using, the meter will run backward and create a credit for the homeowner. Often the power company pays homeowners a wholesale power rate, which means that they are not paid the same rate for power that they pay to the power company.

Interconnection Agreement

Since laws were passed in the 1970's requiring public utilities to purchase power from small generators through net metering, the public utilities have created standards for the power they buy. They want the power to be a certain current, voltage and frequency so that the grid is not corrupted by your power. The interconnection agreement establishes these standards, inspection schedules, and the rate at which they will pay customers for the power they generate. It is always a good idea to get the local utility involved early on to determine what they want to see from your system, and they probably have some incentives that will help you pay for the system.

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