subject: Solar Power System For Home Use - How Does It Work? [print this page] Are you tired of your electricity bills running over the roof and think of going solar? Installing home solar power system can significantly reduce what you pay for energy, not to mention the benefits to the environment. However, sun energy could be tricky and there are some questions you need to ask, before you can decide, if renewable energy source is the right solution for your home.
How does home solar power system work?
Home solar power systems (also called photovoltaic systems or PV for short) include three major components. First, roof mounted solar panels collect solar energy, then an inverter transforms it into alternating current which is energy ready to be used by your household appliances like fridge, dishwasher, washing machine ect. The last one is a metering system to calculate how much energy is collected and used.
The solar system is usually connected to the main electricity grid. This allows you to use regular electricity, if solar panels don't produce enough. Also, you would be using regular electricity at night and on rainy days. On the other hand, during midday, when the panels collect most sun energy, but you are not home to use it, it is fed back to the grid, so it is sold back to the electricity company, and you get the credit.
Connection with the grid is essential; because you need a back up to make sure your home appliances can run regardless of the weather and the time of day.
How much can renewable energy system for home really save you?
Even though using solar energy for your home can significantly reduce your energy bill, it is unlikely to produce enough electricity to run all your home appliances.
Here are some rough figures provided by a study by Energy Australia. A typical home solar system is 1kW, which is capable of producing approximately 1400kWh of electricity each year. This is providing that your house is not shaded by anything, and you live in an aria with mostly sunny weather. Per day that would be about 4kWh of electricity.
Most households use about 19-20 kWh of electricity per day, which means that solar can only reduce your electricity bill by about 20%. Of course, if you consume less energy and use a gas or solar water heater and a gas cooktop the savings could be much better.
Is solar energy system suitable for any home?
The renewable energy system could be installed in any home, but its effectiveness depends on several factors. The most suitable houses are those with South facing roof (in Australia North facing, of course), which is not shaded by any trees or tall buildings.
Tilt of the roof is also important - you can collect the most sun energy if the panels are put at 30 degree angle. If your roof is flatter than this, the problem could be fixed with the right panel design, but if your roof is stepper, solar panels would be less effective.
And, of course, the aria you live makes a difference. For example, in Florida solar home system will pay for itself very soon, but if in your aria a sunny day is a rare occasion, it won't bring you much benefit.
