Photovoltaic (PV) Solar Systems

Solar energy is the wave of the now and the future with solar power being the fastest-growing renewable energy source being installed world wide.  Yet many are not sure what a solar setup (photovoltaic system) entails.  This mystery leads to uncertainty about whether solar energy is right for your home or business.

Photovoltaic systems (PV) are actually quite simple when you look at their component parts and how they work.  This simplicity means that they are also low-maintenance and relatively easy to install.  Most of the professional installation costs associated with PV systems are the electrician required to plug the setup into the grid (or an existing home electrical system) and the labor required to install the panels and components themselves.

A PV array consists of these basic component parts:
*solar panels (consisting of cells to collect sunlight and convert it to electricity),
*energy conditioning, control, and inversion (from DC to AC),
*an energy storage system (optional),
*electronic components for analysis, control, and monitoring (optional).

The solar panels themselves, which are made up of individual cells wired together in a series, are measured by their output.  So a 60 watt (60W) panel produces a maximum of 60 watts (usually per hour or day, depending on the measurement used).

When calculating how much power your home uses, you will usually do so in watt hours (Wh) or kilowatta hours (kWh).  The power utility generally charges by the watt hour (usually measured in kilowatts or 1,000 watt increments).  The amount of power possible for your home will depend on its location with most areas of the U.S. being capable of producing at least 5kWh per square meter on any given day (averaged).

For the average home to produce about 50% of its electrical power, assuming a 5kWh/m2 average, only about 250-300 square feet of roof space is required for the panels.  This produces a system capable of a little more than 2kW of peak power.

That’s an average, of course, but it should give you an idea of how much solar is required to completely replace your home use.  In most cases, those who install photovoltaic systems usually only replace a portion of their home’s energy use rather than all, but given enough south-facing space and the resources to build the system, a solar array could easily replace an entire home’s energy use and then some.