What You Need to Know About Electricity to Manage a Home Solar Power System
So, how much do you really need to know about electricity in order to be prepared to properly manage a home solar power system? The answer is actually: not much! Fortunately, setting up a home solar power system and keeping it running isn't a difficult task at all. Your solar panels will have a minimal impact on your day-to-day chores or maintenance; and, as a bonus, they'll connect to the power system you already have in place for easy use.
Below, we've rounded up the barebones facts that you need to know about solar power, panels, and electricity if you're looking to install a home solar power system. You may be surprised by just how intuitive and easy solar can be!
What You Need to Know About Electricity to Manage a Home Solar Power System
Solar power isn't electricity
Generating solar power requires a solar power system. At its core, though, solar power is merely energy that's generated from sunlight. It's not turned into electricity until it undergoes a process called the photovoltaic effect. You can learn more about the photovoltaic effect here.
You'll need a few components to complete your system
Setting up a home solar power system is more than slapping a few panels on your roof and hoping that, somehow, they start routing electricity to your home. A complete solar power system is actually comprised of numerous components, including:
- Solar panels, which are responsible for capturing energy from the sun
- An inverter, which converts the energy captured by the panels into usable electricity
- Racking, which is the foundation that your home solar system will be mounted on
- Proper storage, usually comprised of batteries for storing energy and a charge controller to control how quickly the batteries charge
Your solar panels won't impact day-to-day chores and maintenance
Solar panels today are built to last. A majority of modern solar panel manufacturers offer warranties stating that panels will remain operational for at least twenty-five years. Even after this time has passed, your panels are unlikely to break down or require excessive maintenance-- their performance will simply dip a little.
Connecting solar panels to your home's power system is easy and intuitive
While you'll need some professional support to ensure your technique and safety are up to par, there's actually nothing difficult about getting solar panels connected to your home's power system. After panels and batteries have been installed, the panels will be connected to either an inverter or a battery and then to your home's power grid.
If you're using a battery, that's what you'll hook up to the inverter. Eventually, you'll be able to connect your inverter to your home's AC fuse box. This will begin the process of supplying power to your home's electrical sockets and outlets.
You can sell your energy back to the grid
If your solar panels wind up producing more electricity than you need, you can always take advantage of selling that electricity back to the grid. Most utilities offer a credit on your bill that's representative of the value of the excess power you've provided.
If you're looking to take energy-conscious strides into the future, installing a home solar panel system is an excellent way to reduce your carbon footprint and help the environment. Interested in learning more about your options for going solar? Fill out our free online solar calculator to find out how many panels your home needs to run sustainably. It can be easy to get lost in the technical details of choosing a home solar system, but our calculator serves as an excellent springboard to get the process started.