A Basic Guide to Choosing and Buying a Solar System

Let’s be honest, as much as we all like to say that the reason for going solar is reducing our carbon footprint, the real reason is reducing our electricity bills. Luckily, by doing one, we also do the other, so no foul play here. If you’re just looking to install your first solar system and are looking at all the different solar panels available, making a choice may be more difficult than you originally thought, and that’s fine. The world of solar is big and riddled with abbreviations and terms that you won’t see anywhere else. Hence, you should do your due diligence before investing in solar panels, because it is a substantial investment. Try comparing the efficiency, durability, price and compatibility and pick solar panels that meet your specific needs.

First and foremost, you need to consider the type of panels you can mount on your roof. If you don’t have much space, you’ll need mono-crystalline panels, simply because they’re more efficient. This also means that you’ll spend less on the cost of installation and buy fewer panels, but expect each mono-crystalline panel to be more expensive than its polycrystalline counterpart. Next, you’ll have to check the manufacturer’s warranty. Generally, solar panels come with a lengthy warranty of about 20-25 years, and you shouldn’t settle for anything less. Lastly, compare prices of the solar panels to get a better idea about their quality. You generally get what you pay for, so try not to fall to the predatory marketing tactics of unreliable vendors and manufacturers.

Solar cells on solar panels are made mainly from silicon, a chemical element that has conductive properties. When exposed to light, the electrical characteristics of silicon change, and that generates electric current. The cell is a small square that features electrical contact plates. Solar panels are made by laying out multiple grids of these cells on a protective back sheet and a glass cover in the front. Solar panels can come either in a 72 or 60 cell configuration, with other configurations being less common. On average, it will take a few solar panels to provide enough power to a conventional office or home. A collection of solar panels is called an array, and multiple panels wired into a single inverter are called a string of panels. So for instance, you may have 2 inverters supporting 2 strings of 5 panels each, which comes together to make a 10-panel array.

Additionally, solar panels can be either 12V or 24V. 24 volt solar panels allow for a larger inverter, which provides a few advantages over 12 volt solar panels. For instance, 24 volt solar panels provide better inverter regulation and efficiency, and they don’t “force” the inverter to work as hard to keep its alternating current output constant. Generally, 24 volt solar panels are cost-effective for solar systems that provide around 3.000 watts of power. Anything more with that would probably work more efficiently with 48 volt solar panels.

Besides solar panels, some of the other components you’ll have to get for a solar system include an inverter, a racking system, batteries and a charge controller. The inverter converts the energy harnessed from the panels into something usable to power appliances ( DC to AC). The racking is the mounting system on which the entire system will be mounted. The batteries, as you can probably guess, are there to store the energy generated for later use, and the charge controller controls the rate at which the batteries charge. All of these components are connected by smaller components like fuses, wiring and disconnects.

That being said, solar energy is one of the soundest long-term investments and as time goes on, it will become more and more affordable and cost-efficient. If you’re off-grid, it might be your only option for getting reliable power at all times, and if you’re on-grid, you might even sell some of the energy you harvest to the national grid for money. So basically, it’s up to you to decide whether solar is right for you or not, and what type of system you want to install into your home. You don’t have to be entirely reliant on the solar system if you’re on-grid, but since we live in one of the warmest continents on the planet, I doubt you’ll ever have a shortage of power no matter the season.

Just make sure you find a reliable manufacturer and installer for your system that provides top-quality solar systems that come with a lengthy warranty. There are hundreds of different types of solar systems online, and even more contractors that can come to your home and provide an insightful assessment of your home’s solar capabilities. Ask a lot of questions before you decide on a company to work with, and don’t settle for less than what you deem necessary.