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Solar power systems can be explained in five easy steps. Although there are dozens of small elements that go into the solar energy process, there are only five main steps that go into understanding the basics of this kind of energy.
Step 1: Collection from Solar Cells – Photovoltaic (PV) cells collect the rays from the sun. As the light hits the silicon cells, the energy from the sun’s photons is transferred to the electrons in the atom of the semiconductor.
Step 2: Moves to the inverter – After this direct current (DC) of energy has been captured and formulated, it moves on toward a device that is called an inverter. An inverter is a device that takes the DC current produced by solar power systems and converts it to a useable alternating current (AC), which is used to power most appliances.
Step 3: Electrical panels accept the energy – After the inversion process takes place, the current continues to move through the solar energy system until it reaches the electrical service panel. This device is also commonly referred to as a breaker box.
The power that comes from either the utility company or from your own solar power system is routed to this box which regulates how much energy will be sent and where. After the power is collected here, it will then be available from any of the outlets inside of the home.
Step 4: To the utility meter – For those homeowners who have decided to tie their solar power system into the local power grid, the energy then moves to the utility meter. When the energy flows in this way, the meter actually will move backwards. The power company will give you credits for the amount of excess energy placed into the system. There is even a way to make money selling solar power to the grid – it’s called a feed-in tariff and it is slowly beginning to catch on in America.
Step 5: Into the Grid – The utility is the last place the energy from your home will go. This is helpful to most homeowners to use their solar systems in this way because if their needs for energy are not met by the amount of solar energy their home is collecting, they can choose to buy from the local power grid.
Solar power systems can also employ a battery to stores excess energy produced by the system. Doing this has advantages and disadvantages.
One of the greatest advantages is the fact that if you have a back-up supply of energy stored up in the battery, your home will not be affected by a power outage. This can also be a disadvantage because most residential solar power systems are simply not able to produce enough energy to keep a home running. Hopefully this will change as PV cell technology improves.
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