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SOLAR POWER
Solar Power is more versatile than
Solar Heating. It can be used for heating water as well as powering appliances.
My company proposes to install Solar panels to generate electricity from the
sun’s light. This electricity energy (in DC form) will be wired to an inverter,
which will convert the electricity to AC power. This electricity will then
available for use in the home or business. There are 2 options available.
Either use the electricity at the time of generation by the solar panels, or
store it in batteries for possible use when it is night or early morning or
early evening, if it is not used during the day.
WITH BATTERIES
This option is better suited to rural or remote settings, where line charges are greater or there might be no lines at all to the mains. In such settings, security of supply of electricity might be less reliable from the national grid. Using batteries is a more expensive option than without batteries. With batteries, line charges might not exist. The expected payoff time under present conditions is about 15 years.
This option is about 11% dearer than without batteries, all other things being the same, and in this option there is an effective loss of power available of about 15% compared with non-battery systems. There might not be any lines charges. Batteries themselves have a relatively small lifetime, so that they would add to the cost compared with a non-battery system during the life of the life of the solar panels, which might be in excess of 20 years.
In or close to city areas, line charges are much lower because of the close vicinity of many users. Similarly, the unit cost of electricity tends to be lower. In such settings, the security of supply of electricity is more reliable from the national grid. The expected payoff time under present conditions is about 13.5 years.
Without batteries, avoids their use which increases the cost, for temporary storage. Batteries are not environmentally sound, have a relatively short lifetime and are costly in terms of their life and their relatively small storage capacity. When the voltage from the panels is not sufficient to maintain a threshold, due to low light levels, the inverter switches over to the external mains to supply the load in the home or business.
During the day the sun warms up thousands of roofs
which heat up them during the day and which at night cool down, wasting a
valuable resource of free energy. Such an installation will take advantage of
this valuable resource.
BENEFITS
· With a 900W installation 765W for 8 hours during daylight in summer, the savings would be $31.20 per month for a charge of 17c per unit. This is equivalent to 183.6 units of electricity. This excludes line charges.
· Stability of supply all year round, while it is sunny (during daylight).
· Fixed unit cost of electricity for the life of the system. Once installed there is no increase due to inflation. In real terms, the unit cost of electricity decreases.
· Over the period of the warranty of the manufacturer, which is 20 years, the cost per unit of electricity is 6 cents. This compares favorably with that of the supply (generating) companies at the site of their generating plants.
· Once the payback time covering the cost of such an installation is reached, the cost of the electricity provided by such an installation is zero. (Note that sun’s energy in the form of sunlight which comes to us is FREE.)
There are two types of panels, Polycrystalline and Monocrystalline. The conversion rate of sunlight to electricity for Polycrystalline panels is not as efficient as Monocrystalline panels, but the Polycrystalline panels are cheaper. In lower sunlight levels the Monocrystalline panels are much better than Polycrystalline panels. Panels have a greater efficiency at cooler temperatures. So this tends to be greater in the winter months. Their lifetime is expected to be in excess of 20 years.
These are the centerpiece of the system, converting the electricity from the panels or batteries from DC to AC, making it suitable for appliances in the home or business.
The Control is available for use in more complex systems, generally with a number of inverters, to enable one to monitor the output from the panels or batteries.
BATTERIES
These enable storage of electrical energy so that it can be used at times when the primary source is not directly available.