How does solar energy work?
Solar technology captures energy from sunlight and transforms it into electricity at your power plug. The system consists of an inverter as well as the solar panels.
How do solar panels work?
The process starts with sunlight hitting your solar panels, which leads to electrons being knocked around and moving around. Your panels are designed to capture these moving electrons and guide them to moving around in the same direction on a circuit. When this happens, electrical currents are formed. In a system with multiple panels (an array), the flow of electrons generates direct current (DC) electricity. An inverter converts the DC electricity to alternating current (AC) electricity so it can be used in your home or workplace.
Solar panels works best when they're pointing directly at the sun and without any shade, such as from trees. The sunny climate of Australia makes solar energy a viable one for many households and workplaces.
How is electricity generated?
Within the panel, the electrons are guided to move on a circuit to generate DC electricity, which is then converted into AC electricity for use.
What do solar inverters do?
The solar inverter is a vital part of the system as it converts the DC electricity into a usable AC electricity. Inverters are also vital for ground fault protection, system stats like voltage and current, energy production, and maximum power point tracking.
What happens when it's cloudy?
Believe it or not, solar systems can still generate electricity for your house or workplace when it's cloudy, rainy, or cold. Unsurprisingly, the amount of energy you can generate tends to be a lot lower than on sunny days. Using more advanced solar panels and inverters could reduce the impact of shade or cloudy days.
While you can't do anything about the weather, you could optimise higher output by ensuring your solar panels are free of shade and shadows from things like trees and buildings. You can also split your panels across different parts of your roof to have them facing different directions, which could also help with more output. Other options include bypass diodes, which could help to reduce the impact of partial shading.
What about excess electricity?
If you generate more power than you use, the electricity can be sent back to the grid and you get credited with a feed-in tariff . If you have a battery system, you could store the electricity for use later.
How to choose a solar energy system
Choosing a solar energy system can be a complex process, fraught with many different elements to take into consideration. So, when you first get started it’s important to know the three main things which could be the key differentiating factor. Above all else, you’ll want to compare certifications, warranties, and the type of panels when choosing a solar panel system.
Warranty
Solar systems last for decades and reputable manufacturers should be happy to provide you with a 25-year warranty. In addition, a warranty might be no good if the original installer is out of business, so make sure you go with an installer with a good track record.
Type of panels
You have three main options when it comes to type of panels, but monocrystalline and polycrystalline are the two most common ones, with thin film being the heavier and less efficient (though cheap) option.
Since mono crystalline and poly crystalline solar panels are today so similar in terms of benefits, your choice might ultimately come down to personal preference and appearance. Mono crystalline solar panels are sleek and uniformly coloured and they have larger gaps between panels thanks to their curved design. On the other hand, poly crystalline panels tend to be colorful with smaller gaps between the cells and therefore have less wasted space.
The installation process
If you live in an area prone to cyclones or other extreme weather events like areas, you might be required to have your panels installed in a specific way. For example, your solar panels' mounting systems will need to be certified.
Inverter efficiency
As we explained above, the inverter helps convert DC into usable AC electricity. What's important to note about solar inverters is they're not all created equal. Some inverts are more efficient than others, so ask your installer about the efficiency level of your inverter.
The cost of solar energy
Solar systems are fairly major outlays so you should start by having realistic expectations about the price. At the same time, keep in mind simply going with the most expensive installation won't necessarily meet your needs and what you're looking to achieve with a solar system. Get multiple quotes and talk to each installer about your requirements. Assess each quote on its own basis by looking at things like terms and conditions, background and reputation, options, repairs, and extra and indirect costs.
Consider your break-even point, which is your solar payback time or when your system recoups the original cost of installation. When work this out, consider factors such as cost of installation, how much you currently pay for electricity, your household electricity usage, the size of your solar system, and your weather. So while it could cost more to install a big system, you could generate more excess power to sell back to the grid and so shorten the time to breaking even.
Also get a general idea of how much excess electricity you'll likely sell back to the grid and at what rates you might be able to sell it at. Over 20 years or more, the savings could add up.
Solar technology captures energy from sunlight and transforms it into electricity at your power plug. The system consists of an inverter as well as the solar panels.
How do solar panels work?
The process starts with sunlight hitting your solar panels, which leads to electrons being knocked around and moving around. Your panels are designed to capture these moving electrons and guide them to moving around in the same direction on a circuit. When this happens, electrical currents are formed. In a system with multiple panels (an array), the flow of electrons generates direct current (DC) electricity. An inverter converts the DC electricity to alternating current (AC) electricity so it can be used in your home or workplace.
Solar panels works best when they're pointing directly at the sun and without any shade, such as from trees. The sunny climate of Australia makes solar energy a viable one for many households and workplaces.
How is electricity generated?
Within the panel, the electrons are guided to move on a circuit to generate DC electricity, which is then converted into AC electricity for use.
What do solar inverters do?
The solar inverter is a vital part of the system as it converts the DC electricity into a usable AC electricity. Inverters are also vital for ground fault protection, system stats like voltage and current, energy production, and maximum power point tracking.
What happens when it's cloudy?
Believe it or not, solar systems can still generate electricity for your house or workplace when it's cloudy, rainy, or cold. Unsurprisingly, the amount of energy you can generate tends to be a lot lower than on sunny days. Using more advanced solar panels and inverters could reduce the impact of shade or cloudy days.
While you can't do anything about the weather, you could optimise higher output by ensuring your solar panels are free of shade and shadows from things like trees and buildings. You can also split your panels across different parts of your roof to have them facing different directions, which could also help with more output. Other options include bypass diodes, which could help to reduce the impact of partial shading.
What about excess electricity?
If you generate more power than you use, the electricity can be sent back to the grid and you get credited with a feed-in tariff . If you have a battery system, you could store the electricity for use later.
How to choose a solar energy system
Choosing a solar energy system can be a complex process, fraught with many different elements to take into consideration. So, when you first get started it’s important to know the three main things which could be the key differentiating factor. Above all else, you’ll want to compare certifications, warranties, and the type of panels when choosing a solar panel system.
Warranty
Solar systems last for decades and reputable manufacturers should be happy to provide you with a 25-year warranty. In addition, a warranty might be no good if the original installer is out of business, so make sure you go with an installer with a good track record.
Type of panels
You have three main options when it comes to type of panels, but monocrystalline and polycrystalline are the two most common ones, with thin film being the heavier and less efficient (though cheap) option.
- Monocrystalline panels - are sliced up from larger silicon crystals to give them a uniform blue or black colour. This type of solar panel offers the higher efficiency. One drawback however is their curved edges, which lead to wasted space when multiple cells are combined to create a solar panel. So although they're more efficient individually than polycrystalline, in a panel layout they're only slightly more so.
- Polycrystalline panels - are created by pouring silicon into models rather than by cutting from crystal. This process leads to perfectly square solar cells, but they're less pure than monocrystalline cells. While polycrystalline is less energy efficient than monocrystalline, they can be tightly spaced together on panels, so they end up only slightly less efficient than monocrystalline when in panel layout.
- Thin film - are not made from silicon crystals but by spraying a layer of silicon onto a surface. Although thin film cells are cheap to produce, they're heavier and far less efficient than monocrystalline or polycrystalline cells.
Since mono crystalline and poly crystalline solar panels are today so similar in terms of benefits, your choice might ultimately come down to personal preference and appearance. Mono crystalline solar panels are sleek and uniformly coloured and they have larger gaps between panels thanks to their curved design. On the other hand, poly crystalline panels tend to be colorful with smaller gaps between the cells and therefore have less wasted space.
The installation process
If you live in an area prone to cyclones or other extreme weather events like areas, you might be required to have your panels installed in a specific way. For example, your solar panels' mounting systems will need to be certified.
Inverter efficiency
As we explained above, the inverter helps convert DC into usable AC electricity. What's important to note about solar inverters is they're not all created equal. Some inverts are more efficient than others, so ask your installer about the efficiency level of your inverter.
The cost of solar energy
Solar systems are fairly major outlays so you should start by having realistic expectations about the price. At the same time, keep in mind simply going with the most expensive installation won't necessarily meet your needs and what you're looking to achieve with a solar system. Get multiple quotes and talk to each installer about your requirements. Assess each quote on its own basis by looking at things like terms and conditions, background and reputation, options, repairs, and extra and indirect costs.
Consider your break-even point, which is your solar payback time or when your system recoups the original cost of installation. When work this out, consider factors such as cost of installation, how much you currently pay for electricity, your household electricity usage, the size of your solar system, and your weather. So while it could cost more to install a big system, you could generate more excess power to sell back to the grid and so shorten the time to breaking even.
Also get a general idea of how much excess electricity you'll likely sell back to the grid and at what rates you might be able to sell it at. Over 20 years or more, the savings could add up.
