Solar Power System Components
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In this article, I am going to talk about what each piece of a solar power system does, and what role the piece plays in the system. Each part handles a specific job, though you don’t need every component in every solar project. A standard solar power system generates electricity, stores it using batteries to be used later and then converts the Direct Current electricity from the batteries to the same type of AC electricity that comes out of the wall sockets in your house.
Solar Panels
Solar panels produce electricity using energy from the sun. The panel has a layer of silicon. When photons from sunlight hit the silicon, they knock loose electrons. These electrons are electricity and are sent through wires. A solar panel is made of many solar cells, each of which generates about half a volt. Any voltage can be generated by putting together the correct number of solar cells. You can actually build a solar panel and produce your own free electricity relatively cheaply and easily. If you’re interested in reading about how to build your own solar panel, check out Homemade Solar Panel
Charge Controller
This component charges the batteries using the electricity produced by the solar panels. The electricity going to the batteries is regulated by the charge controller. As the batteries get close to fully charged, it gradually lowers the power sent to the batteries to make sure the batteries don’t overcharge. After the batteries are fully charged, it will also “top off” the batteries if the batteries fall below full charge to make sure the batteries remain fully charged.
Batteries
Standard 12 volt batteries like you find in your car are used in most solar systems. Sealed lead acid are the most common type. This type of battery is easy to find, rugged and cheap. Weight is the only potential downside, but since you aren’t going to be moving the batteries around, it isn’t really much of a problem. You can often find surplus batteries from places like computer UPS systems for very cheap or even free.
Power Inverter
A power inverter transforms the 12v Direct Current (DC) power from the batteries into 120v Alternating Current (AC) electricity like what comes out of your wall sockets. There are two types of power inverter: Modified Sine Wave (MSW) and True Sine Wave (TSW). MSW is not as good as TSW because TSW exactly matches the electricity that comes out of the the wall sockets in your house. It is preferable to use TSW over MSW becuase TSW more closely matches the electricy that comes from the grid. A TSW inverter will cost more than an MSW inverter, but it is generally a better choice in the long run.
To see how much it would cost for enough solar panels to provide electricity to your whole house, check out this guide to Solar Panel Cost