SOLAR (PV) PANELS
AND EVERYTHING SOLAR
Take Control Of Your Energy Future
Photovoltaic Solar systems work by using solar panels to gather solar radiation to generate electricity. These solar panels produce DC electricity which can either be stored in a battery, if you have one, or is converted into AC for use in your home or business.
Contact Solec Renewables in Newtownabbey for more details.
GREAT SOLAR BENEFITS
Quality services guaranteed!
SOLAR ELECTRICITY
A solar system without a battery will generate electricity during daylight hours and offer the user the opportunity to run electrical equipment on this free electricity. Any surplus electricity will be exported to the National Grid for a small payment to the user.
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A solar system with a battery will generate electricity in the same way, but, the inverter will monitor the electrical demand of the building and only convert what electricity is needed at that time, any surplus electricity is stored in the battery for later use. This makes the user free to use power when they need it.
SOLAR PHOTOVOLTAIC (PV) PANELS
Solar PV panels are 1 – 2 meter squared blue or black panels made of glass, silicone and aluminium that can be installed as part of your roof covering, on top of your existing roof covering or even mounted on the ground.
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The panels are made up of 60 – 72 photovoltaic cells. These cells are made up of layers of semi conducting material which when exposed to light creates an electric field across the layers. Expose these cells to enough light then electricity will begin to flow. If we then wire enough of these cells together we make a solar panel or solar module. We then string a number of these modules together in series and we get an array. Connecting 1 or 2 arrays together and we have enough power to power anything.
THE INVERTER
CONVERTING YOUR ELECTRICITY
Solar Panels produce DC electricity which needs to be converted into a more user-friendly form of electricity. This is achieved by the inverter, which converts the DC electricity into the AC electricity that all your devices run on. Modern inverters do this operation with an efficiency of over 97% and although they do generate a bit of heat and noise they are generally installed in roof spaces, garages or even outside sometimes.
EMBRACING THE FUTURE
MONITORING DEVICES
Monitoring the systems provides a means of understanding when and how energy is being produced. By understanding what sort of light conditions generates the most electricity the user will be able to take greater advantage of their solar system and increase their savings considerably.
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Monitoring can be as simple as recording the monthly output of your system from your generation meter and comparing it with last year’s production or it can be as sophisticated as an app on your phone that tells you what each individual panel is doing and how that compares with historical data. Either option is essential to ensure the continued maximum performance of your solar system.
SENDING BACK TO THE GRID
IMMERSION HEATER CONTROL UNIT
Some of the energy your solar system produces is going to be sent back to the grid. This is no bad thing as you will be paid a small payment for this (approx. 7 – 8 pence per unit). Now consider if you could send some of your extra energy to heat your hot water using your existing immersion heater? This is by far the most popular addition to any domestic solar system as solar power will passively provide you with a full tank of hot water most days between March and October and provide background heat the rest of the year offering you considerable savings on your gas or oil bill. All without buying a single watt of electricity.
INTERESTED IN SOLAR (PV) PANELS
AND EVERYTHING SOLAR?
Get a free quote from Solec Renewables in Newtownabbey. We serve clients across Belfast.