Solar panels are made up of photovoltaic (PV) cells, which convert sunlight into direct current (DC) electricity throughout the day.
The Nitty Gritty…
Positive Benefits To Solar:
- Reduce your bills
- Easy to maintain
- Helps the environment / reduce your carbon footprint
- Beat the blackouts in summer
- Take control of your energy future
- Smart long term investment
- Off-grid / Energy independence
- Good return on investment
- Avoid energy price rises
- Add value to your home / business
- Use the government rebates while they last
Solar Panels:
Inverter:
This device converts the DC electricity generated by the solar panels into the alternating current (AC) electricity.
Switch Board:
The AC electricity is sent from the inverter to your switchboard to power your lights and appliances with solar energy. The electricity produced from your solar system is ‘self consumed’ or used by you first so you’re not paying for electricity from the grid.
Smart Meter:
The utility meter measures your energy use. It actually goes backward when your system generates more power than you immediately need. This excess solar energy offsets the energy you use at night.
The Electricity Grid:
Your home or business is still connected to the grid. You’ll need that power from your energy retailer at night or when your solar is not producing enough to cover your demand, but don’t worry. The cost is offset by any excess solar energy you put into the grid during the day. As of the 1st of July 2017 the minimum feed in tariff has rose to 11.3 C per kW hour.
Online Monitoring:
Most modern inverters can continuously track your energy production and ensures that your solar power system is running smoothly. The better systems can even individually track each panels performance which is very important to ensure each panel is working as it should. The inverter will even alert you or Adsolar via an email in the rare event that problems arise using a cloud based software.
