How to choose the right solar power system for your home
Solar power is gaining a lot of popularity all over the world and particularly in Australia. The government of Australia, through various means such as feed-in tariffs and incentives, is encouraging Australians to install solar panels and other solar power systems in their homes and small businesses. It intends to substitute 20% of the energy that is consumed in the continent with renewable sources of energy by the year 2020.
Solar power is friendly to the environment, and cheaper than the conventional geothermal or hydro-electric generated energy. When you decide to install solar panels in your home or small business you will find that there are many options and choices in the market and you may find it challenging when it comes to making the decision on the best solar power system. This is the reason why this article will provide you with the information that you need in choosing a suitable solar power system.
The basic solar panel converts sunlight into Direct Current (DC) electric power. Many Photovoltaic cells are joined to form solar panels which you will find on sale in the market in different wattages ranging from 10W to 300W. To provide the required power, the solar panel should be connected to an inverter which converts the DC electricity generated by the system into AC (Alternating Current). The solar panels for your home may be a grid connected system or a standalone system.
How do you choose the right solar power system for your home?
Before you decide on the power system which you should install in your home or small business you should first assess your present energy bill. In Australia, a medium-sized family residing in a 3-bedroom house on average, uses between 12 kWh and 18kWh of energy every day.
The amount of power that a solar power system generates depends on various factors such as the amount of direct sunlight and the state of the residence. However, on average, a one Kilo-Watt (1kW) solar power system will generate between 4kWh and 5kWh in one day.
To make the purchase and installation of solar panels more affordable, the Australian government has undertaken an initiative of offering incentives. It does this through the issuance of Renewable Energy Certificates per every MWh of energy that the solar power system is expected to generate throughout its life. You can trade these certificates for cash, or surrender them to the installer and get upfront discounts on the equipment. For the grid connected systems, the government offers support by implementing feed-in tariff in which the energy company will pay the amount of financial credit for the additional power which is generated by a residential solar power system and added to the national electricity grid.
The solar panels should be installed in a location where there is no obstruction from direct sunlight. Solar power system installers in Australia prefer installing the panels facing the northern direction where there is maximum exposure to direct sunlight. Most of the time, the panels are installed on rooftops in residential homes but specialized mounts can also be used to have them installed on the ground.
You should buy only high quality solar panels that have met the quality standards from approved distributors in Australia. Although the cheaper systems may reduce the initial expenditure, they may prove costly in the long run because they may get damaged after a short period of use, or may cause electrocution and fire outbreaks.
The number of solar panels that you should buy and install depends on:
- The solar power system rating required,
- Your budget, and
- Availability of space for installation.
Basically, a solar panel of 1.5 kW rating will occupy a 12m2 area.
