This short article from Energy Informative is a simple guide for the non-technical people. The output of a solar panel plus inverter produce power that is proportional to the solar energy that comes from the sun. This energy is instantly converted into electricity that can be used in businesses or homes.
As any appliance use power, the solar power system contributes to its demand. If the solar power system produces more than the appliances needed, then the surplus is exported to the utility grid. And if you’re lucky, there will be some financial reward but for most solar power customers, it’s next to nothing, unfortunately. So this means unless you use your solar energy as it is produced, you will just give away your energy to the do grid. What you can do with your surplus energy is to have them stored in batteries and these saved power can be used whenever it is needed, usually at night or when there is little solar input. The inverter can manage the power flow to ensure that you
So this means unless you use your solar energy as it is produced, you will just give away your energy to the do grid. What you can do with your surplus energy is to have them stored in batteries and these saved power can be used whenever it is needed, usually at night or when there is little solar input. The inverter can manage the power flow to ensure that you maximise the use of your free solar energy and not waste and have it flow back to the grid.
So this means unless you use your solar energy as it is produced, you will just give away your energy to the do grid. What you can do with your surplus energy is to have them stored in batteries and these saved power can be used whenever it is needed, usually at night or when there is little solar input. The inverter can manage the power flow to ensure that you maximise the use of your free solar energy and not waste and have it flow back to the grid.
Below are some sample scenarios:
Scenario 1: Maximise Solar Energy Use
Maximise your use of solar energy. This configuration requires an inverter installed in the main switchboard to monitor the energy flow that comes and goes out your home. The inverter can decide if there’s any surplus solar energy being produced. If there’s any surplus, the excess power will be sent to the batteries for storage. Once the battery is fully charged, then the surplus power will be exported to the grid.
Scenario 2: Optimise Electricity Pricing
Optimise the price of electricity. By placing the inverter with batteries in between the connection to the power grid and the necessary circuits that supply power to your home, the inverter can make the right decisions what is the cheapest source of electricity. Commonly, this would be to use solar power first, store the surplus energy and use the stored energy at night since there are cheap off-peak grid tariffs. Some systems also include weather forecasting which decides if the battery needs to be charged using the cheap night rate power the night before or regularly charges from the sun the following day.
There are other configurations available in the market and the most important thing is to know what you want the solar and storage system setup will do for you and how to maximise their function.
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Solar Trust Centre Team
