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    Solar on my Roof
    Solar on my Roof
    Solar on my Roof
    Ebook99 pages1 hour

    Solar on my Roof

    By Albert J. Sjoberg

    ()

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    About this ebook

    Making your Rooftop Solar system work for you.
    You have installed a grid-tied solar system. After the installer left and the dust settled you get your first glimpse at your rooftop solar system in action. Well you think it is in action. Is that all there is to solar? Is it working? If it doesn’t work what can I do? How does it work? Must I clean it? Can I touch it? Where to from here?
    This book looks at what a grid-tied solar system is in simple easy to understand terms. You will find ways to ensure that you draw the most benefit from the system and see how to check that your system is performing as well as it should.
    Inside these pages you can discover what makes your solar system tick, and how you can look after it to ensure that it continues to tick for many years to come. You will find out what to keep an eye on to measure the performance and how small changes in the way you live can have a big impact on your energy bill and the environment.
    While this book is written specifically for the Australian market, the truths contained in it are universal. The chapters that discuss the working of the system, monitoring the production, ways to save on your power bill and troubleshooting are valid all around the world.
    Albert J. Sjoberg is an engineer that has worked with solar energy projects for over a decade. A portion of that time included handling support calls for grid-tied solar system owners and installers across Australia.
    Seeing first hand the growth of the industry and listening to calls from customers and installers alike has provided a window into the misunderstanding of these systems. Albert enjoys sharing what he has learned and enjoys empowering his colleagues and customers to better understand the world around them. This book is a vehicle to better understanding and empowering the end user to take control of their investment in renewable energy.
    Solar on my Roof is a plain English manual to your solar system.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherAlbert J. Sjoberg
    Release dateMar 17, 2015
    ISBN9781310016264
    Solar on my Roof
    Author

    Albert J. Sjoberg

    Albert Sjöberg has spent many years working with and designing power electronic systems for the renewable energy industry. He managed a service centre for a solar installer fielding calls from suppliers and solar system owners from all around Australia. Albert has a passion for making information available for all to use.

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      Book preview

      Solar on my Roof - Albert J. Sjoberg

      SOLAR ON MY ROOF

      Albert J. Sjoberg

      Copyright © 2015 Albert J. Sjoberg

      All rights reserved.

      Smashwords Edition

      ISBN: 9781310016264

      This book is dedicated to Astri, who stood by me, proofread for me and believed in this book.

      License note

      "This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to your favourite eBook retailer and purchase your own copy.

      Thank you for respecting the work of this author."

      Introduction

      Chapter 1 - Solar on my Roof

      Get to know your system

      Vital Actions

      Turn the system off

      Turn the system on

      Does it work?

      Failure is always an option

      Read the manual

      Basic maths

      Chapter 2 - Maintenance

      Solar Array

      Inverter

      Network

      Chapter 3 - Monitoring

      Establishing a starting point

      Collecting data

      Interpreting the data

      Chapter 4 - Saving Money and your environment

      Lights

      Appliances

      Water Heater

      Metering Options

      Incentives for Renewables

      Gross Feed in Tariff

      Net Feed-in Tariff

      Optimising self consumption

      Chapter 5 - Consequences of Rooftop Solar

      Green factors

      Economic factors

      Chapter 6 - Troubleshooting

      Appendix:

      Glossary

      Useful references

      Thank You

      About the author:

      Index

      Introduction

      The push for cleaner energy has lead to massive growth in the renewable energy industry. Major projects including wind farms and utility scale solar facilities have been proposed and in some cases built. This has brought the cost of using renewable energy within reach of more households. This may have prompted you to purchase a grid-tied solar system, or maybe it was simply a way to protect your wallet from rising energy costs. It does not matter what your motivation is you went for solar power.

      In the last few years, many Australians have taken the same path and have installed almost two million grid-tied solar systems. These systems are already having a major impact on the energy market. This environmental awakening has lead to a vast array of buzzwords that are bandied about by salesman, politicians and the media. The terms; renewable energy, carbon dioxide equivalence, global warming and climate change are everywhere.

      Apart from a perfunctory demonstration of your systems operation by the installer you will probably have had little or no interaction with your system.

      Is that all there is to owning a solar system? Is the impact you saw on your last electricity account truly all you will get out of your investment in renewable energy? Do you know if the system is producing energy? Do you know if the system is working as well as it could or should? Do you know how to check the system's performance? Should you be concerned by any of this?

      In this book you will see how best to look after your investment and keep it producing for many years. You will discover how to check that the system is producing as it should and how to know when it is not performing as well as it should. If it is not producing well, you will be given practical advice on how to locate and possibly correct any issues and when to call for professional assistance. You will also find some practical ways to save electricity from day to day and ensure you benefit most from your investment in renewable energy.

      This book focuses on grid-tied photovoltaic systems. These systems are connected to the electric utility network and feed power that can be used by other customers on the grid. The information about maintaining your system as well as the energy saving advice remains relevant even if you have an off-grid, battery supported PV system.

      There are several images throughout this eBook. If the data is not clearly visible, please click on or activate the image in your eBook reader.

      CHAPTER 1

      Solar on my Roof

      You are a pico-utility.

      You may not have realised it, but the day your grid-tied PV system went online is the day you became an electricity generator. Your system generates electricity and supplies your home and possibly other utility customers with power.

      The generating plant will work every daylight hour, all through the year to provide electricity to you and possibly your neighbours. Granted you will not produce enough to power a city. But as long as your system runs you can consider yourself a tiny electricity generator, a Pico-Generator.

      You have the potential to supply electricity to your home or business and possibly to other grid users. This is a completely unique ability that differentiates grid-tied solar from any other technology designed to be renewable or environmentally friendly. A solar hot water system benefits you, but your neighbours gain no benefit from that. The rural site that has an off-grid system supplying the owner’s requirements without the grid connection is of little use to the neighbours.

      Your pico-generator is in direct competition with the fossil fuel driven electricity generator; every unit of electricity you consume from your own production is one

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