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REMOTE POWER
Lighting Buoys Communications Signs Water Pumping Mountain Cabins
Telecommunications Tower
NET METERING
In net metering, when the PV system produces excess electricity, it is sent to the grid system, turning the meter backwards. If you are using more power than is being produced, or it is at night, the electricity is received from the grid system and the meter turns forwards. Depending on PV size and electrical consumption, you may produce more or less than you actually use. Individual houses may become power producers.
BATTERIES
Batteries can be used to provide long-term or short-term electrical supply in case of grid failure. Many grid-connected houses choose to have a small electrical battery system to provide loads with power for half a day in case of outage. Larger number of batteries are typically used for remote gridindependent systems.
Battery Sizing I
If your load is 10 kw-hr per day, and you want to battery to provide 2.5 days of storage, then it needs to store 25 kw-hr of extractable electrical energy. Since deep cycle batteries can be discharged up to 80% of capacity without harm, you need a battery with a storage of 25/0.8 = 31.25 kw-hr. A typical battery at 12 volts and 200 amp-hour capacity stores 2.4 kw-hr of electrical energy.
Battery Sizing II
The relationship between energy in kw-hr and battery capacity is E(kw-hr) =capacity(amp-hr) x voltage/1000 E = 200 amp-hr x 12 volts/1000= 2.4 kw-hr So for 31.25 kw-hr of storage we need
31.25 kw-hr/2.4 kw-hr/battery = 13 batteries If we are happy with one half day, we need only 2 or 3 batteries
2 KW PV on Roof with battery storage. Solar hot water collectors and tank
PV On Homes
PV can be added to existing roofs. While south tilted exposure is best, flat roofs do very well. Even east or west facing roofs that do not have steep slopes can work fairly well if you are doing net metering since the summer sun is so much higher and more intense than the winter sun. The exact performance of any PV system in any orientation is easily predictable.
PV on House
PV on Roof in California
Pole Mounted PV
Pole Mounted PV
Roof Integrated PV
If you are doing new construction or a reroofing job, it is possible to make the roof itself a solar PV collector. This saves the cost of the roof itself, and offers a more aesthetic design. The new roof can be shingled or look like metal roofing. A few examples follow.
Roof Integrated PV
(objects below chimney are solar hot water collectors)
Sizing a PV System
Solar modules are typically sold by the peak watt. That means that when the sun is at its peak intensity (clear day around midday) of 1000 watts per m2, a solar module rates at say 100 Wp (peak watts) would put out 100 watts of power. The climate data at a given site summarizes the solar intensity data in terms of peak sun hours, the effective number of hours that the sun is at that peak intensity on an average day. If the average peak sun hours is 4.1, it also means that a kw of PV panels will provide 4.1 kw-hr a day.
The Sherpa-Week
Since we know that the energy in lifting is given by mgh or 40.8 kg x 9.8 m/s2 x 8839m = 3,539,000 joules or about 1 kw-hr, we can say that roughly 1 kw-hr = 1 Sherpaweek. Typical U.S. household consumption is 600 kw-hr per month or 20 kw-hr per day, or every day it is like hiring 20 Sherpa to carry the 90 lb packs up Mt. Everest. At the end of the week, we have 140 Sherpa climbing the slopes so the equivalent power that we consume is like having 140 Sherpa climbing Mt Everest continually. We might want to consider reducing this number before adding PV to our roof.
Find the efficiency of a solar cell module given its power rating and its area
Assume it is a 100 Wp module and its area is 0.8 m2. Remember that the peak power rating is based on an intensity of 1000 watts/m2. So the maximum output with 100% efficiency is P = I x A = 1000 w/m2 x 0.8 m2 = 800 watts
The actual efficiency = Pactual peak/Pmaximum peak
Larger Scale PV
Of course you dont have to stop with home based PV systems. They make equally good sense for businesses and corporations who want to reduce their cost of electricity by reducing their peak power consumption, or who want to emphasize their greenness as part of their image, or who need to operate in a grid failure.
Solar Carport
Navy Installation San Diego, California
The sun is the primary energy source for almost all energy flows on the planet. Its time we started using it.