Materials Needed For Solar Panel Installation
With time, energy resources are depleting faster from the globe. With this, the importance of using alternative energy sources generally helps prevent the exhaustion of energy resources. With the help of photovoltaic cells, solar energy can be converted to electrical power. Solar panels can be installed differently depending on the users' needs.
The installation of solar panels can be done over the roofs. The homeowner can process easy installation, or one can also take the help of a solar installation professional to install the solar panels. For installing the system, the materials that are required for installation are roof anchors that are made up of aluminum or steel, a unique key lock system between the roof anchors and the mounting frame, mounting frame, bolts to screw it tightly, clamps to fix the solar panels to the mounting bracket, and obviously the solar panels.
The essential requirement of the process has the proper place that is technically suitable for the installation of the panels. The roof anchors' position must be correctly measured and marked before the structure of the mountings. Right after fixing the roof anchors to the roof, attach the mounting frame. After this, select the photovoltaic panels in rows or columns. As per the availability of the space on the top, the panels can be wired to each other = to get the complete electrical system.
Planning for solar panel installation before the actual procedure initiates is essential. Below are mentioned the requirements and the overall structure of the solar panels.
Six Main Components Of Solar Panel
Solar photovoltaic cells
A solar cell is an electrical device whose role is to convert the energy of light into electricity directly by photovoltaic. It is a physical and chemical phenomenon. Individual solar cell devices are often the electrical building blocks of photovoltaic modules that are popularly known colloquially as solar panels.
Solar cells' primary attributes are absorbing light and developing electron-hole pairs.
Batteries
The lithium-ion batteries are the best option for a solar panel system. If the energy developed is not used or processed immediately, it can be stored in a battery array. Any extra electricity generated after the batteries are charged can be sent back to the power grid in a grid-hybrid system.
Extruded Aluminium frame
These Aluminium frames are the solar panel glass covering placed on the top and the back sheet at the bottom. The structure helps in generating electricity from sunlight by utilizing the photovoltaic effect of the sun battery semiconductor materials. An assurance is fed into the main electricity supply of a building which can also be sold to the public electricity grid.
Solar Inverters
A solar inverter will generate the (DC) from batteries and convert the same into (AC). There are mainly two types of inverters, grid-capable and standalone units. They are string inverters and microinverters, where a string inverter will convert the energy from a string of AC electricity utilized in the home or business. Simultaneously, others allow the power from solar panels to existing independently.
Back-sheet
The back sheet is the rearmost layer in solar panels. The back sheet acts as a moisture barrier. Its final external skin helps facilitate both electrical insulation and mechanical protection. The rear sheet material is made of various polymers or plastics such as PET, PP and PVF, which offer different thermal stability levels, safety and long-term UV resistance. The colour of the sheet is white but is also available as clear or black, depending on the manufacturer and module.
Junction box – diodes and connectors
The junction box has one of the essential roles as it is known for housing all the electric bits on a solar panel while protecting them from the environment. Some wires connect to diodes inside, which eases the link between the boards.
Which Types Of Solar Equipments For Home Are Required For A Solar Electric System?
A solar system can be designed as per the requirement of the house or the organization. A solar electrical system must have total exposure to sunlight where the installation is done. The entire solar panel must be exposed to sunlight for the panels to work correctly. In case there is plenty of availability of sunlight, harnessing the sun's energy can be done by putting a few components together.
Four Essential Equipment Needed For Solar Energy
Solar Panels
Solar panels are the most significant of all solar energy equipment. Solar panels harness the energy that is being generated by the sun so that the production of the power can be processed.
Batteries
Batteries are designed to discharge and recharge energy at infinite times over a day. In case of the unavailability of the sun, the batteries can help facilitate consistent power to the system. Solar batteries are recommended as they are designed to be charged and discharged repeatedly.
Charge Controller
In high sun exposure, the voltage produced by the solar panels can potentially damage the batteries. The charge controller is used to prevent overcharging a charge controller. Thus, its role is to regulate the charging, which eventually increases the life of the battery and performance.
Power Inverter
A power inverter is solar energy equipment required on battery power exclusively. There are two primary uses of a power inverter; one is to convert low-voltage DC to the 120 volts of AC needed for appliances, and the second is to charge batteries if connected to a utility grid or an AC Generator.
How To Do The installation of Solar Power System For Home
Overall the complete installation of the solar panel system is a relatively easy task to accomplish. The basic design is to initiate the installation of a rack or platform. If the panels are roof-mounted, the primary structure of the roof racking system is to be done. A ground platform is needed if the panels are ground-mounted.
Step 1: Finding Best Location
The primary goal of the installer of the solar system is to find the best location for the array to receive the most sun and the best quality sunlight. The ideal location may be the roof of your house, garage, or barn or done on the ground.
Step 2: Running Conduit
The conduit connects the solar panel or array to the house or battery backup system. It is preferable to dig the trench or run the pipes at the end of the process. After this, run the wires through the conduit and leave them unattached until you are all set to connect them.
Step 3: Building The Platform
Building the platform is much easier and will save time if you use a kit. Frame kits may also be less expensive than sourcing parts for a durable solar array platform.
Step 4: Mounting of Panels
The connection of the solar panels is made to a roof-mounted frame. The solar panels sit on the edge and are clamped with a bolt, bracket, and other clamping devices. When utilizing a kit, the clamps will match the structure that helps secure the panels to the roof.
Step 5: How To Install Solar Panels And Inverter
In this step, the focus is made on the installation and connection of the solar panel to the inverter. This states that the solar array is grid-tied without a battery backup system. If a battery backup system is placed right, one can connect the solar panels to a solar controller to prevent the overcharging of the batteries.
What Is Required To Connect The Solar Panels To The Inverter?
• Wiring guarantees the connection of the system. Use the similar gauge of wire that you used to connect the solar panels.
• Ferrules and heat shrink tube to cover the electrical wires.
• A multimeter is used to test the connections.
• An inline fuse unit protects the solar inverter from electrical spikes.
Generally, the wires from the solar panels run through a conduit to the inverter. Make the attachment of the inline fuse unit and then the fuse unit to the inverter. Keep considering that the positive wire should be connected to the positive terminal, the ground to the ground terminal. Always remember to double-check the connections are correct before powering up the inverter.
In case the user of the solar system is making use of the kit, the components may snap together.
- Strip the ends of the wire.
- Include the ferrule and crimp at the place.
- Include the heat shrink tube and shrink it to fit over the connection. The box's purpose is to remove any spot where the bare wire may accidentally cause an earth ground.
Step 6: Wire the System And Components
If you are unaware of the electrical wiring standards, you must leave the task of wiring the system to a solar professional. The objective of the step is to connect the solar panels into strings or groups and then attach them as a unit to the conduit wiring for better safety.
Step 7: Form The Circuit By Connecting The Electrical Components.
It is dependent upon the configuration of the solar array. If the user has a solar battery backup, then there will be more components included in it.
Step 8: Testing of System
Before testing the system, review each electrical connection and double-check that the positive wire is in the positive terminal and the grounding wire is attached to the ground and at each component connected to the grounding terminal.
Solar Panel Installation Diagram
Conclusion
Following these above steps can guide you to set up a solar power unit at your home. The high costs incurred in installing one can be reaped later on as solar energy is not only clean but also a cost-effective investment.