Solar

Solar Power

South Africa has seen an exponential movement in our power generation sector during the past few years. Households, small business owners, large firms and governments around the globe are becoming aware of the beneficial properties of renewable energy. Consumers started to opt for better and more renewable energy alternatives. Solar panels and wind turbines are becoming an excessively common sight. As the shift from conventional power systems to solar power system gains momentum, more and more people are getting interested in the technical details.

Solar installations have grown massively over the past few years, and to support that boom, the prices have plummeted down. It would not be any over-exaggeration to say that the best time to invest in solar systems would be right now, seeing that potential benefits of this renewable source can single-handedly outweigh the perks of traditional power generation.

Grid-tied solar installations.

If we talk about developed cities and towns, almost every home is provided with continuous electricity supply by the municipality/Eskom. We say that the home is connected to Eskom or to the municipal grid, from where it receives the continuous electrical supply. A grid-tied solar system is not a stand-alone system, but is dependent upon the supply we get from Eskom/municipality.

Solar/PV panels produce Direct Current (DC) voltages. These Direct Current (DC) voltages are turned into AC electricity by an electrical device known as inverter, be it any type of solar installation. In Grid-tied systems, this inverter is being powered by the grid-power supply and, in turn, converts your DC signals into AC voltages, making it compatible with the home’s requirements as well as the grid power supply.

Grid-tied solar installations, typically, do not require batteries to store excessive energy. Any excessive energy produced by the solar system is fed back to Eskom/municipal grid, and this can add to the national power supply. However, this depends from area to area and requires your utility provider to permit you to supply excessive energy to the grid.

Having Eskom/municipal power supply comes with another benefit. Say suppose, that your solar installation is not able to provide enough energy that fulfils your household demands. In this case, the shortfall can be met by grid-power. So grid-tied solar installations can import energy from the main grid if there would by any need.

Grid-tied solar systems are in general more cost effective than hybrid and off-grid solar systems due to the lower installation and system equipment cost involved.  There are always ways in which grid-tied solar systems can be designed to have future proof capabilities in regards to having additional solar panels, inverters or charge controllers and batteries fitted to grid-tied solar systems.

Hybrid solar installations.

Hybrid solar systems can be described as an off-grid solar system with grid backup power for those unforeseeable power outages or load shedding.  Consumers, who seek the best of both the worlds, generally go for hybrid solar power installations.

Hybrid power systems are used predominantly in areas which have poor grid-power supply, and the reliability is low, be it from load shedding or a general line faults. Thus, to better prepared for any power outages and better safeguarding of power supply, hybrid solar systems are installed. In this case, these systems are fairly similar to the previous type with the addition of a few other components. Solar panels generate Direct Current (DC) voltage, which is converted in to Alternating Current (AC) voltage by an inverter. However, any excessive energy is not fed back to the main grid, instead is stored in the batteries.

To summarize, a hybrid solar system installation generally have solar panels, a grid-tied inverter, batteries, and a battery inverter. These are just some of the items that you could expect to find in a hybrid solar system. Additional electronic devices obviously mean that hybrid systems are typically the more expensive than the grid-tied system type.

Off-grid solar installations.

What if you need electricity in an area that is far away from any developed region? The remote nature of the area means that you will definitely need a standalone electricity system. Off-grid solar systems are precisely that. They are a 100% independent and they are not connected to any local utility provider’s network. Off-grid installations are best-suited for anyone who wants total control over the electricity production and distribution, and is typically self-sufficient in terms of energy requirements. Lodges, farms, motels, and homes in remote areas, all could benefit from off-grid solar installations.

Off-grid solar systems, that are purely independent from any external power system, are generally the most expensive type of solar systems. They not only require more electrical equipment, but more infrastructures as well. This adds to the overall cost as compared to the grid-tied and hybrid solar installations. Moreover an off-grid solar installation is designed very sensitively. They have to account for any battery drainage, weather conditions which might cut down on the solar radiation, and any solar panel weakening. Thus, huge power margins are considered while designing the system.

Also, since your installation is in a remote area, you are solely responsible for any maintenance and replacements of any part. Apart from basic components like solar panels and inverter, the battery bank is of utmost importance in an off-grid installation. It must be large enough to store and support the household requirements for at least 2 to 3 days without getting charged. Many companies design specialized battery banks that are recommended for off-grid solution.

At Greenline Projects we offer bespoke turnkey solar solutions. Our team feature experienced individuals who have remained accustomed to solar power systems for a better part of their career. Be it any power system designing, energy-consultancy or customer service, Greenline Projects can offer client-tuned offers and solutions.