There are four primary components to solar electric power systems. Known also as a "solar power system", they include solar panels, charge controllers, batteries and inverters. All of these components are necessary to have a functioning solar electric (PV or solar power) system.
The solar panel is the cornerstone of the solar electric power system. The solar panel(s) acts as a battery charger. When several solar modules are wired together a "solar array" is created. The size of the solar array determines the amount of power that will be produced by the system.
A charge controller is an important system component that regulates the voltage generated from your renewable energy system and properly maintains your batteries. It protects your batteries from being over and under charged, and ensres maximum battery life.
Batteries are used to store the energy that is created by your solar power system. Typically, loads receive their power from batteries instead of directly from the output of a solar panel. A solar panel produces a high voltage that will damage electronics if loads are powered directly. Batteries will provide you with the energy you need at night.
The last major component is the Inverter. The inverter converts the DC (Direct Current) energy stored in your batteries and turns it into the AC (Alternating Current) power you use in your home. Inverters are rated by wattage and the quality of their output. You can use a 50 watt inverter that plugs into your car 12 volt outlet to power a computer, or you could have a 4000 to 1,000 watt inverter system that powers your home.
These major components can be put together in many different ways. Minor components like wire, disconnects,circuit breakers, and fuses are also needed for a complete system.
Solar inverter is a critical component in a solar energy system. It converts DC power output into AC current that can be fed into the grid and directly influences the efficiency and reliability of a solar energy system. In most occasions, 220VAC and 110VAC are needed for power supply. Because direct output from solar energy is usually 12VDC, 24VDC, or 48VDC, it is necessary to use DC-AC inverter in order to be able to supply power to 220VAC electronic devices. Inverters are generally rated by the amount of AC power they can supply continuously. In general, manufacturers provide 5 second and 1/2 hour surge figures which give an indication of how much power is supplied by the inverter.
An inverter produces square waves or a sine wave which can be used for running lights, televisions, lights, motors etc. However these inverters also produce harmonic distortion. Expensive inverters make use of lots of steps to produce a sine wave and thus are found in residential solar inverters. Basically inverters should be a large one so that it supplies enough power to all the necessary appliances.
An inverter is very important, but choosing the right solar inverter for your appliance is more important. Thus you must always consult a solar professional before buying on. Following instructions will help you on this:
1. Solar inverters require a high efficiency rating. Since use of solar cells remains relatively costly, it is paramount to adopt high efficiency inverter to optimize the performance of solar energy system.
2. High reliability helps keep maintenance cost low. Since most solar power stations are built in rural areas without any monitoring manpower, it requires that inverters have competent circuit structure, strict selection of components and protective functions such as internal short circuit protection, overheating protection and overcharge protection.
3. Wider tolerance to DC input current plays an important role since the terminal voltage varies depending on the load and sunlight. Though energy storage batteries are significant in providing consistent power supply, variation in voltage increases as the battery’s remaining capacity and internal resistance condition changes especially when the battery is ageing, widening its terminal voltage variation range.
4. In mid-to-large capacity solar energy systems, inverters’ power output should be in the form of sine waves which attain less distortion in energy transmission. Many solar energy power stations are equipped with gadgets that require higher quality of electricity grid which, when connected to the solar systems, requires sine waves to avoid electric harmonic pollution from the public power supply network.
However, even if you follow the advices above, it is still not easy to find a reliable inverter. Then how to do? The easies way is to find a professional and reliable brand or factory. Wuhan Wellsee New Energy Industry is a special factory which focus on the research and production of solar inverters, covering solar sine wave inverter, modified wave inverter, automotive inverter, inverter with built in controller, power ranges from 100W to 6000W, WELLSEE inverters have been widely used all over the world and have good feedback and reputation . it is more reliable because of its professional spirit.