Increasingly, residents of Russia are equipping their houses and apartments with autonomous power or water supply systems. This is not surprising given the rate of growth in utility bills. For example, if it is not possible to save on electricity without installing additional equipment, a good solution would be to purchase a powerful solar battery with panels to power the entire house or a cheaper one that can power part of the apartment. Of course, you can’t do without initial investments, but they pay off pretty quickly. It is this kind of autonomization that will be discussed today.
Solar battery - what is it?
To be precise in the definitions, such a battery by itself is useless for autonomy at home. Additional hardware is required for the system to function. To convert ultraviolet radiation into electrical energy, you need a set of solar panels, which is most often mounted on the roofat home or outside the sunny side of the balcony of the apartment.
The power of the battery itself is very important - it determines the amount of equipment that will be powered by such equipment. However, much depends on how many sunny days a year in a particular region. All the energy received during the day by the elements for the solar battery (panels) is accumulated in the battery and consumed during the hours of darkness.
What a solar battery consists of
Such a system consists of 4 main elements:
- Panels that receive ultraviolet rays and transmit them to the converter.
- Inverter capable of generating AC from DC.
- Batteries that store energy from panels.
- Sensor that controls the charge. It prevents the battery from receiving excess energy and increases the efficiency of the entire system.
The cost of solar panels for the home can vary significantly, depending on their power and capacity (a set of 1 60 W battery, battery, controller and inverter will cost from 27,000 rubles without installation, while a set of 4 batteries at 230 W - more than 300,000).
Advantages and disadvantages of such installations
If we compare the number of positive and negative qualities of solar panels (power does not matter here), then there are much more pluses than minuses. The main advantages can be called:
- no needpayment for electricity, which significantly saves the family budget;
- durability;
- Maintenance is not required during the entire period of operation;
- the noise that occurs, for example, during the operation of a conventional generator is absent;
- sufficient coefficient of performance (COP);
- Energy generation is environmentally friendly - no emissions to the atmosphere.
The negative point of using such systems is the rather high price of solar panels. As well as exposure to the weather and the need for experience in installation and wiring.
Price of solar panels and its dependence on efficiency
It should be noted right away that too high efficiency should not be expected from such systems. On average, it is 9-19%. The cheapest type (from 70 rubles per 1 W) of power generation can be called panels made of cadmium telluride - their efficiency is 11%.
A little more expensive (from 200 rubles for 1 W) will cost film products, the coefficient of which is about 9%. However, they are the easiest to install.
The most expensive are monocrystalline silicon panels (1 set from 20,000 rubles). They are more difficult to install, but have an efficiency of up to 19%.
Criteria for selecting equipment by capacity
Depending on what equipment will be used to power the panels, their parameters are also selected. That is why, before calculating the power of solar panels for a house, you should rewrite the characteristicshousehold and lighting fixtures on a separate sheet. After that, all power indicators are added up, and 30% is added to the resulting value. This is done so that it remains possible to connect new equipment, which is becoming more and more in apartments every year.
When choosing, it is worth remembering that low-power batteries are used only for lighting the house and charging several devices. The middle class is already able to provide electricity to all home appliances. But high-power solar panels make it possible to additionally connect heating. If such batteries are installed and the number of panels is correctly selected, this will ensure complete autonomy and independence from centralized power supply.
How to check the power output of a solar array (panel)
Quite often, consumers complain about the discrepancy between the declared parameters of the equipment and the real ones. This is especially true for photocells purchased on Chinese Internet resources. In order to make sure that the technical data are correct, you can use several methods. Of course, the most accurate, but at the same time expensive, is to hand over the panel to a specialized laboratory. But in Russia, people are used to dealing with all issues on their own. In addition, there is no need for extra costs here, which means it is worth considering other options.
A more difficult way to check yourself
For its production will require a special MRTT controller. The equipment is not cheap, but thosethose who have encountered a similar problem know that the measurement error when using it is only 5%. You also need to have a slightly discharged battery on hand. All measurements are made in sunny weather at a temperature of at least +18 °C. The procedure is as follows:
- panel installed at 45˚ angle to sunlight;
- the controller is connected to the battery, after which a photocell is attached to it;
- received on the display parameters (voltage and current) must be recorded;
- indicators are multiplied.
The result will be the actual power that the panel can generate.
It is worth noting that the readings of the MRTT controller will be correct only if the panel current is higher than the battery capacity. Otherwise, the final power data should be multiplied by 0.95.
The simplest power test option
It does not require the use of expensive equipment. An ordinary multimeter is enough. Before checking the power of the solar battery, it must be positioned similarly to the previous option, and then set the tester toggle switch to the maximum forward current. After recording these readings, you need to switch the multimeter to 10A and record the data again. It should be understood that the final result will have an error of about 10%. At the last stage, we multiply the product of the fixed indicators by a factor of 0.78.
Location and switching of solar panels
Many believe that if the battery capacitysufficient, the centralized power supply can be completely turned off, but this is not the case. Such provision of electricity depends on weather conditions, which a person cannot regulate. After all, if in winter there is cloudy and snowy weather, which lingers in the region for 2-3 weeks, then regardless of the power of the solar battery or its capacity, one day the home will be left without electricity. Therefore, the system must be properly installed. This will allow (in case of lack of sunlight) to switch to centralized power without any problems.
The inverter does the main switching work. It is to it that the wires of the centralized power supply and solar panels are connected. With the help of special microcontrollers, such a device will independently switch the source if the battery is discharged and vice versa. Thus, the owner and his equipment are completely protected from power surges or drops.
Even if there are always more sunny days in the region where solar panels are installed, and the weather practically does not bring surprises, do not forget about the possibility of equipment failure. No one is safe from a breakdown, and hardly anyone wants to be left without light and heat in winter.
Battery switching options depending on the type of panels
Here you can draw an analogy with LED strips that can operate on different voltages. Most often it is 12, 24 or 36 V. The only difference is that solar panels can generate 12, 24 or 48 V. This is whybattery connection option will depend:
- at 12 V, everything is simple - more than one battery is switched in parallel, which increases their capacity;
- 24V - 2 batteries connected in series. Installation of four, six, etc. is possible. The quantity must be a multiple of two (pair);
- 48V - 4 (8, 12…) Batteries in series, 4pcs
Many people prefer the latter option, but do not underestimate the voltage of 48 V - it is already considered dangerous for human life and he alth. For this reason, experts do not recommend the installation of such systems in the absence of proper experience and knowledge of electrical safety.
Some tips for placing batteries and panels
When installing such equipment, do not try to cover the entire roof area. Placing panels on the sunny side is quite justified, but where the rays rarely fall, photocells are completely useless. Batteries themselves must be protected from moisture. Harmful to them and direct sunlight. Consideration should also be given to the safety of children, if any, in the home. Despite the fact that a voltage of 12 V is practically harmless for an adult, such a discharge can cause serious damage to a baby’s he alth, even death, not to mention 24 and 48 V.
The best location for the battery is the attic. If you plan to place it on the balcony, then you can install batteries hardly, along the walls. As for the general installation, quite detailed information is presented in the following video.
Summing up
Reducing utility bills is the dream of almost every inhabitant of our country. If everything is calculated correctly, then installing solar panels with enough power to provide electricity to all the necessary devices and appliances will be the first and most basic step towards complete autonomy of the house and independence from centralized power supply.
In the future, having drilled a well in the yard, the owner will be able to almost completely abandon the services of utilities. The only thing that determines the autonomization of a house is financial possibilities. After all, initially you will need a fairly decent amount, which will pay off only after 2-3 years. So, we can say with full confidence that solar panels are a long-term investment that will bring quite significant dividends over time.
