The solar panels are the most important component of any home solar power system. They are at the heart of any solar power system and actually convert the sunlight to electricity. The homeowner should consider several things before choosing a type of solar panel for his or her house as there are many differences between solar panels even though they may look alike. A great set of plans for building your own solar panel is GreenDIYEnergy Reviews.
All modern solar panels are much better than older panels in both construction and efficiency. It doesn’t matter what style of panel you are looking for, you will be better off with modern panels than you would have been even a few years ago. While it is true that all of the newer panels are much better than in the past, there are a lot of differences between different models of solar panels so choosing a panel should be done based on both your budget and how much electricity you want to produce.
The first thing to consider is the voltage level requirement of the system you are building. There are a number of standard voltages that residential solar panels use and you should choose which you will use. The decision about voltage will dictate which panels you select and also which power inverter you use. Higher voltage panels have some advantages as they have less power loss in the long wire runs than lower voltage panels have, but they are also more expensive. Residential solar panels usually have output voltages of 12, 24 or 48 volts and there are some that are even higher. Selecting panels with the highest voltage level your budget allows will usually be the best option.
Voltage will also dictate which solar charge controller you use.
Another difference between different types of panels is efficiency. Even panels that look the same can have almost 10% higher or lower efficiency than similar models. This is a giant difference in the amount of electricity that will be generated with a given level of sunlight. The higher efficiency panels will produce a great deal more energy over the life of the panel. Because of the better efficiency, you will need to spend less because you will require fewer panels and you’ll also need less space as well. It is important to look at the efficiency rating and again select the one with the highest efficiency that you can afford. If you spend a little more money now and get a better quality panel, you will get that difference back many, many times over the life of the solar panel.
Another consideration is some of the specialty panels being produced now. One type of newer panel combines both electric and thermal solar into a single panel. These can be used for both electricity and hot water. Using these panels, you can make the most efficient use of your roof space and double the benefit from the solar panels.
Another newer development is panels that include a micro inverter. A micro inverter is a power inverter that is built into the solar panel itself rather than being separate. A power inverter converts the DC electricity from a solar panel or battery into the AC power that your appliances need. Usually all the solar panels and batteries feed into a single large power inverter for the entire system. With a micro inverter in each solar panel, you can build up your system slowly rather than having to pay up-front for a larger power inverter to support all the panels you will eventually buy. With a micro inverter you can get the benefits of AC power at each step as you build up the system. One final benefit of micro inverters is the electricity coming from the panels will be at a higher voltage and will be AC which will reduce power loss in the longer runs of wire. If you’re interested in micro inverters, there is an in-depth article at Solar Micro Inverter.
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