How Grid Connected Solar Panel Systems Work

Grid tied solar systems are connected to the utility grid via a grid tie inverter.

How grid connected solar panel systems work. They range from small residential and commercial rooftop systems to large utility scale solar power stations. This means that the home will get electricity both from its solar panels and the electric grid. A grid connected pv system consists of solar panels one or several inverters a power conditioning unit and grid connection equipment. Any excess solar power that you generate is exported to the electricity grid and you usually get paid a feed in tariff fit or credits for the energy you export.

When a homeowner decides to add solar panels to their home in most cases they will choose to be grid connected. This all happens while your home or solar powered building remains dependent on the local grid or utility. If a grid connect system is producing more power than the home consumes the surplus is fed into the power grid. So the solar panels will connect to the inverter to transmit the dc energy into ac.

It stops working when the sun goes down. They don t include any battery storage they use the grid as a battery instead. These systems do not need batteries and use either solar inverters or micro inverters and are connected to the public electricity grid. Operating once the power goes out.

They are 60 open circuit volts and most battery systems are. The grid tie inverter enables a two way transfer of power between the home s solar powered system and the grid. On grid or grid tie solar systems are by far the most common and widely used by homes and businesses. How grid systems work connecting your solar panel system to the grid is easy but the energy that the solar panels produce are not initially compatible with what is used on the grid.

A solar panel produces direct current dc electricity which stores better and the grid uses active current ac which travels distances better. Then the disconnect will be connected to the meter which will connect to the main grid. All grid tied solar systems are installed with an automatic shutoff switch which turns off your solar system in a power outage. That is because my grid tie solar panels are somewhat of an odd ball voltage as they are specifically designed for grid tied inverters.

Unlike stand alone power systems a grid connected system rarely includes an integrated battery so. The grid connect inverter converts the dcelectricity produced by the solar panels into 240vac electricity which can then be used by the property household. This is important because solar energy is intermittent. A grid connected photovoltaic system or grid connected pv system is an electricity generating solar pv power system that is connected to the utility grid.