Solar Panel Installation
Solar Panel Installation
Solar panels are a great way to generate your own renewable energy and reduce your carbon footprint, reduce your energy bills and even gain independence from the grid. In addition to this, you can benefit from income generation by exporting surplus energy to the grid, and can benefit from the uplift in value of your home.
Real Power works with our customers to install complete renewable energy systems including heat pumps, solar panels and battery storage systems. Read more about solar energy system installation here, or get in touch today for a personalised quote.
How Do Solar Panels Work?
There are numerous benefits to utilising renewable sources of energy, including the fact that they are not finite, are more evenly distributed around the globe, are more reliable, release fewer greenhouse gases and require less maintenance than other sources of energy.
1. The solar panels absorb the sun’s energy and convert it to DC (direct current) electricity.
Solar panels contain photovoltaic cells sandwiched between layers of a semi-conducting material, typically silicon. The different layers are energised when hit by photons from the sun, knocking electrons from their atoms and generating an electric field. This is known as the ‘photoelectric effect’.
2. A solar inverter converts DC electricity from the solar cells to AC (alternating current) electricity.
An AC current is what most home appliances will use. There is the option at this stage to install solar battery storage, which stores DC electricity. This can either be wired directly to the solar panels before it is converted to AC, or converted back into DC after it has flowed through the inverter.
4. Excess electricity produced by solar panels is exported to the grid.
Any electricity that is not used or stored can be exported to the grid for an income, as long as the owner is registered under the Smart Export Guarantee.
3. Electricity flows through your home, powering electronic devices.
The electricity will flow through a meter before it is used by devices, so that the solar electricity production and consumption can be measured. This will determine the amount of electricity bought from the grid if there is a shortfall, and the amount of electricity sold to the grid if there is a surplus. Once it has flowed through the meter, the electricity flows through the fuse box, where it is used to power the house.
Want to know more about the advantages of solar energy for your property?
Get in touch with Real Power today for a discussion about the advantages and cost of installing solar panels.
