What Is The Best Solar Panel System? Understanding Your Solar Options
Did you know that there are 3 types of solar panel systems? If you hadn’t felt overwhelmed before about what system was best for you, you probably are now. But never fear—we are here to help you understand what system will best suit you and your needs. So whether you need a totally off-grid, are required to be on the grid by your municipality, or are somewhere in the middle, we are here to help you understand your options.
What Is The Power Grid, And Does It Matter For My Solar System?
The power grid is a network of utility companies that distributes electricity to homes and businesses. This energy can come from many sources, such as fossil fuels, coal, or nuclear power. In fact, it can include solar electricity that others create with their solar systems.
One of the biggest challenges with relying only on the power grid is that when the system is down, there is no way to get any power. However, if you have a solar system, you can still produce electricity during daylight hours. In fact, if you have a battery bank, you can even store that energy for later personal use.
Something else to consider with the power grid is that if you have a grid-tied or hybrid system, you can send your electricity back to the grid to use at a later time. We will talk about this side of things more later on.
All in all, the grid is integral in determining what kind of system would be best for you to use. No grid? Consider doing a complete off-grid system. Need to be tied to the grid for your local ordinance? Try a hybrid or grid-tied system setup.
What are the 3 Types of Solar Power Systems?
There are 3 types of solar power systems to produce energy for your home or business. These systems would include off-grid, grid-tied, and hybrid systems. The biggest differences between these systems have to do with how the energy is stored for use during low solar production points.
1.) Off Grid Solar System
Off-grid solar systems convert the sun’s power into electricity during daylight hours. During that time, the power that you are not using from the production is stored in a battery bank. In this system setup the battery bank is your generator for when your production is low or you are not receiving power from the sun, such as at night time.
One of the drawbacks of this system is that your power retention is only as much as the battery backup can withstand. Now in most cases, we can help to develop a system that will carry you through those low points. However, once that power is gone, there is no additional power source from which to draw. This means that if your batteries were to run out overnight, you would have no power. Check out our video above to see how a battery backup works for solar systems.
2.) Grid Tied Solar System
Grid-tied solar systems are tied to the utility grid that we mentioned earlier. These systems work by creating solar energy and depositing the excess into the grid system. This means that in times of excess production, that energy helps to power other people’s homes or businesses.
However, what makes this system style really cool is that the excess power that you produce and send out can be used for your electrical needs at a later time. This is known as net metering, which we will discuss in more detail later.
The biggest difference between this solar system and the other available solar systems is having a battery backup. Without a battery backup, you will be without power if the power grid goes down and it is not during peak production hours (like at night).
3.) Hybrid Solar System
Hybrid Solar systems combine a battery bank with a grid-tied system. This allows you to store the extra energy you produce in a backup battery system. However, once the battery is filled, the system will take your excess energy and put it in the grid.
By having a system set up this way, you get the benefits of storing power later for your personal use. And the benefit of making deposits into the grid system for later use. This system brings the benefits of both an on-grid and off-grid system so that you can have power in nearly any circumstance.
Do All Solar Systems Allow Net Metering? How Does It Work?
No, not all solar systems allow net metering. Net Metering is when your excess solar energy is put back into the grid system to withdraw later. This means that grid-tied and hybrid systems will allow you to take advantage of of Solar Net Metering.
Net Metering works by letting you make an energy deposit and taking it out later. So imagine it in the banking world like this. You deposit $20 into the bank for a “rainy day.” One day, you need said $20, and so you go to a different branch of your bank to withdraw the $20. At no time did you loose your $20 dollars or take $20 from someone else. You simply withdrew it when you were ready to use it at a later time. This idea is essentially how net metering works. If you want to understand it a bit more, check out our video above on more specifics.
Additionally, you need to check with your power supplier and payment program to see if they will allow for you to proceed with net metering.
Do I Need A Battery With My Solar System?
Yes, if you are going to have an off-grid solar system and want to have power when you are not actively producing electricity, you must have some sort of battery backup. We also recommend that if you have someone in your house who has medical issues and needs a consistent power source, you seriously consider having a battery bank on your solar panel system.
However, if you are only looking for solar to offset the cost of your electrical needs, a backup battery system is not needed.
Which Solar Power System Is the Best?
There is no “best” solar system. It all depends on your needs, as well as the energy that you wish to produce and store on your own. In cases where money is no issue, we would recommend a hybrid system as it offers you the benefits of grid-tie and battery backup.
How Long Do Solar Systems Last?
The systems that we install are covered form the manufacturer for 25 years. Yet,t he average solar panel lifetime is 50 to 60 years. However, there are times when you will need to replace a part of the system itself. This happens only about every 20 years, and at the time of this writing, the repair is only $2,000. So, saving just $100 a year for 20 years will allow you to have your system repair covered.
Is It True That I Can Make Money From Any Solar System?
Yes! This is made possible by the Solar Renewable Energy Credit program. In a nutshell, someone who creates more pollution than they produce needs to offset their cost of pollution. The companies that create large amounts of pollution can then buy the SREC that you produce through your solar system. This results in a lump sum payment once a year, which can help you accelerate paying off your solar system if it is financed, save towards any repairs, or enjoy a little extra pocket money.
