How to Install a Solar Power System In Your Home

Monday, May 10th, 2010 at 3:48 am

We have always had free sunlight available to us. But we have always had inexpensive electricity for our homes. But as fossil fuels got more expensive, the cost of electricity went up as well and it continues to do so.

And now, solar power systems, once looked at as quaint curiosities, are coming down in price and becoming more practical. They are also getting easier to find the components to add solar power to your house. Sunlight has always been there for us to use, except in the most polar regions which suffer winter most of the year. But with today’s better technology, the effectiveness and efficiency of solar power technology gets better each year.

As long as your home gets sunlight for a lot of the year, you can make use of solar power. And in the warmer places, where there is plenty of sunshine, a solar-powered home is very appealing and quite practical.

It doesn’t take very much sunlight to make electricity. But you will need enough solar power panels to produce enough electricity for your needs. Some people find it makes good sense to try to reduce their usage of electricity while they start changing to a solar powered home. With only a few PV panels, you can generate the necessary electricity for your home. And you can start small.

One of the biggest problems with modern houses is that they face the street and not the sunshine. This makes it much harder, but not impossible, to set up your solar panels correctly. To catch the most sunlight and make free electricity or free hot water, your PV solar panels or solar hot water panels must catch sunlight for as many hours of the day as possible. Effectively this means catching the midday sun. The mid-day sun is to your south if you live in the US, Canada and Europe, or north if you are in South America, South Africa, Australia or New Zealand.

Solar hot water panels are usually installed on the roof of your home, since this lets the water pipes be short to minimize heat loss from the hot water. Solar electric panels can be placed on the roof as well, but where this is inconvenient or where your roof faces the wrong way, it is possible to place the solar panels on a free-standing pole or tower that is close to the house. You normally want the wiring lengths to be short, to avoid much voltage drop.

Today’s solar power systems are more efficient than those of five or ten years ago, and they can generate useful amounts of electric power from less sunlight. Today’s solar panels can be installed at steeper angles and still work well. Older panels needed to be as broadside as possible to the sun’s rays. So, even if you’re home doesn’t have the best orientation to the south or north of the sky, it should still be possible to generate a useful amount of solar power and solar hot water.

Solar panels are usually atttached tot a supporting frame. Some frames are built so you can adjust the elevation and direction of the solar panels for winter or summer. (The winter sun is lower in the sky.) As your home solar power system changes over the years, as it surely will, you can add more solar panels and the frames to hold them. You can buy them ready made, or can make them yourself if you have a few home handyman skills and a few simple tools.

Before installing your solar panels, you will have tot calculate the electricity requirements of your house. To work out your monthly power consumption, you will need to read through your past electric bills and calculate your average power use. Once you have done that, you can select the right size of your system.

If this is your first time to use solar power, it would best to begin with the simplest project you can find. Make room for expansion as well so that you can bump up the power capacity bit by bit especially if you have limited resources. Even if you use solar power on a smaller scale, you will be able to cut your power bills in the future.

For simple projects, you can start working on outdoor lights, garden fountains , etc. Later on, you can use solar power for your indoor electrical needs.

When installing a solar power system, you will need a DC to AC power inverter. Pick the correct inverter to meet your electrical needs. Even if you are planning a small electric system, It is sensible to purchase a more powerful inverter. That way, you can easily expand it in the future.

If you have limited knowledge about electricity, do hire an electrician or other skilled person to connect the power inverter. Your solar power system needs to be properly blended into your home electrical system. Dangerous voltages are present and you might het electrocuted. Only an electrician can comply with local codes so that your project can be approved officially.

In some countries, your state and federal government may provide incentives to home owners who switch to solar power. You should find out about this.