For many years, solar water heating was the predominant solar panel type installed, and millions have been installed worldwide. In Florida, the most common type of solar water heating system is a direct open loop system, which means that potable water from your tank-style water heater is constantly circulated through a solar panel when necessary and when solar energy is …
4 Top Solar Panel Design Trends | Via Modernize
Guest post from our friends at Modernize. Images via Modernize. The world of solar technology is rapidly advancing. Gone are the days when residential solar energy systems were a dream of the future. Now, it’s more attainable than ever, and solar technology developers are coming up with more ways to make solar energy systems efficient, accessible, and aesthetically pleasing. Modernize …
Buying a Home With Solar Panels
I recently met a wonderful young couple who are buying a home in Fort Myers, FL. The home has a fairly uncommon building integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) system that replaces some of the roof tiles with solar panels that are made in the same shape as the tiles. The product is uncommon because it is not as cost effective as traditional …
Off-Grid Solar Energy System Conclusions
If you have made it this far, you may be a candidate for living off the grid with solar energy! Please take the preceding introduction seriously, but do not be scared of proceeding with an off-grid home. All of the issues presented are easily mitigated by proper initial design, and conservative use of the precious energy you will be generating …
Importance of Off-Grid Monitoring
While you will have basic control and monitoring of your system with a user interface that is part of the inverter system, a robust monitoring system provides you and your installer with valuable system performance data that can validate system operation and monitor energy usage. It is hard to manage any system without an “accounting system.” When things go wrong, …
Off-Grid Maintenance and Replacement
Off-Grid solar electricity systems need to be maintained, and you should plan for replacement of components over time. After all, you will own your own power plant! Just like utility companies need to maintain plants, poles, wires, and transformers, you will need to do the same for your system. Solar Panels Solar panels themselves are extraordinarily self-sufficient. They have no …
Common Off-Grid Mistakes
We have gone over the importance of proper system sizing, and it should now be totally clear how important getting it right from the start is. Here are some common mistakes when designing an off-grid home and solar energy system: Not properly identifying how you will use energy in the home during system design. Not installing a large enough battery …
Calculating Power and Energy Needs
It is absolutely necessary that you go through the tedious task of identifying what your power and energy needs are likely to be, and consider your tolerance for the worst case scenario. It is important to note that people use energy, not homes. Your tolerance for heat, your usage of water, your desired lighting levels, your usage of entertainment appliances, …
Off-Grid System Components
The major components of a typical off-grid solar energy system are: Solar Panels and Charge Control Battery Storage Inverter Power and Distribution Backup Generator In addition to these components you need mounting systems, battery enclosures, structures to house equipment, wiring, distribution equipment, safety equipment and disconnects, user interfaces, monitoring devices, remote controls, and other “balance of system” equipment. Hover your …
Power Versus Energy
Many people mistakenly mix up power and energy, which are two different, but related concepts. It is critical for people going off-grid to understand these concepts, and selecting proper equipment is done by understanding and agreeing upon the power and energy needs for the home. Power The instantaneous amount of electricity all of the appliances and devices in your home …
Realities of Off-Grid Living
Along with the joys of off-grid living comes some realities. You will have a finite amount of energy to use in a day or period of days. The amount of power you can use at any given time is usually less than an on-grid home. There is maintenance involved. You need to know how to use the system, diagnose problems, …
The Joys of Off-Grid Living
People have many reasons for living off of the utility grid: No access to utility power or expensive to bring power to the site. Desire to be independent. Need for reliable supply of electricity or redundancy. Reduction of fossil fuel sourced electricity (green agenda). Protection against civil unrest or grid failure. The feeling you get from being your own “power …
Introduction to Off-Grid Living
Living off the utility grid has its rewards and its challenges. While the sense of independence and inherent reliability of off-grid living can be very satisfying, not everyone can successfully transition to a situation in which there are real limitations regarding their energy use. Redundancy and backup systems can reduce the challenges of powering a home using solar, wind, or …
Solar Electricity Output Based on Tilt and Orientation
Dominick and I have our assistant Christie to thank for collecting 180 data points to help our clients visualize the difference in solar energy production depending on the tilt angle and the orientation (north, south, east, west) of solar panels. The chart below shows how much energy a 1 kilowatt solar panel array would produce annually along the vertical axis. …
Solar Electricity Calculator for Photovoltaic Systems
Florida Solar Design Group has released a consumer-oriented solar energy calculator that will help you find out how may solar panels you need based on a set of inputs that you enter, site information, weather data, and various assumptions. It will calculate system energy output and provide a return on investment analysis personalized based on your inputs. This calculator is …
Solar Pool Heating Problem – Bubbles in the Pool (Video)
The following video explains a very common issue reported with solar pool heating systems. Solar pool heaters rely on adequate flow for proper operation. If the flow rate gets too low, air is let into the system through the vacuum relief valve, which allows air into the panels when a vacuum exists to protect the panels and plumbing from collapsing. …
Charging Tesla Powerwall – How Many Solar Panels Are Required?
First, let me be clear – unless you’ve already bought one, you are not getting a Tesla Powerwall in the next 18 months. They are simply not available. There are plenty of other battery options out there, but this article focuses on the Powerwall because of the media buzz that has been generated recently. With that said… In short, there is …
Can I Put Solar Panels on My North Roof in Southwest Florida?
Sure you can… but you shouldn’t put solar panels on your north roof if you have an option. We get a surprising number of people claiming that their north roof gets more sunlight than their south roof in Southwest Florida. It simply isn’t the case (save for shading issues). The sun does rise and set north of due east and …
Solar Pool Heaters | Roof Penetrations | The Truth
The truth is that regardless of the brand of solar pool heater you choose, to secure them to your Florida roof properly a solar installer must use screws to achieve resistance against wind uplift. This strikes fear in some people, but the risk of roof leaks is extremely minimal. Dealers (and the industry as a whole) would not survive for …
Solar Photovoltaic Panel Efficiency | What You Need To Know
Everybody wants the best solar panel available. The first thing clients often tell us is: “I want the most efficient solar panels available” There is a big difference between the most efficient solar panel you can buy and the most efficient solar panel you should buy. Before we get into whether you really want the most efficient panel, let’s define efficiency in …