Understanding The Solar Powered Home - Part One

A solar alternative energy system is actually made up of many parts that work together to provide your home with the energy that it requires. Lets go through each of these parts and give you a brief description.

Solar Panels, Shingles or Collectors - Solar Panels are what collect the solar arrays and convert them into Direct Current (DC). These solar panels are usually installed on your roof or in your yard. Since your home runs on Alternating Current (AC) you need the next part of the system to convert the power.

The Power Converter or Inverter - The inverter converts the DC power from the solar panels to AC for your home. This is that same power format that is sent to your home from the power grid. Now this converted power needs to get into your home power system and this is done by connecting to the next step in how solar power is generated for your home.

Home Electric Breaker - The converted power is sent to your homes electrical breaker where it can be used within your home. If your solar alternative energy system generates more power than you use it can be sent to the power grid or stored in deep cycle battery bank. The battery bank is optional and is usually not included in a grid-tied system which is what we are covering in this article. The next part is connecting to the power grid.

The Power Grid - If your system creates an excess of power, it will flow onto the power grid reversing your electric meter. This is known as Net Metering. If you generated more power than you used then the utility company will pay you for your power. Check with your local utility company to see if they offer net metering as some areas might not be setup to handle your system.

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The Next article in this series "Understanding The Solar Powered Home" will cover Solar Costs.