How to choose solar panels?

Posted 2023-01-08 15:51:50

Types of solar panels

Flint

They are the most common. The main element of which they are composed is silicon. The material is inexpensive, affordable, and has wear resistance.

Modules come in several subspecies:

monocrystalline
polycrystalline
amorphous

Monocrystalline is made based on purified silicon, so the price is relatively high. They resemble silicone honeycombs connected into one structure. Silicon is flattened to the state of a wafer. The thickness of one plate is very small.

Polycrystalline consist of polycrystals, which are obtained by cooling the substance. The production technology of such modules is cheaper than single-crystal ones. But the efficiency is lower - about 18%.

Amorphous silicon batteries can be classified as film and silicon batteries. Manufacturing technology is the same. There are small differences. The basis of production is silicon hydrogen, which is applied to the substrate located inside. The efficiency is only 5%. However, it has better light absorption characteristics. Works well on cloudy or windy days.

There are hybrids when three types are mixed.

Film

They appeared because manufacturers wanted to significantly reduce the price without losing quality and striving to increase energy efficiency.

In the 70s. 20th-century cadmium was discovered to be capable of actively absorbing light. There are also modules made of copper and gallium. Their efficiency is higher than that of thin-film cadmium. The last type is polymeric. Their release has just been launched. Polyphenylene is used as a conductor. Also, thin film has high flexibility. They can be installed on any surface. They can generate energy from both direct beams and diffused light.

When choosing an important factor - power. A higher-power battery will also have a larger area and consist of many modules. To understand how much power is needed, consider several factors:

The total amount of electricity you consume per day/month.
Incline. How long the panel will be used is important: all year or seasonally. The higher the angle of inclination, the more efficient the power system operation in winter.
Weather conditions in your area.
The area where you plan to install the kit.

Installation

When installing, you need to pay close attention to some points:

Place. Mostly on the roof of the house. It must be well fortified so that nothing disturbs the location.
The shading of the site on which the house is located. If any trees or other buildings create additional shade, they should be removed or installed in another place.

Availability. The panels must always be accessible for cleaning. Although they are unpretentious in use, they need to remove leaves, dust, and dirt in winter - snow and ice- from time to time.

Orientation and Angle. If you install the panels on the ground, you need to raise them half a meter from the ground level to avoid contamination and corrosion.

Their performance and the photo modules' service life depend on how well the system is installed. It is also important to follow all installation rules, such as the California Solar Panel Law. For installation on the roof, you will need high-quality profiles and fasteners. Particular attention should be paid to the shading of the batteries with each other. To prevent this from happening, you must observe a certain distance between the solar panels during installation. Today, many sites on the Internet contain technical articles on a building. There are video instructions and solarsystems.reviews.