How Do Solar Panels Work for My Home

If you’ve been considering solar energy for a while, then you’re most likely wondering — how do solar panels work for my home? While the technicalities of solar power may sound overwhelming, they’re actually pretty easy to understand; all thanks to our handy guide.

So, whether you already have solar panels, or you’re a newcomer, you’ll find something interesting here. Without further ado, let’s dive right into solar energy systems!

Solar Energy Systems 101

When you look at a solar panel, you might believe that it alone powers up your home with the help of solar energy. However, the process is a bit more complicated and requires multiple devices to communicate together. In fact, solar power that can be used by your home is produced in 4 steps.

Step 1: Solar Panels and DC Electricity

More often than not, an average household will have between 15 and 25 solar panels on their roofs. Each panel features 60 or 72 photovoltaic monocrystalline or polycrystalline cells. These devices are designed to capture sunlight and convert it into direct current through a process called the photovoltaic effect.

The amount of DC that your installation can produce varies depending on the design of the panels and the sun’s strength. But, as of 2022, most solar panels can generate anywhere between 250 and 400 watts under optimal conditions.

Step 2: Solar Inverters and AC Electricity

Generally speaking, home appliances use alternating current. As a result, the DC that your panels have generated needs to be converted before being supplied to your home. That’s where solar inverters come in!

When installed, a single string or central inverter will receive the combined power from all panels and then convert it. However, you can also attach inverters at the module level. In that case, small microinverters will perform the AC-to-DC conversion for each individual panel.

Step 3: Home Power Supply

After converting the energy, your inverters will feed AC power to your circuit board at a specific voltage, such as 120V or 240V. At this stage, your appliances can freely use this power. But, if your home’s requirements are not met by the inverter, then your solar energy system might draw power from the local electrical grid. However, that option is only available for homes with grid-tied solar power systems.

Step 4: Excess Power Export

Some homes tend to generate more power than they can actually use. When that happens, the system will send excess energy to the electric grid via the utility meter. However, that only applies to homes that are connected to the grid and have a special net metering system, which keeps a record of the amount of energy you export and import from the grid.

What About Batteries?

If you want to install a solar energy system, you can also opt-in for solar batteries. These will store excess electricity, which you can access whenever your system can’t generate enough energy to power your home. But let’s check two main scenarios where you would want to use batteries.

Part of an Off-Grid System

Some people want to completely disconnect their homes from the national electricity grid. That’s either because grid connections are expensive or unavailable, or they might just want to live an off-grid lifestyle. In these situations, battery storage allows them to access daytime solar power during the night or winter when electricity generation might be lower.
Off-grid solar systems usually rely on lead-acid batteries, which are very similar to those that your car uses. They are also the most affordable type of battery and store large amounts of electricity.

Backup Power

If you are a homeowner that lives in a blackout-prone area, then you might want battery storage as a power backup. They are much quieter and cleaner than regular diesel generators. Plus, they don’t require any fuel!

More often than not, people who buy batteries for backup power choose modern lithium-ion options. That’s because they have a small footprint and are very easy to set up. However, they are also pretty expensive and have short lifespans, usually no longer than 10 years.

The Bottom Line

It’s important for every homeowner who plans to embrace solar energy to understand how it works. Sure, initially, it might all sound incredibly complex. But once you get the hang of it, you’ll quickly become a solar expert and be able to make informed decisions regarding your own solar installation.