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Benefits and features of real use

No one will give a better assessment than those who have tried the technology for themselves. Are solar panel users satisfied with the solution? We find out what netizens are saying about this.

Grid inverters used to operate batteries do not require batteries, which are the weak link in alternative power supplies.
Electricity is generated in real time and immediately enters the grid.
Theoretical calculations fully correspond to reality, which has been verified in practice. This allows you to plan the cost of purchasing batteries.

However, it is important to make allowances for cloudiness.

What sellers of solar panels are silent about

If you walk through the forums and reviews, you can find such warnings from the happy owners of solar panels.

1. Panels require a grid-inverter for operation: when purchasing panels, you need to match the voltage of the inverter and panels for compatibility.

For example, to operate two panels, each of 100 watts, an inverter of 300-500 watts is required.

Chinese and usually quite high-quality inverters still often indicate a power that does not correspond to reality on the case. Be careful during the purchase and check the details. The device operates in the presence of mains voltage, therefore it cannot be a backup power source.
If electricity is not consumed immediately, it is fed back to the grid. At the same time, the counter turns forward and backward. This is unusual and overlooked by many counters. There is a risk of paying back energy

It is important to take into account the type of meter and include the cost of replacing it in the calculations.
If your area is often cloudy, it is important to take it into account and equate it with shade.
It is important to consider the time and effort required to clean the panels, especially in winter to remove snow.

The main conclusion of those who purchased panels in our country is that so far it is too expensive a pleasure, which should be considered as a hobby.

Experience of using solar vacuum collectors from other countries

Sub ** r, Belarus

From October until the New Year, the water in the reservoir did not heat up more than 16 degrees, the collector was blown out with snow, they say that it was installed incorrectly. On January 7, it was -32 outside, but the sensors and the controller showed that by 12 noon the water warmed up to +30. Probably, I installed a few pipes, it is better to install 30-40 on a tank of 200 liters.

I collected everything myself, maybe there are miscalculations, but I think that equipment sellers are cunning with efficiency. While this is more of an experiment for me, the price and payback period are not entirely encouraging.

I *** rs

We decided to start selling solar collectors and test the vacuum one. We put it to a colleague in a private house. Chosen on the basis of the need - for hot water, with a separate tank, which is installed inside the house. 135 liter tank, one manifold for 12 pipes 58 mm in diameter and 1800 mm in length.

The "owner" is pleased, since the tank, manifold, controller and control unit were given to him for free. The employee bought the rest of the consumables himself.

From July to mid-October, the collector heated one tank per day up to 50 degrees, if it was constantly sunny - 2 tanks. That is, 135 and 270 liters, respectively. In winter, heating is very efficient, judging by the number of pump activations for pumping. We made a mistake with the installation - a large length of pipes (about 30 meters), which means large losses. And the installation of the sensor is incorrect - they were installed in the manifold, and not in the tank. In general, ideally, you need to set two in order to correlate the data through the controller.

Dmitry, Belarus (sent from comments)

We installed two vacuum collectors with 24 tubes not far from the house.Not enough for heating, but enough for hot water. Water is just boiling water. The installers helped to connect it to the heating system for heating water, and then to the required 70 degrees with a gas boiler.

Savings are evident, gas consumption fell by 30-40%. The winter will pass, we will calculate the payback. The only problem was that it was set at a 45 degree angle. Raised to a position closer to the vertical - productivity has increased. But the heating temperature depends on the cloudiness. Fogs in the morning also affect - on such days, the tank warms up more slowly. And so, quite happy.

Advantages and disadvantages of this technology

Any real-life system has its pros and cons, and a solar power plant also has them.
The advantages include the following factors:

1. Autonomy. Your quality of life will cease to depend on the health of state power grids. It's no secret that periodic power outages are pretty nerve-racking. And if you work at home, then you just need an autonomous power supply, otherwise the lack of electricity can lead not only to moral, but also to material costs.
2. Variability. Possibility of a phased increase in capacity. It is not necessary to convert the entire house to solar energy at once. For starters, one panel and a car battery will be enough, from which you can easily power several LED lights or street lights. As an experiment and to gain the necessary experience, you can start with a solar-powered fountain or an electrifying kitchen. By gradually increasing the power of the system, you can move on to more serious devices, for example, connect fans in the summer and a small heater in the winter. And having thoroughly studied the topic, you can start global projects, transfer heating to solar energy or power the greenhouse.
3. Environmental Safety. In the process of generating electrical energy, no harmful elements are released into the environment, and when disposing of faulty components, no harmful compounds are formed.
4. Legality. You do not need any additional permits to purchase and install solar panels on your roof or an area adjacent to the house.
5. Durability. If the elements in the panels are of high quality and connected correctly, and the batteries themselves are installed according to all the rules, the system will serve you for more than a decade.

Now about the disadvantages:

Given the current situation with carbon energy carriers, it is not a question to switch to alternative energy sources or not. The main thing here is to decide which of the renewable resources is right for you.
If the information from this article was useful to you, share it with your friends and do not forget to subscribe to our blog, there is still a lot of interesting things ahead.

The growing popularity of solar energy

If you search on the Internet, you will find quite a few positive and even rave reviews about solar panels from those who have already installed them. Their popularity is growing for a number of reasons. For example, the cost of using the same gas or coal is constantly growing, and solar power plants are an excellent reserve of energy for homes in small towns, where electricity is often cut off. Solar energy is the best solution for areas where there are no power lines nearby, and there is no technical possibility to install them.

On an industrial scale, the production of such installations is established in countries such as:

• Germany;
• USA;
• China;
• Ukraine;
• Russia.

About technology

It would be wrong to say that this is a new technology. In 1960, astronauts used solar-powered satellites; during the Second World War, many such batteries were installed on homes in the United States, allowing them to receive energy from the sun and heat their homes at its expense.

However, it was problematic to introduce the technology everywhere - photovoltaic panels, which are responsible for converting sunlight into electrical energy, are a rather expensive technology. It is cost that is often the key factor in making a decision.

Obviously, in order to make a decision, it is necessary to take into account a combination of factors. Consider the clear benefits of equipping your home with solar panels:

• The energy of the sun is free and inexhaustible.
• The energy of the sun is environmentally friendly.
• There are no greenhouse gas emissions.

By using solar panels, we practically join the "green movement", take the path of protecting the planet and get free and endless energy.

How does a solar battery work? The panel consists of photovoltaic cells connected by a common frame. Each uses a semiconductor material (most often silicon) and an electric field. The semiconductor absorbs the energy of the rays and heats up, releases electrons, directed by the electric field in a certain direction, the flow of electrons forms an electric current. The current through the established contacts is sent to the wires and used for its intended purpose. The current strength depends on the power produced by the photocell.

To increase the efficiency of silicon, impurities are used (atoms of other substances are added to silicon), for example, phosphorus.

In addition, silicon reflects light well, therefore, to reduce losses, the photocells are protected with an anti-reflective coating. And to protect the batteries from mechanical damage, they are covered with glass.

The efficiency of such batteries is rather low - they are able to process only 12-18% of the rays falling on them. The most successful designs achieve an efficiency of 40%.

Solar panels for home: how they work

In Russia and other countries with cold winters, many doubt the efficiency of such installations, since there is no sun for many days a year, therefore, the accumulated solar energy during the warm season will quickly be wasted during severe frosts.

However, such installations have a sufficiently high power, which ranges from 200 W for one module, they are capable of producing energy throughout the day and are able to catch light even with precipitation or thick clouds. The only negative is a decrease in power in bad weather by about half. But, on the other hand, solar panels have the ability to store energy, which will be given off in case of insufficient sunlight.

The new generation of installations based on amorphous silicon differs from the previous one in that such batteries do not need to be directed into the sun, for their normal operation, an average area will suffice. But they have a significant drawback - a large area must be allocated for their placement. And productivity in northern Russia will be significantly lower than in Crimea or Krasnodar Krai. But at the same time, in the same St. Petersburg, they can still be used with success for a whole year.

The principle of operation of the installations is as follows:

• The generators of electricity in solar panels are models that capture solar energy. They work on the basis of photoelectric reactions and generate current according to the principle of emission of heated bodies;
• the panels are made on the basis of silicon. The efficiency of a single panel is approximately 30 percent at 300 watts. And in order to get the best result, several dozen elements are combined in chains, thanks to which the installations are able to operate in medium cloudiness;
• In order for the temperature in a house with an area of ​​30 square meters to be comfortable throughout the year, the total area of ​​the modules must be at least 100 square meters, and batteries and distribution equipment must be installed in the house itself. Judging by the reviews of the owners of private houses, this is one of the most difficult conditions for installing solar panels.

How it works?

Solar cells are composed of silicon wafers. When photons of light hit the crystal lattice of this material, some of the electrons start to move.And from the school physics course, we know that the movement of electrons in a conductor is electricity.

The total energy emitted by the sun in all directions is approximately 385 billion MWh. For every square meter of the surface of this relatively small star, more than 63 kW is accounted for. But, having overcome 150 million kilometers to the ground, the photon beam is fairly scattered and at the equator in clear weather, at noon, the light power is about 1 kV per 1 square meter.

What is important to consider when investing in solar panels

Service

It is not enough to simply install the panels - they need to be looked after. Clean at least, and not only from snow, but also from dust.

The choice of funds will depend on the area of ​​the batteries and on the economic feasibility of choosing certain forms and means of care. The main thing to understand is that the dust on the panel can reduce its efficiency by 7%.

Snow, dust, bird droppings - all this will lead to a decrease in efficiency.

The structure has to be serviced at regular intervals. At least once a quarter, it is worth pouring the panels with a powerful hose filled with water. Considering this, the location of the house should also be taken into account when deciding on the purchase of solar panels. For example, if there is a building nearby - there will be more dust, the panels will have to be cleaned more often. Or less electricity will be produced.

In addition, it is necessary to monitor the serviceability of structures and, in case of mechanical failures, make repairs. The batteries also need to be changed, this happens every ten years.

House location

The location of the house affects the effectiveness of the solution. We have already mentioned pollution - the frequency of cleaning the batteries depends on it. The shade will also be a problem for generating the maximum amount of electricity. It can be like the shadow of tall trees on your homestead (you can control it yourself) or the shadow of large buildings nearby (it does not depend on you).

The shadow is important to consider when choosing the type of panels - there are several of them and they react differently to the shadow. Polycrystalline simply reduces the output of electricity, and monocrystalline completely stops the production of electricity on the shaded fragments

Now the use of batteries is already taken into account before construction, because their efficiency directly depends on how accessible the surface with batteries is to the sun's rays during their maximum activity (usually from 10:00 to 14:00) and all hours of sunshine.

Insolation

In different regions, the earth receives different amounts of sunlight. There is such a thing as insolation - a measure of solar radiation falling on the earth, which is measured in kW / m2 / day. The higher this value, the more electricity can be obtained with fewer solar panels. For example, in the southwest, you will have to spend less to get a certain amount of energy than in the northwest.

Coverage area

To get more electricity from the sun, you need more coverage.

To determine how many batteries you need, you need to find out:

• What is the sun exposure in your area.
• How much electricity do you need.

Find out how much kWh you are using per day and do the calculations.

For example, 30 kWh. We multiply this number by 0.25 and we get 7.5 - which means that you need to get 7.5 kW per day. One standard panel generates 0.12 kW per day. Its parameters are 142x64 cm. You will need 62 panels, which will cover about 65 sq. m. After such calculations, you need to make a correction for insolation and take into account the amount of direct light per day, taking into account the shade. There are a number of other nuances that specialists can take into account.

How much is it

Having calculated the quantity, it remains to take into account the cost of acquisition and installation. The good news is that prices for solar panels continue to fall, whereas half a century ago this technology was completely out of the reach of middle-class people.

Now, to serve a large house and receive about 900 kWh per month (30 kWh per day), it will take about 20-40 thousand dollars.You can divide them by the number of years of use and estimate the benefits. Most often, solar energy is used in parallel with standard solutions, supplementing the solar system with electricity from the grid.

Batteries are also rented, which can be a good alternative.

Disposal

Although batteries last up to 50 years, some of their components fail faster (controller lasts 15 years, battery 4-10). The question of disposal arises, when buying it is worth making sure. That a company that produces batteries accepts their components for recycling - this is done only by 30% of manufacturers.