Solar System Types

Hello again, thanks for stopping by Ask Doug The Electrician!
I have been asked recently what types of Solar systems are there and which one is best for a home in the local Bay Area. By harnessing the power of the sun, wind or water, people all over the world produce their own pollution-free reliable electricity. As more families, individuals and businesses generate their own renewable electricity we will reduce pollution, provide more electricity for all to use, reduce the use of fossil fuels, and make the electricity on the grid “greener”!
So, there are basically three types of renewable energy systems. Grid tie Systems, Grid tie with battery backup systems, and Off grid systems.
Grid tied systems do not use batteries! The panels work by producing DC power during sunlight hours and converting it to AC power through an inverter. The inverter then feeds the load required by the home, before pushing the remaining AC power through a "net meter" out to the grid.
Net meters are provided by your utility company when you install the system. The net meter is a bi-directional electric meter that spins forward as usual when you are using more power in your home than you are producing with your panels (at night, for instance), and spins BACKWARD when you are producing more electricity than you are using in your home. This is how you generate credits with your utility!
A grid-tie system with battery backup feeds excess solar electricity
to the grid and provides backup power when the utility
grid is down. With this type of system you sacrifice some power
generation efficiency in exchange for having power when there
is a utility power failure. The amount of backup power you
have depends on the size of the battery and electrical loads
that draw on them.
This type of power system is independent of the utility grid. It
can use solar modules, a wind generator, a micro-hydroelectric
generator, or a combination of any or all of them to produce
your electric power. Owners of this type of system often use
a gas or diesel generator for backup when the power system
does not meet all of the needs.
I hope that this helps you understand solar systems a bit better. There are also wind powered systems, fuel cell systems, and water systems. I will discuss these with you soon!
Thanks again for checking out Ask Doug The Electrician!