In recent years with the popularity of solar energy and the global promotion of renewable energy, more and more people are installing solar energy systems and it saves us money on our electricity bills. As a result, some people are tempted to rely solely on solar systems to power their homes, completely disconnecting from the grid company and realizing the beautiful vision of zero electricity bills. Is this idea realistic? That’s for sure. However, there are some key factors that need to be taken into consideration in order to realize solar power for homes.
1. Feasibility of technologies to fully power homes with solar energy
1.1 Solar power supplies electricity to homes by converting clean and free solar energy into electricity. Solar energy is available in abundance to meet the needs of the people. Nowadays, the maximum conversion efficiency of solar panels for domestic use has reached 34%, which brings a great convenience in utilizing solar energy to power homes.
1.2 Energy storage systems for solar energy systems. There are solar energy storage systems in both off-grid and hybrid systems, which bring security for going off the grid.
1.3 Smart grid technology. Smart meters and energy management systems can help us achieve efficient use and distribution of energy.
2. What are the key factors in realizing full solar power for homes?
The key factors in realizing solar power for your home are your home’s electricity usage, geographic location and weather climate, the location and size of the solar panels, the type of solar system, and the cost of solar power for your home.
3. What is your home’s electricity usage?
The capacity of the solar system to be installed depends on your household’s electricity consumption and determines how many solar panels are needed. You need to assess your household’s daily electricity consumption and the power needs of various appliances. You can also do this by checking your past electricity bills, but this method is not so secure. This is because the monthly electricity usage changes with the weather.
Estimating the monthly electricity consumption of your household also requires you to factor in any appliances that may be added in the future in order to meet future electricity needs.
Of course you can also take some measures so as to save energy consumption. For example, using energy-saving appliances, unplugging standby appliances in a timely manner, and turning the air conditioner to 26°C when using it are some of the small actions that can save us on electricity consumption.
4. Installation location and size of solar panels
Most home solar panels are installed on the roof, and south-facing roofs receive the most sun and are the preferred choice for installing solar panels. To realize the solar energy to fully power your home, you also need to install a larger capacity solar system, you will use quite a few solar panels. So do you have enough suitable spare roof spots for large solar panels?
There are also a small number of homes that opt for ground mounted solar systems. You need to have enough free space to place the solar panels. Ground mounted solar systems also have many advantages over pitched roofs. For example, it can be positioned at the ideal direction and angle to increase the efficiency of solar energy conversion.
Assuming the size of a 550W solar panel is 2278mm*1134mm, if you want to install a 15KW solar system to fully power your home, then you would need to install 27 550KW solar panels, with a total surface area of about 70m². This is achievable for most homes, but for homes with complex roof structures or fewer south-facing locations, it may be more difficult to install or the solar power may be less efficient.
5. What type of solar system to choose?
We all know that there are three types of solar systems. They are off-grid solar system, grid-tied solar system and hybrid solar system.
If you want to realize solar energy to power your home completely, then it is not recommended to use grid-tied solar system. Because there is no solar battery in a grid-tied system to store excess power for use at night or on cloudy days, you will also need to get power from the grid company for your household appliances. Especially at night, when lights and water heaters start working, this will generate quite a bit of electricity, which you will also need to pay for. You can save electricity by using energy efficient lights like LEDs.
Both hybrid and off-grid systems can store surplus electricity in a solar battery for use at night or on cloudy days. However, a hybrid system can also send surplus power to the grid company and sell it to the grid company just like a grid-connected system, so that the power is not wasted like in an off-grid system.
6. Have you considered the cost of solar power to fully power a home?
From the above, we know that grid-tie is not a good option unless you have an additional generator or other power generation system.
Next, consider only hybrid and off-grid systems. The inverter of a hybrid system is more expensive compared to an off-grid system, but compared to the benefits it brings in the long run, a hybrid system is more affordable.
