Sets of solar panels and grid solar power plants for home and summer cottages

The rise in electricity prices, as well as its virtual absence in the remote corners of the country, literally forces ordinary people to look for possible alternatives. In most cases, diesel and gasoline generators are used, but they very actively consume expensive fuel (which still needs to be found somewhere), smell bad and at the same time do not give out high enough power to ensure the operation of all devices. That is why recently more and more people choose solar power plants for their homes. They are quite expensive to buy, but in the future they practically do not require maintenance and pay for themselves in 5-10 years.

The principle of operation of a solar power plant

Solar power plants for the home are more correctly called batteries. They run on photovoltaic cells that can directly convert the sun's energy (photons) into the electricity we use. This process is based on semiconductors with different coatings. Due to the effect of photons on them, a difference in the structure arises, which leads to the generation of energy. There are other options for such devices, but they are practically not used to supply private houses, as they are too expensive. The energy generated by the battery is accumulated in a capacious battery and from there is used for any needs. A special distribution board is also used, which allows directing the required power to the necessary devices so as not to "burn" them. This principle, based on photocells, is the most common and easiest to operate. There are many other options, but they are usually more expensive, more difficult to use and more difficult to install.

What happens if you put a solar panel on the balcony

Alternative energy sources are becoming more affordable. Solar panels are increasingly seen on country houses or city balconies. Recycle figured out how to install a solar panel on a balcony, how much it costs and why it is needed.

Solar panels on the balcony

There are two options for installing solar panels - buying a ready-made kit consisting of panels and a battery system or assembling individual parts yourself.
For those who decide to do everything with their own hands, the process of making a home solar battery is described in detail on the network. Enthusiasts from specialized social media communities are also ready to give advice.

A ready-made solution will cost a little more - from 11 to 250 thousand rubles, depending on the configuration and size. For example, such options are offered on the websites of SolBat and Energopartner stores.

Self-assembly will cost from five to 100 thousand rubles, while you yourself need to choose the right installation details. “Although I am an engineer and can assemble any device myself, I will always vote to buy a complete unit.

In Russian conditions, it is easiest for any buyer to contact helios-house or russolar and choose an installation to his liking, because you do not need unnecessary problems with its assembly, "Sergey Minaev, administrator of a closed group on the VKontakte network dedicated to using alternative energy sources.

For Russian conditions, experts advise choosing a polycrystalline module. It is better suited for weak Russian natural sunlight. All panel elements with such a module are covered with a special laminate that is resistant to both temperature extremes and the effects of snow and rain.

Most of the ready-made solar installations are equipped with batteries, controllers and devices with USB outputs and standard outputs, suitable for charging lamps, portable devices and small household appliances.

Batteries on the balcony

Marina Bystrina from St. Petersburg installed a solar battery on the balcony: “I have a small solar battery, polycrystal, standing on the balcony, my friends put it together for me. It is plugged into a USB adapter and I use it to turn on the mini fan in summer and for Turkish colored lights all year.

The main thing is to figure out why you need such an installation. You are unlikely to convert your entire house to solar energy, you need large surfaces for installing batteries. Anyway - try it, any use of renewable energy, especially in our weather conditions, is a huge step forward! "

Ivan Gerasimov from Novosibirsk has 65-watt medium-sized solar panels on his balcony. According to him, they allow you to accumulate about 6 amperes / hour. With this amperage, he manages to charge his laptop about half. The phone can be fully charged from batteries in a few sunny morning hours, and two nightlights from a fully charged battery can work three nights in a row.

The installation generates more than 2500 W, or 2.5 kW. An average laptop consumes about 100 watts per hour during operation, a phone - about 70, a lamp - 10-15 watts / h.

If you are not yet ready to buy your own installation, you can start by purchasing solar-powered indoor and outdoor lamps. They can be purchased at IKEA and Utkonos. They are easy to use, environmentally friendly and inexpensive.

Installation permission

Additional legal permits are not required to install solar panels on the balcony. The housing department at the place of residence clarified that if the batteries do not interfere with other residents, then they do not need to obtain permits for their installation.

“There is no special requirement to coordinate the installation of solar panels, if it is not associated with a change in the design of the balcony itself. That is, if the panels are light, do not increase the load, if their placement is not associated, for example, with dismantling the balcony railing, then no approval will be required from the Moscow Housing Inspection, ”said Alexei Senchenko, head of the Moscow Housing Inspectorate's press service.

Just in case, the Moscow Housing Inspection recommended contacting the Main Architectural and Planning Department of the Moscow Architectural Committee to find out if there will be any complaints about changing the appearance of the building. In some cases, when it comes to houses-objects of cultural heritage, architectural monuments, changing the appearance of the facade of a building is possible only after obtaining permission.

The redevelopment associated with the installation of a solar battery is regulated by the decree of October 25, 2011 N 508-PP of the Moscow Government "On the organization of reorganization and (or) redevelopment of residential and non-residential premises in apartment buildings and residential buildings." In it you can read in which cases approval is still required.

Moscow region experience

Dozens of companies offer the installation of solar panels in Moscow and the Moscow region. Despite the fact that the performance of batteries in the winter months decreases three to four times, their use can provide energy to a small country house with the necessary minimum of electrical appliances. Solar installations are becoming more and more popular among residents of the Moscow region.

The user sarog70, who uses solar panels as a source of energy for his country house, on the website forum-house.ru shares the opinion that the maximum of his solar installation produces 800 watts, which is not much, but enough for the household.

“More often we install batteries for country houses, and not in cities, because they still require space to use them. Orders are stable 5-10 per month, and they take both inexpensive panels for 50 thousand, and installations for 400 thousand, which easily provide electricity to everything, including an electric car, which is here at one owner, "- told Recycle in the press service of the Moscow region.

The larger the battery, the more efficiently it works. So, to illuminate a country house, an installation will be required that costs no more than 150-200 thousand rubles. For a large house, a correspondingly large and expensive installation. Snow is cleaned in winter with an ordinary brush, and water does not linger on the panels due to the installation position, which the master selects, taking into account the conditions in a specific area.

Commentary for Recycle from British firm Solar Wind

“There are many benefits to installing solar panels at home. The solar plant does not require fuel. The use of solar energy requires almost only installation costs, and in the future, the consumer receives exclusively free energy.

Solar installations are silent. Since electricity is produced by direct conversion of light energy, there is absolutely no noise or sound. The solar system is automatically regulated, it does not need to be constantly turned on and off like a diesel engine.

Solar panels are reliable and are guaranteed to generate electricity every day from sunrise to sunset. Also, the settings are publicly available. In the UK and Russia, in this sense, the situations are similar: although there is not very much sun, there is sunlight, and this is a critical advantage of solar panels over wind and diesel systems. "

See next: How solar panels work in winter in Russia

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Installation

The main advantage of any solar power plant kit for the home is its ease of installation. Structurally, this device consists of many relatively small panels, each of which, in theory, can work separately from the others (although its power will be very low). That is, it is very convenient to transport such kits, as well as to lift them to the roof (where they are usually installed). Then it remains only to fix each panel separately, connect them to each other into a single network and connect to the battery. It is rare that more than a day is spent on work of this type. Most often, a few hours are enough, but here a lot depends on the size of the power plant, the features of panel fastening and many other factors.

How to make a solar power plant at home with your own hands?

For self-production of the structure, you will need the above materials and some additional devices (special wiring with connectors and connectors, helium batteries, installation parts).

The assembly of a self-made solar station begins with the installation of installation elements. They represent a rigid frame made of a shaped tube. The design of this part depends on the installation site, but the overall configuration is of the standard layout. It represents an element in the form of a rectangle, with special hold-down devices with a rubber cushion attached to it. The structure can be assembled directly on the roof or on the ground.

Features of solar power plants for the home

In Russia, such devices are popular mainly in the southern regions of the country. This is due to the fact that solar-powered power plants for the home require sufficient lighting, which is difficult or impossible to obtain in the North.In theory, there are special models that can work at almost any lighting level, and they even show a good efficiency. However, they are so expensive that it is already easier to use other alternatives. It should be noted that in our country such batteries are rarely used to fully supply the house with electricity. Most often, they are needed only in order to power the most necessary things: the refrigerator and some household appliances, which you cannot do without. All solar-powered power plants can be roughly divided into two categories:

Permanent. These models collect energy all the time and transfer it to the battery, from which all devices are already powered.
Temporary. Such devices first charge the battery, and only then, after filling, it provides the autonomous operation of everything necessary for some time.

The first category, of course, is much more convenient, but it also costs much more. In choosing such devices, it is very important to correctly distribute your desires, needs and capabilities. It is likely that a really powerful and full-fledged power plant is not needed at all. In any case, even the simplest version of such a product still makes life much easier in those regions where everything is very bad with centralized supply.

Types

At the moment, there are eight types of solar power plants (SPS) in the world:

battery power tower;
photovoltaic station;
disc-shaped;
on parabolic concentrators;
balloon;
solar vacuum;
on the Stirling engine;
combined types.

Solar Power Tower

The principle of operation of power plants of this type is based on obtaining steam by means of thermal energy from the sun. The central element of the structure is a tower with a height of 18 to 24 meters. This parameter will determine the power of the plant and the efficiency (efficiency) of the system. On the upper platform of the tower there is a reservoir with water - a container with large dimensions and painted black to increase the level of absorbed radiation.

In the technological room of the tower, a group of pumps pumps steam from the heated tank to the turbine generator. There are vast fields with heliostats along the perimeter of the tower. A heliostat is a mirror that is attached to an adjustable support, condenses water, and connects to a positioning system that controls the position of the elements. The main requirement for the normal functioning of the plant is full hit of all rays reflected from mirrors. This is what the positioning and tracking systems of the sun are doing.

In clear weather, the water in the tank heats up significantly, and the liquid temperature reaches about 700 ° C. This temperature level is roughly comparable to the values achieved in thermal power plants, therefore, turbines of standard sizes are used to generate electricity from steam. The maximum efficiency of tower-type stations is about 20 percent and can only be achieved at peak power levels.

Photovoltaic station

A solar power plant of the photovoltaic type (SESF) is supplied with special elements - solar panels or photovoltaic cells, which are responsible for converting the sun's energy into electrical energy. They are mainly made of silicon with a metallized surface. It should be remembered that the system functions when the sun is shining, and this is impossible in the dark - at night or in the evening, therefore it is supplemented with storage batteries for storing and subsequent use of energy.

An equally important element in household mini-power plants is an inverter that converts DC to AC, used to power all electrical appliances in the house. In addition to the above-described structural elements of the SESF, the system includes:

sets of fuses that are designed for mounting at all connection points of components and protecting it from possible short circuits;
a set of MC4 connectors for connecting cables;
an autonomous controller operating the equipment.

A solar station for a home is an undoubted advantage, but before installing and connecting it, you need to find a suitable place for placing the system. Photocells are placed almost anywhere with good illumination:

on the roof of a country cottage;
on the balcony of an apartment building;
on the territory adjacent to the house;
on the facade (prohibited for apartment buildings).

The only thing that needs to be done is to create conditions in order to get the maximum power generation. One of these is the orientation and tilt angle relative to the horizon. So, the light-absorbing canvas should be turned to the south, and it is desirable to achieve such a position so that the rays of the sun hit it at 90 ° angles. This is achieved selection of the optimal angle of inclination, depending on the season, climatic conditions and region, for example, for Moscow and Moscow region (Moscow region) this indicator will be in the range from 15 to 20 ° - in summer, from 60 to 70 ° - in winter.

When placing panels in the pre-house area, it is advisable to install them at a height of 0.5 meters above ground level in order to prevent their contact with snow when there is a large amount of precipitation. It is necessary to choose places with no dark areas, as the shadow will affect the overall efficiency. With this installation, the required distance for air circulation and air conditioning of the system can be obtained.

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Fastening of panels to supporting corrosion-resistant structures can be done with clamping clamps or bolts. They are screwed into special holes that are located at the bottom of the frame. Choosing one or another method of installation, it is forbidden to make changes in the design of the panels and drill additional holes - this can negatively affect the efficiency of the work and the output parameters of the system.

The batteries include several separate panels to increase the output of the system: power, voltage and current. In practice, they are connected by implementing one of three wiring diagrams:

parallel (1);
sequential (2);
mixed (3).

Scheme 1: parallel connection. When the panels are connected in parallel, two terminals of the same name ("+" with "+", and "-" with "-") are connected to each other so that the conductors - copper cables located between the elements - have two common nodes: convergence and divergence. Output current increases in direct proportion to the number of structural elementsconnected to the system.

Scheme 2: serial connection. When connecting the panels in series, connect the opposite poles: "+" of the first panel to "-" of the second. The unused poles of the panels are connected to the controller, which is located in the next node of the circuit. The connection formed according to this scheme creates conditions under which the electric current will flow to the consumer only along a single path.

Scheme 3: mixed connection. With a series-parallel, or mixed connection, the panels, combined into one group, are connected to each other in parallel, and the connection of individual groups into a single electrical circuit is realized according to the sequential principle. The use of such a circuit not only increases the output voltage with the output current, but also makes a reservation - when one of the panels leaves, the remaining functional circuits will continue to work. This increases the reliability and ease of maintenance of the system.

Installation and connection of elements inside the system - power plant - is carried out according to three schemes:

standard;
with multidirectional elements;
combined with a fixed network

Option 1: standard installation. In a standard installation, a group of photovoltaic modules are connected in series, and batteries in a series-parallel scheme. The combined panels are connected via two line cables to the system that manages the charge / discharge of the battery (batteries). The control system is connected to the inverter, and it is connected to household electrical appliances.

Option 2: installation with multidirectional elements. The installation of a system with multidirectional panels is carried out according to a sequential scheme, while the elements are placed in the same plane and at the same angle - this is done to minimize power losses. Much more you can reduce losses by using a separate controller for each panel and mounting the cut-off diodes inside the plates.

In addition, the problem of this scheme is the loss of voltage in the junction points and the low-voltage lines themselves - cables. For example, in a meter wire with a cross section of 4 mm square. at the moment of passing a signal with a voltage of 12 V and a current of 80 A, the indicators will decrease by 3.19%, which will lead to a drop in power by 30.6 W. This problem can be solved by using cable strands.

Option 3: installation in combination with the network. When installing according to this scheme, two cable routes are created. One goes from the electricity meter to the battery inverter and is connected to a redundant load - emergency lighting, refrigeration. The inverter is additionally connected to the battery group, and a non-redundant load is connected after the counter. Another line goes from the solar panels to the controller, and then through its outputs is fed to the wires connected to the battery group, through two common points on "+" and "-".

SESF (photovoltaic power plants) are most widespread in the private sector: dachas, 2- or 3-family apartments, country houses, sanatoriums and industrial facilities. It will not be difficult to buy a solar battery for a summer residence: there are enough companies on the Internet that offer these products. The price of a solar panel for a home is not very high - on average from 6.5 thousand rubles for several panels, up to 192 thousand - for a complete set, which will provide lighting and electricity to the whole house.

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"Optimum" 1000/3000 is an optimal set of solar panels for summer cottages, which is intended for use from spring to autumn. The input power level provides an energy supply that maintains normal lighting of the house and pre-house area, the operation of all rechargeable devices, telephony, radio and electrical devices, refrigeration equipment and water supply devices:

Title: "Optimum" 1000/3000.
Cost: 192 thousand rubles.
Complete set: four optical receivers (modules) FSM-150P for 250W / 24V, 12-volt Delta GX 12-200 accumulators with helium for 200 A * h, controller.
Characteristics: AC and DC voltages - 24/220 V, energy efficiency - 4.6 kW * h / day, battery power potential - 9.6 kW * h, maximum possible load power (connected devices) - 3 kW, peak load power - 6 kW, weight - 355 kg.

The SX-1500 is a great option for reducing energy bills in the country or in the countryside:

Name: SX-1500.
Cost: 101.805 thousand rubles.
Complete set: four optical receivers (panels) CHN250-60P for 250 W, network-type inverter - EHE-N1K5TL, a set of 15-meter cables with connectors.
Characteristics: AC voltage - 220 V with a frequency of - 50 Hz, output contact group for voltage - 220 V with a sealed screw clamp, output power level - 1.5 kW, operating temperature ranges - from -25 to + 60 ° C - for equipment, and from -40 to + 85 ° C - for panels, weight - 105 kg.

Tray stations

A dish-type solar power plant collects the energy of the sun's rays in a similar way to tower-type structures, but, nevertheless, there are differences in their structural structure. For example, the module is a support with a reflector and receiver truss. In this case, the latter is installed in a location with the highest concentration of reflected sunlight.

The reflector in this system is a plate-shaped mirror that is attached to the truss structure. Mirrors have a large diameter, which can be up to 2 meters. On one of the "fields" - areas for the installation of reflectors - more than several dozen plates can be placed. The number of installations determines the final capacity of the entire system.

On parabolic concentrators

A solar power plant based on parabolic concentrators is distinguished by a design that heats the coolant to a state that is suitable for the correct operation of the turbine generator. A pedestal is installed in the center of the structure, on which a parabolic-cylindrical mirror is mounted. It provides focusing the reflected light on a tube that provides the passage of the coolant... Under the influence of rays, it heats up, and then is supplied to a heat exchanger, which gives off heat to water, which turns into steam, which is supplied to a turbine generator.

Balloons

Aerostatic solar power plant is of one of two types:

With solar cells or heat-absorbing surfaces that are placed on the balloon. They have an efficiency (efficiency) of less than 15%.
Coated with a parabolic metallized film that bends inward when exposed to gas.

A feature of balloons is that they are located at an altitude of more than 20 kilometers, where there are no clouds that create shading and precipitation. The top of the balloon is made of reinforced foil to increase its service life. A parabolic concentrator made of metallized material is mounted in the central part of the device. It provides the concentration of reflected light on the thermal converter.

The thermal converter is cooled with hydrogen, if energy is converted as a result of decomposition of water, or with helium, when energy is transmitted remotely using microwave (ultra-high frequency) radiation or radio waves. For orientation by the location of the sun balloons are supplied with gyroscopes, and when controlling the apparatus, the method of pumping ballast - water is used. One balloon can consist of several modules - floating balloons.

Solar vacuum

Power plants of the solar-vacuum type are implemented using the energy of air streams. They are created due to the difference in temperature values in the air layer at the surface of the earth and at some distance from it - this area is formed artificially, and is a zone covered by glass. The construction of the solar-vacuum station consists of a high tower and a piece of land, which is covered with glass.

An air turbine with a generator that generates electricity is placed at the base of the tower. The growth of the plant's capacity occurs with an increase in the difference between temperatures, and the difference depends on the height of the structure. Such a station does not deteriorate the ecological situation, while it can be operated around the clock due to the use of energy from the heated ground.

On a Stirling engine

Such stations are structurally parabolic concentrators that focus the reflected light on the Stirling engine. In practice, a variation of Stirling engines is used, which convert electricity without using a crank mechanism, which increases the efficiency of the apparatus. Average efficiency is 30% by using helium or hydrogen to generate heat.

Combined

Often, at various types of power plants, equipment for heat exchange is installed, which is designed to obtain industrial water, which is often used in heating systems. Stations of this type were called combined due to the fact that they ensure the parallel operation of solar collectors and the solar cells themselves.

Weak solar power plants

Anything that produces less than 5 kW of energy per day can be safely considered a weak battery. Such solar power plants for home and summer cottages are focused only on short-term use or interaction with a small number of devices. In fact, if you take a private house, then it will be possible to power the refrigerator and, maybe, another 1-2 appliances. This is clearly not enough for a full and comfortable life. Dacha in this regard looks much more profitable. There, it is rarely necessary to constantly provide electricity to a large number of equipment, and low-power batteries will perfectly cope with a small number of it.

Calculating the power of a solar power plant: 7 steps

The approximate values of the total power consumed by the household can be calculated independently. The accuracy of the calculations is critically important for autonomous power plants, the criteria for choosing network power plants can be softer, since their lack of capacity can be compensated for by centralized power supply.

1. Making a list of energy consuming devices, and quite detailed. Sometimes the calculations are limited to "gluttonous" consumers, and small household appliances are written in the "other" column - this is the wrong approach: household appliances with heating elements (kettles, irons, hair dryers, etc.) during operation can spend no less electricity than more large devices. It is also highly advisable to make a breakdown by seasons: the structure of energy consumption in winter may differ from that in summer, especially if in cold weather you use electric heaters in addition to the main heating. Very modest consumers like mobile devices may not be considered thoroughly, but it will not be superfluous to keep them in mind.

2. Determine the average operating time of each device during the day. This can only be done by observation, so it will take a couple of weeks to scrupulously record what is used and when. It is especially important to have information about possible combinations of devices that work simultaneously for more than 5 minutes: for example, to simulate a situation when the refrigerator compressor is active, the washing machine, electric kettle and TV are turned on. It is worth taking into account both the daily routine and the weekly life schedule of the household: for families working outside the home, electricity consumption peaks in the morning, evening and weekend.

3. We find information about the energy consumption of each specific device. It is indicated in the data sheet or in a special sticker on the body. The documentation most often indicates the power of the device in watts, the power consumption is calculated by multiplying the power by the operating time. It should be borne in mind that if the device is not new, its actual power consumption may be higher than the passport one, especially for refrigerators. The second important point is the so-called starting current ratios: some devices for a short time (usually seconds) after switching on give a sharp jump in consumption, which can exceed the nominal values by 2 or more times. In the house, these are most often refrigerators, dishwashers and air conditioners, in a suburban area - submersible water pumps. The latter must be treated especially carefully, since for some models the inrush current coefficient can be 3-5.If this value is not indicated in the data sheet of the device, you can try to get it from the manufacturer.

Label indicating the power of the appliance (electric kettle)

4. Let's summarize the numbers. We multiply the data on the power of devices in kW by the number of hours, taking into account seasonal characteristics - this will be the minimum indicator of the approximate average energy consumption. Then we determine the maximum indicators with the simultaneous operation of several powerful devices, taking into account the starting currents. For self-testing, you can use the history of meter readings for the last year: they should give an approximately average value between the minimum and maximum. If there is a strong discrepancy, check if you have taken everything into account: sometimes you can accidentally forget to add to the list some device that is not in sight - the same submersible pump.

You should get something like the following signs:

5. Laying the power reserve. There are two points to keep in mind here. First: a solar power plant is a durable product (the service life of modern heterostructural modules is 30 years or more); during its operation, the energy consumption of your farm will certainly increase. Therefore, the "groundwork for the future" must either be laid out immediately, or conditions must be provided for scaling the system as the requirements for it grow: for example, think about whether it will be possible, if necessary, to find a place to accommodate additional solar modules and auxiliary equipment. Second: it would be good to have about 30% of the stock for current needs - situations are different, and it may happen that at some moments the load on the solar power plant will exceed its capabilities. This is especially true for autonomous solar power plants: in the event of an overload, the grid will simply get what is missing from the 220V grid, and there will be no place to take additional resources autonomously.

6. We get the final figures... The simplified selection of the station is carried out on the basis of two parameters: daily power consumption (kW * h) and the rated power of the devices (W). The first value will determine the power of the system by the sun, the second - the power of the inverter.

7. We find out the area of the roofwhere the photovoltaic modules will be installed. If the project of the house has been preserved, then the necessary numbers can be found in it. If not, you will have to make measurements yourself or seek help from the engineers of the company in which you intend to order a solar power plant. There are several important points here.

• It is advisable to install solar modules on the south or south-east side - this is where they will receive the largest amount of solar energy.

• It is categorically not recommended to fasten the supporting structures to the eaves overhang of the roof; you should retreat from it to the projection of the walls of the house.

• If the roof has a complex shape (multi-gable) or additional elements (pipes, aerators) are installed on it, you need to position the solar panels so that they do not end up in shaded areas.

• Naturally, the area occupied by snow barriers, ladders, etc. should be subtracted.

Taking all this into account, we get the usable roof area that can be occupied by photovoltaic modules, and we divide it by the area of one module. The resulting value is the maximum number of modules that can be physically installed on the roof of your house. We multiply it by the power of each individual module and compare it with the figure from item 6. If the result is greater or equal, great; if not, then it is unlikely that you will be able to mount a power plant of the required capacity on your home. Again, in the case of a network power plant this is not a problem, but for an autonomous power plant it is a problem that requires non-trivial solutions.

More powerful power plants

Anything above 10 kW is rarely used to supply power to private houses. Primarily due to the lack of such a need.Solar power plants for a home are already quite expensive, and no one will overpay for virtually unclaimed power. Such objects can be found in industry or in other similar places where energy consumption is much higher and therefore an order of magnitude higher indicators are required.

Pros and cons of solar power plants

The advantages of such stations include:

Permanent free power source
Possibility of increasing the system power up to 30 kW
The short payback period of the SES of 4-5 years makes it economically very profitable
Silence and absolute environmental safety
SES do not require maintenance
Long service life. Any solar power plant (SPP) has been operating for over 25 years
Developed service and warranty service of components

Among the shortcomings, we note:

Testimonials

Judging by the reviews existing on the Internet, a fairly large number of people speak out positively about the installation of such devices. Solar power plants for the home, reviews of which can be found, are usually installed in remote parts and have no analogues in terms of convenience, comfort and cost. Yes, they really are still too expensive to fully replace the centralized supply. But, firstly, this is only for now, and secondly, sooner or later such a power plant will pay off and start saving money. As it was already mentioned at the very beginning, cheap stations will help to gain profit in 5-10 years. More expensive and more powerful models rarely pay off for more than 40 years. For some people, the mortgage takes longer. One-time serious costs will still be compensated, but you will have to pay for central electricity until the very last days of your life.

Types of solar panels

There are different photovoltaic converters. Moreover, both the material from which they are made and the technology are different. The performance of these converters directly depends on all these factors. Some solar cells have an efficiency of 5-7%, and the most successful recent developments show 44% and higher. It is clear that the distance from development to domestic use is enormous, both in time and in money. But you can imagine what awaits us in the near future. To obtain better characteristics, other rare earth metals are used, but with an improvement in characteristics, we have a decent price increase. The average performance of relatively inexpensive solar converters is 20-25%.

The most widespread are silicon solar modules

The most common silicon solar cells. This semiconductor is inexpensive, its production has been mastered for a long time. But they do not have the highest efficiency - the same 20-25%. Therefore, with all the diversity, three types of solar converters are mainly used today:

The cheapest are thin-film batteries. They are a thin coating of silicon on the support material. The silicon layer is covered with a protective film. The advantage of these elements is that they work even in diffused light, and, therefore, it is possible to install them even on the walls of buildings.Cons - low efficiency 7-10%, and also, despite the protective layer, gradual degradation of the silicon layer. However, occupying a large area, you can get electricity even in cloudy weather.
Polycrystalline solar cells are made from silicon melt by slowly cooling it down. These elements can be distinguished by their bright blue color. These solar panels have the best efficiency: the efficiency is 17-20%, but they are ineffective in diffused light.
The most expensive of the whole trinity, and, nevertheless, quite widespread are monocrystalline solar panels. They are obtained by splitting a single silicon crystal into wafers and have a characteristic beveled corner geometry. These elements have an efficiency of 20% to 25%.

Now, seeing the words "mono solar panel" or "polycrystalline solar battery", you will understand that we are talking about a method of producing silicon crystals. You will also know how effective you can expect from them.

This is a battery with monocrystalline converters

Outcomes

Summarizing all of the above, we can conclude that solar panels are really useful and in demand. The correct choice of such a device allows you not to worry about possible line breaks, interruptions or other problems. Taking into account the constant rise in prices, in particular for electricity, the recoupment of such equipment will be faster every year. The only drawback of such devices is that they cannot be installed in apartment buildings. In some countries, this problem is solved collectively, placing entire fields of photocells on the roof (fortunately, it is usually flat). They still cannot completely solve the problem of energy consumption, but they are quite able to reduce the cost of electricity from 30 to 80%.

Where to install sat

The very first thing that comes to mind is a balcony. But here the following conditions must be met:

balcony or loggia should face the sunny side;
a heating system must be installed on the balcony, or it must be trimmed with heat-saving materials around the entire perimeter.

Insulation is necessary because low temperatures have a negative effect on the solar panel. Because of this, the efficiency of her work decreases, and she works with large losses of energy. You can equip heating on the balcony in different ways:

Installation of the "warm floor" system.
Placement of a fan heater or heater (oil or infrared).
Installation of a gas convector.
Transfer of central heating batteries to the balcony. This is only possible with the permission of the BTI. The action must be coordinated with the residents of the house.

The most suitable ways to insulate a balcony in the case of installing a solar battery are those where the use of electricity is required. These are the installation of an electric underfloor heating, placement of a heater or electric fan heater. A water-heated floor at very low temperatures can burst and flood neighbors, gas and other heating systems require additional costs. Electric installations will operate free of charge, i.e. powered by a solar panel.

It is also desirable to have energy-saving glazing and sheathing made of insulation (polystyrene, wood, roofing material, mineral wool) on the balcony or loggia. Take care of fire safety and insulate electrical appliances from flammable materials.

The level of insulation of the balcony depends on the region. In warm southern regions, where temperatures rarely drop below freezing, these requirements are optional. Batteries are installed on both fully glazed and non-glazed loggias and balconies.

Other accommodation options

Residents of the upper floors can install a solar panel on the roof.In this case, you will need to lead a cable into the apartment that connects the photocell panel to the controller or inverter.

Solar panels for apartments are made in the form of flexible thin films. This is an excellent solution for those who cannot boast of having a balcony on the sunny side. The panel is made of semiconductors (aluminum, amorphous silicon) and glued to glass like a conventional tint. Such a product often has large dimensions.

Another option is to install the structure on an apartment building. In this case, the participation of all tenants and an investment of a significant amount of money will be required.