PV System Components

PV (or Photovoltaic Components) uses solar power to make electricity. This is exactly the same thing as Solar Components, and the terms are used interchangeably.

There are four basic components needed to make solar power, although the most important component is not on the list, namely, the Sun.

As the sun moves appears to move across the sky, the angle of sunlight on earth changes. Solar panels are directed at solar south in the Northern Hemisphere. The panels can be adjusted to track the angle of the sun as the seasons change.

The solar panel is made of silicon, a natural element, which becomes electrically charged when subjected to sunlight. Silica from one ton of sand can, by the way, produce as much electricity as 500,000 tons of coal. Silica is the essential component that turns light into electricity. The size of a solar panel generally determines the wattage it will put out at its maximum. A fifty watt panel is generally two square feet. One hundred ninety watts would be about eight feet.

The charge controller (also called charge regulator) is the most effective means to achieve constant voltage. It monitors the battery's state to insure that when the batteries need charge they will get it, but also insures that the batteries aren't over-charged. Connecting a solar panel to a battery with no regulator seriously risks not only damaging the battery, but also causing a safety hazard.

The batteries are deep cycle, (also called “tolerant”), and designed to be discharged and recharged thousands of times. The battery should have sufficient capacity to supply needed power during the longest expected interval of low sun or extremely cloudy conditions.

Inverters are the component that transforms DC (direct current) into AC (alternating current). Most solar power systems generate DC current which is stored in batteries. Nearly all home lighting and appliances, lighting and motors are designed to use AC power, so that is why an inverter is needed to make the switch to AC, or standard, power.

This overview of system components did not, of course, delve deeply into the technology or science of our PV subject. Deeper investigation than this needs to be applied to discover if a PV system is right for you and your circumstances. Hopefully, it will put you on the path toward that conclusion. PV users have the satisfaction of knowing that, at least in some small measure, they have made the earth a little greener for themselves and their children. They also, after awhile, notice a little added jingle in their pockets or girth in their wallets, as the financial advantages of their PV system become apparent. Good luck!