As the need for renewable energy is increasing, people are shifting towards solar energy solutions as they are environment-friendly and reduce carbon footprint. By installing solar panels with battery storage to the house, it provides a backup power source, reduces dependence on the power grid, saves energy costs, and many more.
Want to know how to connect solar panels to house and use solar energy to power the house? Scroll down to know more about home solar PV systems, how to hook up solar panels to house grid, etc.
Understanding the Basics of Home Solar PV System
Before getting into how to connect solar panels to home grid, let’s learn the basics of solar PV systems, their components, and how they work.
What Is A Solar PV System
Photovoltaic system, popularly known as solar PV system, contains multiple or a single solar panel with solar inverter and different components that utilize sunlight to produce electricity. In simple terms, these PV systems transform sunlight into electricity with the help of solar panels.
Solar panels are composed of semiconductor materials like silicon which can capture sunlight and produce electric current. With solar panels and battery storage systems, it is possible to generate clean and renewable energy that can be utilized to power residences, industries, and other commercial areas.
How Does Solar PV System Work
The photovoltaic effect is the mechanism where sunlight strikes a solar panel and produces an electric current. The light from the sun is composed of energy packets known as photons. Although each panel only generates a little amount of electricity on its own, they can be connected to form a solar array that can generate larger amounts of energy.
The solar panels generate electricity in the form of direct current. The appliances and other things that need power to operate will run on an electrical utility grid, which supplies and demands alternating current. Thus, a solar inverter must be utilized to convert the solar electricity from DC to AC before it can be used. After the inverter produces AC electricity, it can be routed to the home electrical grid to power the house.
Components Of A Solar PV System Work
The solar PV systems contain plenty of components that work together to absorb sunlight and transform it into usable electricity. The primary components of solar PV systems include:
- Solar panels
- Power inverter
- Charge controller
- Batteries
- Mechanical mounting equipment
- Electrical meter
- Power processing equipment
- Overcurrent and surge protection devices
- Grounding equipment
How to Connect Solar Panels to Home Grid
Understanding the basics of solar PV systems makes it easy to become familiar with the solar PV system components and know how they work. This way, one can easily buy the required components and ensure safe and secure installation of the solar PV system.
Step 1: Understand Energy Needs
Before getting into how to hook solar panels up to your house, it is essential to evaluate the patterns of energy consumption. To calculate the average daily or monthly energy consumption, it is best to check the monthly electricity bills. By evaluating the energy needs, it will be easy to know the right size and capacity of the solar panel system needed to satisfy the household’s electricity demands.
Step 2: Inspect The Rooftop
Another vital factor to consider is if the rooftop is suitable for installing solar panels. Check the shading, orientation, and structural integrity of the main roof. If the south side of the roof faces the sun, it is the best place to install solar panels due to better exposure to sunlight.
See if there are any obstacles that could cause the panels to lose light and become less effective in producing electricity. In addition to that, make sure that the weight of the solar panels and the mounting gear can be supported by the roof.
Step 3: Buy The Required Solar Components
It is time to acquire the required components for the solar panel system. Make sure to buy them from a reliable solar panel system manufacturer to ensure quality, safety, and reliability. The essential components for the solar panel system include:
- Solar panels
- Solar inverter
- Solar batteries
- Solar charge controller
- Mounting system
- Wiring
- Electrical connectors
Step 4: Install and Wire Solar Panels
One needs to utilize specialized brackets and hardware in order to mount the solar panels firmly on the roof. In order to boost the voltage output, the solar panels should be attached in a series. Want to know how to wire solar panels to house?
Use the proper MC4 connectors to connect the solar panels in the appropriate series. Make sure the positive to positive and negative to negative polarity is right. Connect the final panel’s wiring to a junction box adjacent to the inverter. When wiring solar panels to house, make sure the wiring is adequately insulated and weatherproof.
Step 5: Install Solar Inverter
Select an area for the inverter that is both weatherproof and easy to reach for regular maintenance. It is best to install the solar inverter in a weatherproof enclosure or indoors. Attach the inverter to a stable surface or mount it on a wall. Attach the solar panels’ output to the inverter’s input. Use a solid circuit breaker to link the inverter’s output to the electrical panel of the house.
Step 6: Setup Solar Batteries and Attach Them To Solar Panels
Install the home solar storage batteries and attach them to the solar charge controller. This is because the charge controller will supervise the amount of energy that goes from the batteries to the solar panels and vice versa.
Make sure to charge the batteries beforehand so that the solar panel system can start generating electricity right away. After everything is configured, the panels will collect solar energy and transform it into electrical power.
Step 7: Connect Battery and Inverter to The Home Grid
It is time to attach the inverter and batteries to the home grid. How to connect solar panels to battery? Based on the solar panel system setup, the solar battery and inverter may need to be connected to the circuit breaker panel and fuse box in order to run into the house.
To send power from the solar power system throughout your entire house, connect each connection in the breaker box to a different area of your property. Make sure to check once again that all the connections in the fuse box, circuit breakers, and solar power system are attached securely.
Wondering how to connect solar panels to grid? It is recommended to hire a professional to ensure safe and secure solar panel installation. BLJ Solar is a professional solar energy system manufacturer and our experts ensure that the connection is secure and complies with local electrical codes.
Conclusion
Connecting a solar panel system to the house is relatively beneficial as it allows homeowners to store excess solar energy and use it later at night or during power outages. Also, they can depend less on the grid, ensure constant power supply to the house, save money on power bills, and contribute towards a sustainable future.
Make sure to buy only high-quality solar panel components from a reliable manufacturer. BLJ Solar offers the best and most reliable solar panel components. Contact BLJ Solar to order affordable solar panel components and get instant quotes.