Nowadays, we have many options available to reduce our monthly energy bills by simply using the natural resources available on the planet.
The Sun is the main source of free and clean energy available for mankind, which can be used to generate electricity at large scale, and also to power homes and business all around the planet.
Many areas of the planet that receive at least 5 hours of sunlight per day during the year, can be used to generate clean electricity, which will automatically reduce our energy bills because having a solar power PV system installed on the rooftop we can use the energy produced by the panels to power our appliances and light bulbs without consuming the energy provided by the grid.
Solar power can help you save money and also reduce your carbon footprint even if you live in a community that is connected to the grid, or you live in a remote location where the grid is not an option.
Types of Solar PV Systems
Today, we can find on the solar market, several types of solar PV systems:
1. Grid-tied solar PV systems
A grid-tied solar PV system is semi-autonomous because you remain connected to the grid and to save money, only the excess energy produced by the system will be sent back to feed the grid.
Using this type of solar PV system, you will always have energy some being provided by your panels and some being provided by the grid.
However, in case of a blackout, you will remain without power even having the solar PV system installed on your rooftop because being connected to the grid, the solar PV system will be off during the blackout.
To overcome this issue, you need a battery system to store the energy produced by the panels.
2. Off-grid solar PV systems
If you live in an area where the grid is not available, you can use an off-grid solar PV system to generate free and clean electricity for your home.
Some of the energy produced by the panels is stored in a battery system and can be used during the night or in the cloudy days.
Being on your own in terms of energy production keeps you safe from any outage in the grid.
However, if your panels can’t produce enough energy during a longer period of time (several cloudy or rainy days), you will run out of power, and you will be forced to use a diesel generator to charge the battery instead of using the solar panels.
To solve the issue you can always increase the battery system to store more power.
To start using solar power and save money on energy bills you first need to learn what is solar energy.
After you understand what is solar power and how can help you to generate your own own energy and pay lower energy bills, you have to make list with all the appliances, light bulbs and gadgets used inside the house.
After knowing how much energy you consume during the day, you will understand what solar PV system can you install.
If you have a lower budget, you can start with a smaller PV system, which can only reduce your energy bills.
If the budget is higher, you can search for a larger PV system that can cover the energy demand of your home and can even produce some power for the grid.
Such a system is more expensive, but will help you to pay zero energy bills and also make some money for the energy sent back in the grid.
You will not only power your home, but you will also power your neighbors, and the utility company will pay you money for this.