Grid-Tied Solar System with Battery Backup

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July 22nd, 2010 Solar Power

When I first started looking into how to set up a Solar Power system on my home, the system that made the most sense to me is a Grid-Tied Solar System with a Battery Backup. This system makes sense to me because I can still tap into the electric lines for larger power consumption needs, but I would also have the additional benefit of slowly building a solar power system that wold support my energy use as well as supply uninterruptible power in the case of storms or blackouts. Another cool feature of this system is that I can still take advantage of net metering and grid connection rebates as my system expands.

So how does a grid-tied solar system work?
Take a look at the diagram attached to this post to help provide a visual for the information listed below:

1) Sunlight hits solar panels attached to your roof and convert sunlight into electricity.
2) This electricity travels through wires to the charge controller, which senses battery voltage and regulates battery charging.
3) The Charge Controller is then conected to a battery bank and the electricity is then used to keep the batteries fully charged
4) The remaining electricity is then transferred to the inverter, which takes the electricity from the solar panels and battery bank (DC electricity) and converts it into the electricity your home needs to run your regular appliances, lighting, etc. (AC electricity)
5) This AC electricity then travels to your standard utility breaker box, and is supplied to your new utility net meter – which then of course feeds the electricity both to your home and to the electrical utility grid.
6) In the event of an emergency (blackout or power loss), your system automatically begins to draw power from the backup batteries and converts it into electricity. The Backed-Up AC Service Panel feeds into the appliances and other electrical needs you deem necessary in the event of power loss.

The main components of this system are:

Solar Panels and Mounting racks
Charge controller
Battery bank
Inverter
DC/AC Connection/Disconnect Box
Net meter

This is the system I hope to build in my rental property as the final stage of my Solar Power Project House.