Solar installation what you need to know

One can not talk about solar inverter installation without a brief introduction about solar energy, this is the most abundant usable energy generated from the sun in the form of electric or thermal energy. Solar energy is captured in a variety of ways, the most common of which is with photovoltaic solar panels that convert the sun’s rays into usable electricity which is our focus for this article. Aside from using photovoltaics to generate electricity, solar energy is commonly used in thermal applications to heat indoor spaces or fluids.

Homeowners and commercial property owners can install solar hot water systems and solar pumps, design their homes with passive solar cooling in mind to fully take advantage of the sun’s energy with solar technology.

What is a solar installation system

This  an array of photovoltaic cells mounted in a framework that supply solar electricity to electrical equipment, the main components of a solar power system are photovoltaic (PV) panels, a DC to AC power converter (called an inverter) and a rack system that holds the PV panels in place

What is solar pv installation

A photovoltaic system, also a PV system or solar power system, is a power system designed to supply usable solar power by means of photovoltaics.pv installation Solar panels are installed at three main scales: residential, commercial, and utility.

Residential solar is typically installed on rooftops of homes or in open land (ground-mounted) and is generally between 5 and 20 kilowatts (kW), depending on the size of a property. Commercial solar energy projects are generally installed at a greater scale than residential solar. Though individual installations can vary greatly in size, commercial-scale solar serves a consistent purpose: to provide on-site solar power to businesses and non-profits. Finally, utility-scale solar projects are typically large, several megawatt (MW) installations that provide solar energy to a utility facility or the national grid

Equipments Needed for a Solar Installation

here is a list of the equipment needed for a solar installation.

• photovoltaic (PV) solar panels
• rack system
• inverter
• battery bank
• mppt charge controller

photovoltaic (PV) solar panels

The solar panels themselves are the key elements of a solar power system. Made up of mostly solar cells, framing, and glass; solar panels work by collecting and harnessing photovoltaic energy from the sun and delivering that energy as ‘direct current’ (DC) power to an inverter or converter component (maybe a charge controller in some instances. Solar panels are given output ratings in watts.

This rating is the maximum produced by the panel under ideal conditions. Output per panel is between 10 and 450 watts, with 100 watts be a common configuration. The essential attributes to consider are the efficiency, cost, warranty, and technology type

Solar Panel Prices in Nigeria

There are various types of Solar panels to generate electricity from the sun. The price of a 200W monocrystalline solar panels starts at 40,000 Naira. A 200W polycrystalline type starts at 43,000 Naira. In all, you can buy a Solar Panel starting at 10W for 6,000 Naira.

Note that solar panels can come with different output voltage. Hence a 200W solar panel may offer 12V, 24V, etc. You can connect several solar panels in series to get your required voltage output. also, prices are subject the brand and manufacture we advice you buy trusted brands to get value for your money right from the start.

Inverter

Standard home appliances use AC (alternating current) Inverters are the mechanisms that convert the direct current (DC) produced by the solar panels into the alternating current (AC).

The resulting power can then be sent to a breaker or balance of system component and is available for standard use that homes require.

Types of Inverter

Inverters come in three types and use various technologies to enable efficiency in the function to produce AC power.

• String or centralized inverters: connects your solar array to the electrical panel of your home, wired for a row of solar panels to connect to one of several strings inside the inverter to accommodate a series of modules. their exist a potential for production loss, if one panel in your system isn’t performing well due to a shading issue, your entire array’s performance will fall until that single panel recovers
• Microinverters:
• Power optimizers:

rack system (array)

Also called photovoltaic module racking, this is the foundation that holds your solar array in place, a solar racking system is used to safely fix solar panels to various surfaces such as roofs, building facades, or the ground.

Mounts are used to attaching solar panels to the roof system is designed to easily be retrofitted to existing rooftops and structures.

Types of Solar Mounting Structures

There are four basic types of mount structures: roof/ground, top-of-pole, side-of-pole and tracking mounts, each having their own pros and cons. For example roof, mount structures typically keep the wire run distances between the solar array and battery bank or grid-tie inverter to a minimum, which is good.

Roof mounting structures

This is the most common method of installing solar arrays. The roof acts as the base support of the solar system. It is the most preferred option for city dwellers, the most common being railed, rail-less and shared rail

Ground-mounted structure

This requires infrastructure that will excavate an area to install the mounting structure that will support the panels Ground mounts take up more space, but they’re easier to access for installation and repair. They also give you greater control over the orientation of your array to maximize production

top-of-pole mounted structure

Sometimes the best and most adjustable solar array mounting solution is a Top-of-Pole mount. The Top-of-Pole Mount (TPM) is designed to install quickly and provide a secure mounting structure for PV modules on a single pole. The module-specific design reduces the number of components and provides for an easier assembly. Standard top-of-pole mounts are adjustable from 15° to 65°, in 10° increments, and fit on Schedule 40 or 80 steel pipe

Side of poll mounted structure

The Side-of-Pole Mount (SPM) is designed to install quickly and provide a secure mounting structure for PV modules on a single pole. The module-specific design reduces the number of components and provides for an easy assembly

With its user-adjustable angle settings, the Side of
Pole Mount can support installations in a wide range of
locations.

Tracking mounted structure

Solar Panel Mounting Structure is the adjustable angle tracking solar mounting in which tilt angles can be changed according to the seasonal variations manually or automatically with sensors  Trackers can operate on a flat rooftop if they’re held closer to the roofline

What is a Solar Charge Controller

A solar charge controller, charge regulator or battery regulator manages the power going into the battery bank from the solar array also limits the rate at which electric current is drawn from electric batteries.

Since there is no physically controllable regulator that turns off/on solar energy, it is necessary that the power it gives off is regulated for longer lasting batteries.

Types of Solar Charger Controller

There are three different types of solar charge controllers, they are;

• Simple 1 or 2 stage controls-It has shunt transistors to control the voltage in one or two steps. This controller basically just shorts the solar panel when a certain voltage is arrived at. Their main genuine fuel for keeping such a notorious reputation is their unwavering quality – they have so not many segments, there is very little to break.
• PWM (pulse width modulated)-PWM stands for Pulse Width Modulation, which stands for the method they use to regulate charge. PWM controllers have the more basic charging feature in the sense that they mainly just drop the voltage coming from the panel to charge the batteries. This drop-in voltage equates to a loss in wattage, in the case of the PWM causing a 75-80% efficiency.
• Maximum power point tracking (MPPT)-MPPT stands for Maximum Power Point Tracking, which stands for the method these use to regulate charge. MPPT charge controllers use this method of charging, which essentially finds out at any given condition, what is the maximum operating point for the panels current and voltage. With this method, MPPT controllers are actually 94-99% efficient.

Charge controllers are arguably the most important components of off-grid solar systems. Without them, batteries would be overwhelmed and unable to keep up with the dynamic changes in energy that come from solar panels. When choosing the correct charge controller, it is important to keep in mind the specifics of the project at hand

Battery Bank

The battery bank means several batteries with parallel and series connection set up into an energy storage bank, which stores solar energy from the solar panel and provide electricity to loads via DC-AC inverter. The battery bank is a core item in a solar power system as energy storage.

For more on inverter battery, we have writing an in-depth blog article about it in the link. https://mozabo.com/engineering/inverter-battery/. Also. to help you calculate the right size of inverter and backup power needed here is another blog https://mozabo.com/engineering/how-to-select-right-inverter-capacity-for-your-home/

Solar Panel Installation Diagram

Here are a couple of solar panel installation diagram for roof mounted and floor mounted

Solar Installation with Battery

The benefits of a home battery can be big, especially if you have solar: you can use more solar energy onsite, or save it to use as backup power in the event that the grid goes down.

Adding a solar battery to a grid-connected residential project also allows the array to keep providing power to critical loads when the grid is down

Advantage of Solar Battery

Rising costs in electricity bills only get worse with the new electricity tariff announced recently by NERC. The reason for this is that resources are becoming scarce and the population of people is not getting any smaller. Solar system batteries are able to supply electricity to appliances needed daily. some examples of these appliances are cooking stoves, cooling systems for houses, heaters, security devices such as CCTV, automated gates, lights for both indoors and outdoors.

• Low electricity bills:-Solar panels and solar battery storage give you clean energy without the need for using power from the main energy grid and your energy supplier
• Low contribution to pollution:-While solar batteries cost a bit more, they are noise-free and do not produce greenhouse gasses
• Low Maintenance Costs:-Solar energy systems don’t require a lot of maintenance. You only need to keep them clean, free from dirt, bird droppings leaves from trees and dust. cleaning them a couple of times per year will do the job
• Unlimited supply of solar batteries:-With the integration of solar batteries used by homes today, electricity can now be stored in greater numbers
• Free source of power:-Sunlight is the main source of energy which solar batteries derive their power from. As long as the sun keeps shining, your batteries never run out of power.
• Portable energy:- Solar batteries are capable of transportation for use in the most obscure areas. Unlike traditional power sources, solar energy can be used anywhere.

Solar Battery Function

These Inverter batteries have a wide range of uses such as power backup inverter batteries for appliances, office equipment and even manufacturing equipment. The higher your battery’s capacity, the more solar energy it can store.

 How quickly the battery charges depends on the amount of extra energy being produced, which itself depends on multiple factors like the size of the solar system and the current electricity demand in the home

Solar Battery Prices in Nigeria

A good sealed maintenance free deep cycle Inverter battery for a solar power system can cost between 70,000 Naira and 180,000 Naira depending on type and capacity. the most used is our luminous battery 12v/200ah we offer the best price in Nigeria.

Inverter battery prices are affected by design and type of electorate here is how to distinguish them (SMF, VRLA, Gel, AGM, SAGM, FLA, Li-ion) flooded/tubular

Here is are prices of inverter batteries for your solar power system from our online store

What to do with Excess Solar Power

If your solar panels are producing more electricity than you need, the excess energy goes towards charging the battery. Later, when your solar panels aren’t producing electricity, you can draw down the energy you stored earlier in your battery for night use

Unfortunately, though solar energy itself is free, the high cost of its collection, conversion, and storage still limit its exploitation in many places.

Worst Place for Solar Panels Installation

Unfortunately, though solar energy itself is free, the high cost of its collection, conversion, and storage still limits its exploitation in many places.

Problems with Installing Solar Panels on Roof

Unfortunately, though solar energy itself is free, the high cost of its collection, conversion, and storage still limits its exploitation in many places.

 Solar Installation Cost

Unfortunately, though solar energy itself is free, the high cost of its collection, conversion, and storage still limits its exploitation in many places.

Why is Solar Installation so Expensive

Unfortunately, though solar energy itself is free, the high cost of its collection, conversion, and storage still limits its exploitation in many places.

How Long Does Solar Installation Take

The solar company is usually chomping at the bit to get the home solar system installed. The parts are ordered, everyone shows up on time early in the morning all ready to go.

Now let’s install the most beautiful panels in the world onto your roof or on a ground mount. How long does this phase take? You’re in luck. It’s generally 2-5 days!

Start your Solar Journey Today with Mozabo Engineering

Nigeria’s online solar marketplace with custom solar quotes tailored to fit your needs.

Some Solar installation questions to ask