The solar photovoltaic system or solar PV system is a technology developed to transform the energy from the sun’s rays into electricity through solar panels.
This technology is eco-friendly, safe to use, and generates green energy without causing pollution. A photovoltaic system comes in various sizes and is useful in solar water heating, ventilation, lighting, and transportation.
Types Of Solar PV Systems
There are three common types of solar PV systems: grid-connected, hybrid, and off-grid.
These PV solar panels supply electricity to customers by converting the sun’s energy into solar energy using different techniques.
- Grid-connected solar photovoltaic systems: Also known as the utility-interactive PV system, this photovoltaic module uses a basic grid-tied inverter. It does not require a battery to operate and has essential components. It transforms PV solar energy into AC power through the inverter. It is a practical solar PV module that reduces the overall electricity consumption.
- Hybrid solar photovoltaic systems: These PV modules are a modified version of a grid-tied system and consist of a battery backup. It is integrated with diesel generators and converts energy to AC or DC voltage.
- Off-grid solar photovoltaic systems: It is an ideal device for people who cannot use grid-connected solar photovoltaic systems due to geographical restrictions or high costs.
It is known as a stand-alone PV system due to its efficiency in standing independently of the power grid. The battery stores the PV solar energy for later use.
Advantages of Solar Photovoltaic System
Since the PV system evolved, it has helped people in many ways. Its eco-friendly utility has been quite beneficial in saving the environment from the side effects of using fossil fuels.
The following are some advantages of the solar photovoltaic system:
- Solar energy is a renewable energy source. While fossil fuel can be exhausted, solar energy never exhausts. Since the power is drawn from the sun, it will never deplete.
- It is easy to access from any location due to its availability.
- It is an economical energy source as one does not need to purchase energy from sunlight. Although a solar photovoltaic system is required to draw the power from the sun, the sun being the raw material is free and abundant.
- It is ideal for distributed power generation and intelligent energy networks.
- The maintenance cost is relatively low compared to the other sources of energy.
- It provides noiseless operation and, thus, does not contribute to noise pollution.