Solar Panel Extras - About the Extra Equipment You Need to Install a Solar Panel System

Before you even start to consider a solar electricalcharge controller. For safety, you will need a breaker
system, it is a really good idea to examine your homeswitch(fuse) on each solar array. Adequate fuse
for ways to make changes to your living habits andprotection is to prevent over heating of the cables in a
energy usage. You will be surprised at the savings youfault or overload situation which, if unprotected, could
can make to your power bills, simply by adoptingresult in a fire.
eco-friendly power habits. It would be a contradiction,Electrical Controllers and Inverter: The electricity
to install a solar electrical system without making othergenerated by the panels will need to be controlled and
household changes that reduce your dependency onfed to your battery storage. Your wiring to the solar
grid power and fossil fuels. Having said that, solarcharge controller needs to match the size of your
power can provide a clean-energy option that ispanel array.
becoming far more popular. You will of course need toThe next is an over-current protection system to
calculate what you home power needs, before youprotect not only you, but each major component of
can plan on installing any solar electrical system.the system (solar panels, solar charge controller,
Whether your installation is small, large, DIY, orbatteries, and inverter). Your inverter converts your DC
professionally installed, you will still require certainpower from the solar panel to more usable AC
equipment to operate your panels and use its powerPower. The size (wattage) of an inverter must be
output.large enough to handle the total amount of watts you
Mounting: Your solar panels will need to be mounted inwill be using at one time.
a safe and secure manner. It is also an import toBatteries:
protect your investment from the wind. Proper solarWithout deep cycle batteries, you can only use power
panel mounting provides stability and the correctat the time you produce it, that is, when the sun shines.
directional and latitudinal orientation for the solar array.Solar batteries should be deep cycle batteries, they
You will need to decide on the location of the panelsprovide energy storage for solar, wind and other
on your property before you decide to mount therenewable energy systems. These batteries are
modules on the roof, wall, the ground, or on a pole ondifferent from a car battery and are capable of
your property.surviving the prolonged, repeated and deep discharges
Wiring and Collector boxes: If you are connectingwhich are typical of renewable energy systems.
several panels, you will need a safe and secure wayBatteries are measured in amp hours of storage
to connect all the panels, this is called a Multi-Contactcapacity, and you will need to match the number of
Connector or Collector Box. The wiring from yourbatteries to your needs.
panel array needs to be of the correct type and size,So, it seems that there is a lot more to a DIY solar
or you will simply loose power in the wiring before itpanel installation than you may have realised. We
even gets to your storage system, as the wireswould recommend that you should obtain a
resistance can significantly reduce power.comprehensive guide that covers all the details of a
Collector and Fuses: Your panel wiring is usually run tosolar installation. While building or installing a solar panel
a "collector box", and from there to your solar chargesystem is not difficult, there are details that need to be
controller. Combiner Boxes are used to collect theconsidered which can improve the efficiency and
wiring from multiple solar panels, and then from thesafety of the system.
combiner box you run one set of wires to the solar