In a country like India, where electricity walks out every now and then, leaving us with an irritated mood and sweaty bodies, while the electricity bills skyrocket on a regular basis, people have gracefully turned to solar panels as an impeccable solution to these atrocious problems.
So, if you are planning to obtain a brand new solar system, then you doubtlessly possess numerous questions in your mind as to how the system operates and what you will have to be compelled to meet your individual requirements.
The majority of the solar systems need a reliable power source, which in most cases is a battery, however, along with the exorbitant cost of the solar system, you will obviously need to buy the batteries, not to mention the extra cost of their installation, maintenance, and replacement in future.
Therefore, the billion-dollar question that arises often in today’s age is, can you utilize a solar panel without batteries? And how to use a solar panel directly without a battery? Ladies and gentlemen, the short and sweet answer to this priceless question are, YES, you can! Let us find out HOW exactly.
On-Grid solar system
If you are intensively searching for various economical methods to power your homes and/or offices and minimize your carbon footprint, without compromising on the quantity of electricity flowing inside your house, then an On-Grid solar or grid-tied system is the impeccable solution to all your worries.
This smart set-up is a gigantically efficient way to store energy without needing a battery system and has been fiercely gaining humongous popularity and is most prevalent in commercial and industrial fields.
This is a specially designed photovoltaic system that produces electricity while being connected to the utility grid, and thus, does not require batteries to operate and rather implements solar inverters or micro-inverters.
However, you can add batteries to an on-grid system in the future if the necessity arises.
Let’s find out how this matchless system works:
The very first step that an On-Grid system takes is that it summons electric power from a solar PV array. As the imported current is direct current (DC), hence, from that point, an inverter takes up the job and converts DC it into an alternating form of a current (AC) by regulating and efficiently transforming the energy into a single or triple phase output.
Subsequently, it synchronizes the electric power with the utility power and immediately sends a feedback signal to the grid.
The rest of the electric power returns to the grid which acts as a virtual battery itself by effortlessly absorbing the entire surplus energy, in turn, sending a significant amount of the imported power across other places for daily usage.
And at night, when there is no sign of the blazing sun or its heat, the energy banked by the grid can be grabbed by the loads. Likewise, during foggy and cloudy days, the energy needed can be imported from the grid instantly!
So, at the end of the month, the net billing of this import and export of power is accurately calculated with assistance from a unique device called a Bi-directional meter.
The grid-tied inverter regulates the voltage and quantity of the electric current which flows across the house, as the generated power is way larger than the amount that the house can possibly handle.
On-Grid systems range from mini commercial as well as residential rooftop systems to substantially massive utility-scale solar power stations.
This distinctly impressive system tremendously diminishes the electricity bills as you can sell the remnant electricity generated to a nearby distributor of electric power. In addition to that, there are rarely any storage losses due to the fact that no batteries are involved, hence, an on-grid system majorly contributes to effectively utilizing the power produced.
Varying On-Grid Solar PV systems
You must be surely aware of the fact that solar technology on rooftops has remarkably advanced over the last fifteen years and has constantly served the rapidly heightening demands and excess needs of the middle-class man.
A variety of rooftops are present across the country, and each one possesses its individually unfathomable condition which generally includes, the varying orientations, different types of rooftops, problems related to shadow, and even issues related to the height of the particular building.
Thus, to counteract these supreme issues, on-grid solar PV systems have been designed and manufactured in such a peculiar way that within the system there are various other systems. The prime systems inside a grid-tied PV system consist of power optimizers, a microinverter, and a string inverter.
Within the system’s internal environment, the string inverter maintains a strong connection with a systematic arrangement of panels in series. This inverter’s main job is to gather the DC power that has been consumed and transform it into AC power (as mentioned earlier).
Despite, this inverter possessing fewer components to experience failure, power production is dependent on the least generating model of the arrangement. Moreover, shadow issues lead to a low generation of power.
Therefore, an on-grid system is most suitable for roofs where there are no shadow issues due to trees and taller buildings on the side.
Benefits of an On-Grid Solar system include:
- Comparatively Inexpensive
The on-grid system is quite economical as it utilizes little equipment and does not require batteries, thus, the cost of maintenance and replacement (if required) is much less.
The icing on the cake is that you don’t just acquire more electricity but it fills your bank account too because the implementation of this system tremendously assists you in reducing your bills through a profitable investment in this grid-tied arrangement.
- Multi-purpose
The most admirable benefit of this system is that the usage of photovoltaic components in a grid-tied system not only generates energy but plays a crucial role in raising the sales point by adding a modern and tech-related appearance to your home along with reducing construction costs.
This greatly attracts people to buy a house with the On-grid solar system.
Furthermore, the flexibility of this system, the easy access to and from the power system, and the distribution over construction not only aid in enhancing the energy system but also stays still in times of disasters and wars to reduce losses and overloads.
- Simple and More Effective Process
The working process of the system is incredibly simple as it works while the sun shines on the panel of the system that produces a direct current
This current is converted into alternating current, thus, making it suitable for homes as well as industrial purposes.
In addition to that, the On-grid system can be utilized at home while the off-grid is used in rural and remote areas and is not affected by grid failure or shutdown.
Drawbacks of an On-Grid system are:
- The amount of power generated is related to climatic conditions. It can rarely generate electricity at night or on cloudy and rainy days.
- This system shuts down immediately when the grid goes off and once the power returns it turns back on spontaneously.
- The density of the power released by this inverter is quite mediocre. While the intensity of solar radiation striking ground level is estimated to be 900W/M2
Solar panel inverter without battery
Are you searching for a solar-powered inverter that runs without a battery, for your home or business? This can be tiresome and energy soaking, however, we have some fulfilling news for you as we show you the unique solar panel inverter without a battery.
It is called the ‘hybrid solar inverter’. This system is directly attached to solar panels as well as the power grid, thus, utilizing power from both the equipment.
Fundamentally, a solar inverter’s job is to convert DC generated from the grid to AC, however, this hybrid inverter goes out of the way and collaborates with batteries as well to collect excess power.
A hybrid inverter offers a one-stop solution to all problems associated with renewable energy availability and unpredictable grid structures. The finest aspect of these inverters is that they can store power in batteries and withdraw from them in times of extreme necessity i.e. power shut down.
Additionally, they can maintain well-off connections with the grid too and utilize a perfect mixture of renewable and non-renewable energy for charging batteries and loads too.
Imagine yourself installing a solar panel system with the traditional inverter, you compulsorily require a separate battery-specific inverter if you decide to add a battery later, for the back and forth conversion of electric power DC to AC, in order to allow your battery to store and discharge energy.
But…it’s not the case with the hybrid inverters. You simply do not require another battery inverter when you pair your solar panel with ‘Hybrid’ because of its dual functionality as both an inverter for a solar battery as well as an inverter to absorb electricity from your solar panel.
Isn’t it marvelously priceless?!
However, like almost everything in the realm of technology and the world. This remarkable inverter owns its fair share of downsides.
Let’s take a peek at some of them:
- Expensive equipment
- Additional re-wiring is required during installation
Whichever system you decide to install in the end, take into consideration the entire picture–location, cost, surrounding area, and most importantly, the purpose of installation, because we wouldn’t want you to make the wrong choice and burden yourself with debts and regrets.
