Home Solar Power Systems
Homeowner, do you know the basic types of home solar power systems? Let’s break them down in simple language. It’s the first step towards picking the system that’s right for you. There are 3 basic ways to collect sunlight: solar roof panels, ground-mounted panels, and solar roof tiles. The choice between them depends on both your house and your budget.
Then there are 3 ways that your home energy system will relate to the electric grid of your city or town. It might be grid-tied, grid-tied with storage, or fully off-grid. The choice between these does depend on how much you want to spend, but it also depends on where you’re located and on how you want to live.
What happens once you know the types of home solar power systems? You’ll be able to have a smart conversation with a solar installation company about how to power your home.
Solar Roof Panels
These are the most common type of home solar power panels. Solar roof panels have a proven track record as the leading form of home solar, which means they’re easy to find and that it’s easy to find an installer who knows their ins and outs. If your roof is a good fit for solar roof panels, you probably want to choose this tried and true option.
Ground Mounted
If the size, strength, or placement of your roof isn’t ideal for direct sunlight there’s another option. Ground-mounted solar panels live in your yard instead of on top of your house. These are seen less often than solar roof panels. For homeowners who have larger properties and want to keep their roofline clean, these can be a good solution. They’re also great if you want to build a smaller solar system that you plan on adding to later. If you are planning an addition to your home, for example, you may need more power in the future. With a ground-mounted system, it’s easy to keep up with that demand. You can just inexpensively add another panel to the yard instead of having the price and hassle of changing equipment on your roof.
Solar Roof Tiles
This newer technology doesn’t have the same track record as mounted panels, but it is getting attention from designers. Solar roof tiles or “solar shingles” barely show, with a slim silhouette that’s visually streamlined. That’s great news for homeowners who have architecturally important or notable houses. The technology is more expensive in general, but there is an exception. If you are re-roofing completely or are building a new home on your property, using solar shingles may work out to be cost-effective. Doing your solar switch and your roofing in a single purchase of labor and equipment can be less expensive than putting on a new roof and then putting solar panels on top of it.[1] Northern California Solar Energy Association
Grid-Tied
Most home solar power systems fit this category. Grid-tied just means that while you make your own energy, you are also connected to the larger power grid of your city or town. A grid-tied system will draw from that larger utility grid to keep your home humming even if you are low on sunlight during evenings or darker seasons of the year. The stability of power plus low cost is why most people choose a grid-tied system. Being grid-tied also opens the door to net metering which can save you even more money.
Grid-Tied With Storage
Since a major advantage of a grid-tied system is power stability, it’s no surprise that homeowners sometimes want some extra security with it. Solar batteries can store your extra sunny power for later usage. They provide a barrier against outages and help strengthen the overall energy grid of your city or town by helping you achieve energy independence. That makes them more popular in areas that have frequent grid outages due to events like hurricanes or frequent snowstorms.
A solar power system with a battery is more expensive to install than a system that doesn’t have its own storage, but as consumer demand for these rises the cost may go down. Industry leaders project that although only a minority of home systems have batteries today in 2020, in five years there will be five times as much demand for this kind of solar installation. [2]Solar Energy Industries Association
Off-Grid
An off-grid home solar system is completely energy independent. It has no fallback connection to a utility power grid. There are some situations where this is the best option and some situations where it may be your only option. An off-grid solar power system can give you electricity in remote locations where no other power is available or affordable. If you’re in a remote location like a mountain area, bringing a power line to your home from a utility grid can cost as much as $50,000 a mile. That means an off-grid system with good energy storage equipment is the best use of your budget.[3]US Department of Energy
No matter which type of system you choose, the only right home solar power choice is the one that’s right for you.
To review what you’ve learned and take your knowledge about solar power systems to the next level, take a quiz on Systems for Going Solar.