Grid Connect Solar Panels: Understand the Advantages

Is solar power an alternate or a complementary form of energy? Many people think of solar energy systems as alternatives to traditional electric power, but these days, it's far more common for homeowners to choose grid tie solar panels than off grid solar energy systems. What's the difference? An off grid system makes you completely independent of the traditional electrical delivery system - the grid. A grid tie solar energy system, also called an on grid system, leaves you connected to the grid and allows you to replace all or part of your building's total electricity needs from the solar panels installed. In other words, rather than being an alternative to traditional electricity, a solar PV panel array is a replacement/supplement to it.

There are a number of advantages to using a grid connect solar power system rather than an off grid system. They include more flexibility, higher reliability, lower installation costs and the option to participate in UK incentives to reduce your costs further.

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An on-grid or grid-tied system guarantees that you'll always have all the electricity you need, even when your solar panels aren't producing energy. If your solar PV panels aren't keeping up with the amount of energy you're using, your home will automatically pull electricity from the grid. When you choose an off-grid system, the solar panels will charge a battery from which your home can draw power when the solar energy system can't keep up, but the amount of electricity available will be necessarily limited by the amount of energy the battery can store. That makes off-grid solar panel systems less reliable during periods of extreme weather or extended periods of cloud cover.

Smaller Up-Front Costs

A standard on-grid solar panel system is the least expensive option for solar energy generation. If you choose an off-grid system, you'll have to add the cost of a battery storage system and monitoring system to your upfront costs. You can also choose an on-grid system with a battery backup, which is the highest up-front cost of the three options, but allows you the ability to recoup your investment more quickly.

Zero Maintenance

When you choose a grid-tied system, the utility company will be responsible for repairs and maintenance. With an off-grid solar panel system, you'll have to bear the costs of repairs and maintenance yourself. You'll also find that your batteries wear out far more quickly than the solar panels - which will last up to 40 years - and you'll have to replace them several times over the course of your use. While you'll also have to replace batteries in an on-grid solar energy system with a backup battery, you won't have to replace them as soon or as often because you'll be using the batteries less often.

Energy Credits

One of the biggest advantages of an on-grid solar panel system is the opportunity to reduce your energy bills by selling the electricity you produce back to the electric company. Essentially, any energy generated by the solar PV panels on your roof will go first to your home. If the amount produced exceeds the amount you're using at the moment, the inverter will feed the excess into the electrical grid. When it comes time to total up your bill, the amount of electricity that your solar energy system fed into the grid will be deducted from the amount of electricity that your home drew from it. If your solar panels produce more electricity than you use, the electricity company will actually pay you for it.

For more information about solar panels, solar energy systems, solar heating systems and other alternative energy systems, contact a local solar company that does solar panel installation. They'll be happy to answer all your questions and provide you with a solar quote for converting your home to cleaner, greener electricity.

To learn more about subjects like solar panels please visit the web site at: http://www.solaressence.co.uk

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About the Author

+Chris Robertson is a published author of Majon International. All Rights Reserved. Copyright 2013 (Tue Sep 20 2011) Majon International. Majon International is one of the worlds MOST popular internet marketing and internet advertising companies on the web. Visit their main business resource internet marketing web site at: http://www.majon.com