Smart Ways to Harness the Sun to Power Your Home

There are many alternative sources of electricity that people can use either in conjunction with the centralized power grid or as an off the grid power source. A few ways to harness kinetic power and convert it into electrical power are the water turbine, a windmill, solar panels and normal portable generators that use gasoline or diesel. The best option out of all the ones I listed, however, is the solar powered system which harnesses sun rays converts them to electricity through a complicated process to which I can't do it justice in this article. So instead this'll be about the components that consist the solar powered system and how they work together to create one of the most efficient green alternatives to the central power grid.

First, you'll need to estimate your electricity needs by reviewing the electrical bills to determine the annual electricity needs which is pretty simple compared to calculating it based on what you use through the day. Also remember that you'll need to make changes if you add or remove electrical appliances or to the system will need to adapt based on what you're using with or without the connection to the centralised power grid. As for the components you'll need and how to set them up, it's a fairly complicated process, meaning you're going to need some professional help for the second part. As for acquiring the components your best bet is to go with the well-known international brands, Victron products for instance are known for being a cost effective high end option for solar homes.

The panels are the first piece of the puzzle, setting them on top of your home or outside on a  rack and placing it so it gets peak sunlight through the day. Then you're going to want a power inverter, this can be from Victron products which is recommended if your panel is also from them, but you should stay consistent since that will run for a longer period of time. However, why I recommend Victron is because their systems can be monitored from the control box and from your phone, so you can always be sure how much power you're producing and where it's going. And if you're not connected to the centralised power grid then you'll also need to consider getting a battery box for night time and for rainy days. A battery box usually consists of a few big AGM or GEL batteries which can store a lot more electricity than your ordinary car battery.