Catalog Pg. 3

Introduction To Solar Electricity

A PV system is a welcome replacement to a life with a generator. Generators are inefficient in cost per kilowatt because they must run constantly at full RPM even if only a light bulb or a TV is being powered. They are noisy and require a lot of maintenance. They are much more expensive than a PV system if length of life and periodic maintenance are realistically considered. If a generator is needed, it should be used in conjunction with a PV system to create a PV/GEN hybrid. This increases the generator's efficiency while at the same time decreasing its running time and thus extending the generator's life.

A remote home is usually sited where it is because the owner wants privacy. Any owner who pays the price for power from the grid will automatically get some neighbors in the process. On the other hand, a person can purchase a piece of land inaccessible to power, have his or her privacy, and pay less because it is not attractive to the majority of people who feel that grid power is a necessity. The money saved buying lower priced land can be used to pay for a large PV system. For the complete recluse, there will be no monthly visit from the meterman.

pay more when the relatives come for a week and leave all the lights on. With a PV system you will conserve or start the backup generator. There are, of course, very large installed, turnkey systems for those with the economic means.

More and more we are selling PV systems to people in the Northeast who are building a new home that is well within reach of the power line. These people are ignoring the economic reality that a PV system will produce electricity that will cost them two times per kilowatt what the power company charges. They just plain want to do everything independently of the system.

Owning and installing a PV system is a significant commitment. You will need to understand its use just as you had to learn to drive a car. You will also need to troubleshoot the basics of the system to be able to call your dealer or the manufacturer.

We hope you will view your PV home as a model for PV homes to follow and therefore spend a little extra time and a little extra money to do the best job possible. We hope you will bring your system up to the standards of the National Electrical Code® (or NEC®), have it inspected by the local electrical inspector, show it to everyone you meet, and spread the word that there is a new, better, and independent way for us to produce our home electricity.

How A PV System Works

The simple PV system contains a PV module, a battery, and a load. (See Figure 1) The module transforms light energy to low voltage DC electricity that is stored in the battery until the electrical load is activated. The load uses the energy stored in the battery and the PV module then recharges the battery. The PV module could directly power the load. A 50 watt PV panel could power a 50 watt light bulb, but only in the daytime, and only on a sunny day. The battery can power the load at a time when the PV module is not producing electricity. On a sunny day a 50 watt PV module produces 50 watt-hours per hour for six hours, or 300 watt-hours per day. In this case the module could recharge the battery after the battery has been depleted 300 watt-hours. A possible load might be three 50 watt bulbs run for two hours each.

Note: This introduction is continued on the next web page.

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