Solar System Design

Design Considerations

Living with a solar power system requires some adjustment to live more closely with and be more aware of your environment in order to achieve the most cost effective power system. Complimentary services and equipment may also reduce your power load requirements providng flexibility and keeping costs in an affordable range.

 

 

Design Issues

The electrical peak load that draws power from your battery is a crucial factor in your system design. The greater the draw off rate (how fast electricity is drawn from the batteries) the larger the battery storage requirements and the higher the draw off voltage. Above a maximum specified rate the batteries will collapse and fail and result in expensive replacement. Higher draw off rates also require bigger inverters, and possibly larger solar arrays, which also add to your costs.

Household electrical items to be avoided in a solar power system, due to the high draw off rate they cause, include:-

• electrical resistance room heaters such as bar radiators
• electric stove and oven
• Electric water heaters including electric jugs
• electric frypans
• air conditioners (reverse cycle)
  

 

Small power tools can be used, but electrical arc welding shall not be supplied from the solar power system at all.

 When Sunbeam Solar designs your solar system you will be asked to complete an estimate of your power usage based on the electrical appliances that you will be supplying from your proposed solar power system. This estimate will be the basis of your system design.

 

Other Power Options

When choosing to go solar, consider other complimentary power sources to keep your environmentally responsible decision affordable, such as :

• LPG bottled gas (or mains natural gas if available) for:
• room heating
• stoves and ovens
• water heating
• Solar Water heating
• Generator for peak load items
• Grid interactive system allowing you to draw from the electrical mains for peak loads, as well as sell back to the mains your surplus energy. You will need to have the mains available to your home for this option.