Solar Installation ‣ Bluebird Holdings

What is Solar Energy?

Utilizing the sun’s beams, solar energy creates renewable or “green” energy. The most common method of utilising solar energy is through solar panels, commonly referred to as photovoltaic cells.

These are the panels that you will see on nearby residences and commercial buildings that are made of semiconductor materials. The electrons in the atoms of the cells are disturbed as a result of the sun’s rays allowing them to move freely throughout the cell and produce energy.

Additionally, solar thermal systems can be used to heat water or other liquids, which can then be used to heat a house or other structure. They can also be used to make steam, which can be used to power a turbine and produce electricity or heat your home’s water.

Necessary components of a Solar System for Home or Business

A home or business Solar System comprises several components namely:

Solar Panels: Solar panels must be put in sufficient numbers to collect the required amount of solar energy.
Battery Storage: The system needs a battery that can store electricity in order to function at night or in circumstances where the power from the grid is lost. Depending on your needs, the battery capacity will change. Notable solar systems for small companies need far less battery storage because they are typically open during the day.
DC to AC inverter: The system needs an inverter to convert the DC electricity generated into AC power so that appliances and other devices can utilise it.
Charging Regulator: You’ll also need a charging regulator, which regulates the current that comes from the solar panels, to charge batteries at a constant voltage and current.
Cabling and DB board: Lastly everything needs to be connected to each other with the proper cabling via a DB board

Solar Installation

Solar Panel Installation Process

The most common location for the installation of solar PV panels is the roof. Most roofs typically have the desired specifications for the installation, so that panels get the maximum sunlight.

Nevertheless, if installation on the roof is not applicable or desired, the solar panels could also be mounted on the ground. You just need to make sure that there are no objects blocking access to the sun.

How many solar PV panels do you need?

Determining the amount of solar PV panels, you require would depend on your solar requirements for your home. An easy start to determine the number of solar panels you require, is to determine the flowing factors:

How much energy does your home consume?
Is your home’s roof capable for solar panel installations and what is the area size of your roof?
Most areas around South Africa have sunny days, but are your house situated to receive direct sunlight?
The required wattage and efficiency of the solar panels you want to install.

Inverters

Grid-tie solar inverter Centurion

Solar panels in Centurion produce DC current which is connected to a regular AC grid by the means of a solar inverter. So basically, the solar panels generate electricity which can be connected to the electricity grid of Centurion by the means of a grid-tied solar inverter. Setting up such a system, allows you to supply a load by using solar power or the Eskom’s electricity grid in Centurion. A grid-tied solar inverter latches itself to the electricity grid’s frequencies and voltages in Centurion. A grid-tied inverter can only be installed in locations such as Centurion where there is an electricity grid available. When the solar array produces more current than what is needed for a home in Centurion, the grid-tie inverter diverts all the excessive electricity back into the Eskom grid.

Centurion Off-grid solar inverter

Off-grid solar inverters in Centurion are best suited for people who want to be completely off the Eskom grid and be self-efficient, or for people who do not have access to Eskom’s electricity grid. A fully installed off-grid solar system in Centurion can be pricey but, it can save large amount of money in the long term. Solar panels in Centurion generate DC power which is stored in a solar battery bank. The off-grid solar inverter converts the DC power stored in the battery bank to AC current to use in your home in Centurion. A off-grid solar inverter can also be connected to a generator as a backup power if the solar panels doesn’t produce enough power in Centurion. Therefore, installing a complete off-grid solar system in Centurion with an off-grid solar inverter, always ensure to correctly size your solar panel array and also your battery bank. Solar Guru’s Centurion solar team of experts can assist you with correctly sizing an off-grid solar inverter and system.

Hybrid solar inverter Centurion

The most simple and economical solar and battery systems use a hybrid solar inverter in Centurion. These inverters combine a solar inverter, charger and battery inverter together with software which can be programmed to determine the most efficient use of your available energy in Centurion. Having all the components in one simple plug and play unit means hybrid inverters in Centurion are generally much lower cost and easier to install. These hybrid solar inverters in Centurion also offer instantaneous backup like a UPS.

a Hybrid inverter are a very affordable choice for average size households in Centurion who want to be more self-sufficient using solar and batteries but don’t intend on disconnecting from the grid or rarely experience blackouts,

a hybrid solar system in Centurion uses a simple hybrid inverter which contains a solar inverter and battery inverter/charger together with clever controls which determine the most efficient use of your available energy.

Solar inverters

We offers a range of solar inverters in at affordable prices, at our sister company Bluebird SA. Our solar inverters are highly efficient and offers excellent performance in solar installations. Below are some of our solar inverter products offered at Bluebird SA:

Solar Batteries

At the heart of any solar PV system sits the battery bank; the battery bank can be either a single or multiple batteries connected to each other. Batteries are connected to each other in order to increase:

– the battery voltage (in Volts, V), or
– the battery capacity (in Ampere hours, Ah), or
– both capacity and voltage.

(Power = Volts x Ampere, or W = V x A).