Solar Power System "On-Grid System"

All solar energy systems work on the same basic principles. Solar panels first convert solar energy or sunlight into DC power through a process known as the photovoltaic (PV) effect. DC power can be stored in a battery or converted by a solar inverter into AC power that can be used to run household appliances. Depending on the type of system, excess solar energy can be fed into the electric grid for credits or stored in various battery storage systems. Here in this post, we are going to discuss solar on grid system.

Grid-tied solar or grid-tied solar systems are by far the most common and are widely used by homes and businesses. These systems do not require batteries and use solar inverters or microinverters and are connected to the public electricity grid. Any excess solar energy you produce is exported to the power grid, and you are typically paid a Feed-In Tariff (FiT) or credit for the energy you export.

Unlike hybrid systems, grid-tied solar systems cannot conduct or produce electricity during blackouts for safety reasons. Since blackouts usually occur when the power grid is damaged; If the solar inverter were still supplying power to the damaged grid, it would pose a safety hazard to those repairing the grid fault. Most hybrid solar systems with battery storage can automatically isolate from the grid (known as islanding) and continue to supply some power during blackouts.

The batteries can be integrated into the grid-connected system at a later stage if required. The Tesla Powerwall 2 is a popular AC battery system that can be integrated into an existing solar system.

In a grid-tied system, after the electricity reaches the switchboard:

Metering Excess solar energy flows through the meter, which calculates how much electricity you are exporting or importing (purchasing).

Measurement systems work differently in many states and countries around the world. In this description, I am assuming that the meter only measures electricity that is exported to the grid, as is the case in most of Australia. In some states, meters measure all of the solar energy produced by your system, so your electricity will work before your meter reaches the switchboard, rather than after. In some areas (currently California), the meter measures both production and export, and the consumer is charged (or credited) for the net electricity used in a month or year. The electricity sent from your solar system to the grid can be used by other consumers on the grid (your neighbors). When your solar system is down or using more power than your system, it will start importing or consuming power from an off-grid solar system.