Solar Panels
About Solar Panels
Mounting solar panels at your place is not a thought to have overnight and implemented the next day. It needs planning and research enough to make this thought a profitable reality. Before you even consult an expert, you must get basic knowledge so as to not indulge in uncertain purchases.
The plan of action for a big purchase like solar panels is to always estimate the budget beforehand. Before you start exploring where and what specifications to buy, you must know whether you are ready for the investment or not. And this action does not only involve the purchase but the upkeep cost as well. You must be mentally ready for the fact that although solar panels will be cutting costs from your energy bills, the initial few months will go on compensating the panel mounting. All in all, you must get a clear picture before you start to research, explore, compare, and shop.
Overview of the solar power system
Enjoying the benefits of solar power is not only about mounting quality panels but setting the whole system. The majority of the system parts include mounting racks, DC disconnect, inverter, battery pack, backup generator, charge controller, and of course, the panels. These parts together make the system complete. For example, DC disconnect is necessary to shut down the system at the time of maintenance. The charge controller prevents overcharging the battery, so every part has a job to do. Thus, you must focus on every single component while buying a solar panel for a home online in the UAE.
Types of solar power system
There are three best types of solar panel systems: Grid inter-tied, Grid inter-tied with battery backup, and off-grid. The first two systems have a direct connection with the traditional grid. With that, it means you can switch between solar energy and the utility grid. But the only difference between the two types is one has a battery backup. The battery backup balances the demand and supply of power as sunlight is not always available. If the system fails to supply the demand, solar cell efficiency may get reduced. The third type that is off-grid is wholly disconnected from the utility grid. So, to supply power during the shortfall, you need to add a backup generator to the system. You can contemplate the pros and cons of all three kinds before making your mind up for one.
Mounting of solar power system
Although the roof is commonplace to mount, ground and poles in free-standing arrays are viable options too. You will confront maintenance issues in roof mounting at the time of snow or heavy rain, and that is the only downside. The other type that is pole standing, however, are low on maintenance and so does the ground one. But both mechanisms have space issues. Also, ground mounting is not possible at the location where snow accumulation is a regular sight. Thus, the place you live in and the local climate plays a major role in deciding the placement of solar panels. You can also explore some of the best portable solar panels to broaden up your perspective.
Tesla solar panels
Tesla is one brand you can reach out to not only for quality but also for making the mounting look pleasing. You can see your roof transforming into a self-sufficient energy producer. Here, you will get a warranty and mounting services as well. Along with that, this brand has a mobile application for monitoring purposes. You can consider this brand while exploring the panels online. But do not forget to read all the policies, warranty information, and do compare the price with other brands. You can also check out solar panels for sale online in the UAE on our shopping platform, Shops.ae
Tips on how to buy Solar panels online
Buying solar panels for your home online in the UAE can be a boon or bane, all depending on your research and purchase. Commercial spaces and institutes still have them, but residential applications are less. So, reading reviews cannot be the right way to confirm, and just online research could not be that fruitful. Instead, you should be calling experts, ask your friends who already have panels, or ask for quotes. Here, we have compiled some brief points that will be helpful in your plan of action.
- Impact of local climate – Suppose you live in a cyclone-prone area. In that case, you must have a mounting system and brackets cyclone rated. The system should have wind certification, and that’s one of the quality grades you must check. Likewise, depending on your local climate, you can research what qualities are necessary to have in your system.
- Size of the solar panel – You need to know the electricity usage to determine the size of the panels correctly. For example, a typical household with 20Kwh consumption can live with a 5kW system. It is to note that the size we mentioned is for daytime consumption because, after daylight, electricity runs on backup anyways.
- The power output of the panels – Before indulging yourself in finding the size and number of the panels, you should take a look at the power output of the whole system. The higher the power output, the fewer panels you need.
- A frugal tip – Rather than buying two super expensive high-efficiency panels, you can buy lower efficiency panels, but you have to increase the quantity. The latter one will be cheaper but only useful when you have plenty of space on your roof. The only downside is that they will consume more time in installation, but that’s just a one-time thing.
- Check the manufacturer’s warranty – Buying panels is a one-time investment, so you should only buy once you are delighted with the product. Checking the warranty years will save you from lots of hurdles of researching and exploring the products again. Plus, it saves your money as well.
- Do not only focus on solar panels – Panels indeed are focus elements of any system, but they are nothing without an inverter, backup generator, charge controllers, battery bank, and other units. Thus, make sure you have researched the whole system before making this significant change.
Well, buying and mounting a solar system can take more time than you have thought. But believe us, all of this will be worth the pain you take now. At this time, be curious to know everything about the product, its advantages, disadvantages, mounting, space, and maintenance activities. You will know when you are satisfied with the information you have gained. Some brands that you can explore include Loom Solar, Renogy, Luminous, Microtek, UTL, Anker, Exide, and Go power, among others. You can find all of the mentioned brands or even more on our shopping platform, Shops.ae.
Question & Answer
Are solar panels worth the investment?
By comparing the cost of solar panels with other alternatives, you will conclude that it is indeed a wise investment. While comparing, you must include the cost of buying, mounting, and maintenance but the result will be still favourable to solar panels. However, only the cost comparison cannot be the only factor to announce the panels better than others. Efficiency is the next factor where most of us believe solar panels lack brownie points which is not the case with ever-evolving technology. Still, you can choose the middle path that is by having a solar plus backup generator. Calculating such factors, a solar panel is better, and with technology improving every passing day, it is getting more popular.
Can solar panels work without an inverter?
Yes, solar panels can work without an inverter but only for a few appliances. As solar cells produce direct current, so any appliance running on DC will not require an inverter. For example, boat and RV are two such products. The panels can also work without a backup generator. But all lights will shut off in your household after the sunsets. You need backup after that or sometimes for several consecutive days without the sun shining.
How does a solar panel generate electricity?
On a broad brush, solar panels convert the sunlight to DC then to AC and power up your property. To dwell deeper, you need to have a technical understanding of solar panels and their multiple layers out of which the top-most is the protective layer of glass. The rest of the layers include anti-reflective coating, contact grid, two semiconductor silicon layers, and then back contact. The top layer protects the solar cells, which also interconnects to the solar panel. So, when photons hit the panel, they are absorbed by the silicon layers, protected by the top layer, then electrons separate from the atoms and move around the solar cell. This movement generates DC, which is again converted to AC by an inverter.
Which solar panel is best: polycrystalline or monocrystalline?
Comparing just the two that is polycrystalline and monocrystalline, the latter is more efficient. However, just to let you know, other types exist as well. The reason for monocrystalline being efficient is the pure composition of solar cells because each cell of this type comes from a single piece of silicon. In contrast, the polycrystalline solar cells blend from multiple pieces of silicon, which then moulds to create the solar cell. The latter process is less wasteful and more sustainable, accepted by many commercial spaces.
Check out our product search engine if you are now ready to scroll through different types of solar panels. The platform can let you dwell more deep into the products, get all the information, and seek brands to invest in. Even if you want to DIY , you can get dedicated products here.