Generation Solar Renewable Energy Systems



	Roof integrated PV modules.

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Learn about the major components of a PV power system.

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Feature article

PV power: built to last

YOU SIT DOWN TO YOUR MORNING TEA and the toast pops cheerfully from the toaster. The electric kettle is still steaming a little as you butter and honey the hot bread. The hydro bill came in the mail yesterday, but you are only getting around to it this morning. The utility wants $15. You think to yourself: it seems high this month; but then you remember your in-laws visited a few weeks back and you didn't have the heart to mention the excess of electrical gadgetry that they brought with them. Toothbrushes, razors, video games, travel clocks, hair dryers, and cell phone chargers. You know that your new solar electric system handles all your needs, but you are glad that you kept the hydro-grid connection just in case!

Solar electricity, or Photovoltaic (PV), technology is today more affordable than ever before. The industry has a history very similar to the personal computer. In fact, it is largely because of the rise of the computer (and other high tech industries) that the cost of PV cells have dropped. With the increased demand for silicon in microchips (and fibre optics), economies of scale are realized in the production of silicon. PV's use the silicon along with several other elements to help produce electricity from light.

Unlike computers, however, PV panels are built to last. In fact, PV panels built over thirty years ago are still producing electricity today, having long since paid for themselves many times over. Computers built over thirty years ago are either in a museum or at the bottom of a lake.

Although solar energy is well suited to every climate, from the equator to Canada's north, it is not suited to every person or every building. First of all, if you heat your house or hot water with electricity, your best investment would be in a solar thermal, wood, gas, or oil system. Electricity in general, including PV, is not best served as a method of space or water heating. Also, if you are the sort of person or family that likes to leave lights on everywhere, and can't live without the TV on all day, it would make sense for you to invest in energy efficient lighting, low flow showerheads, and other forms of conservation before considering PV.

But if you've already cut the fat off your electricity consumption, and you still want to do more, solar electricity is logically your next step. Similarly, if you are considering installing electricity into an out building or unserviced area of your property, and the electrician or utility have given you a hefty estimate, solar electricity is worth investigating. And finally, if you are simply looking for some security from power outages or a savings on your utility bill, solar electricity can work in conjunction with your utility service in a "give and take" relationship called net billing: when you aren't producing enough power the system automatically draws from the grid, but when you are generating an excess the system feeds that excess back into the grid.

The dog barks lightly at the passing milk truck. No in-laws due for a while. Perhaps this month the utility will owe me!

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