How to install solar panels by yourself. New technologies for solar roof.

Modern technologies allow almost everyone to use alternative sources of electricity that interact with natural resources. One such device is solar panels, transforming energy from the sun into power. The design assumes the presence of photoelectric components, which, when combined, can provide the required power. In the article, we will consider the principles by which solar cells are installed in private homes.

In today's market, you can find a wide selection of panels designed for conversion solar energy. However, products can differ fundamentally in terms of both the type of material and other parameters. In addition, it is important to know how to install solar panels with your own hands.

Features of solar panels

As for the home use of such converters, here we can distinguish the following advantages:

1. Long service life. Over time, the original opportunities are not lost.
2. Rare breakages. In most cases, no malfunctions in the operation of solar panels are observed. Therefore, you hardly need specialized service.
3. The use of alternative sources will allow you to significantly save on gas and electricity.
4. The operation of solar panels is simple and easy.

The disadvantages are the following points:

1. This is an expensive technology.
2. The efficiency of batteries is much inferior to conventional power sources.
3. For getting alternative energy  additional equipment is required - this is an additional expense item.
4. The use of solar energy is impractical for those appliances that require more power.

The principle of solar cells

If you have not bought solar panels, but are just wondering about installing and implementing an alternative source, then it will be useful to consider the operation of the device:

1. The amount of energy produced can not depend on the efficiency of the panel itself. Absolutely all models are able to give the same fashion, all the differences are that for more "strong" products you need less space.
2. For example, 8 square meters battery provides a kilowatt of energy. To get the same result based on amorphous silicon, you will need already 20 square meters.
3. In addition, the resulting energy depends not only on the area, but also on the intensity of solar radiation.

Installation of solar panels

Installation of solar panels is performed on a special design, on which solar cells are able to withstand various atmospheric phenomena in the form of rain, wind and so on. This design can be of three types:

1. Inclined is suitable for pitched roofs.
2. Horizontal suitable for flat roofs.
3. Free-standing view is placed on roofs of any type.

The process of installing an alternative energy system is as follows:

1. To fix the structure, you need 50 mm to 50 mm elbows and angles for spacers 25 × 25 mm thick. These parts will give you the required level of strength at the chosen angle of inclination.
2. It is desirable to assemble the frame by means of bolts with a diameter of 6 and 8 mm.
3. Under the roof coating, the fixing skeleton is fixed by means of the use of studs - a size of 12 millimeters.
4. In the gussets themselves holes are drilled, on which the solar panels are fixed.
5. During the work, make sure that the frame is not warped, because otherwise the glass on the panels can simply burst.
6. If the work is done on the balcony - all the actions are carried out in a similar way, only the construction should be mounted on an inclined frame. Fixation is desirable to be performed on the end and bearing wall on the sunny side of the building.

To obtain the maximum efficiency, you must follow the following tips:

1. Mounting is made strictly on roofs or walls. To fix the structure often use special supports.
2. In all cases, the shadow should not fall on the panel. Arrange panels in such a way as to minimize shading from neighboring houses, trees and so on.
3. Note that the solar panels are installed in rows. Make sure that the upper ones do not darken access to the lower rows.
4. A slight drop in the shadow on the photocells can provoke the cessation of the "production" of energy. In addition, there is a high probability of feedback currents, which can lead to the failure of the entire panel.
5. To make the batteries work efficiently, determine the correct orientation to the sun. This is necessary so that the whole panel can get maximum energy during the day. The orientation is calculated based on the position of the building. For example, the installation is performed on the northern side of the house, then the panels are fixed in the direction of the south.
6. During installation work, take the angle of the product into account. This parameter is also determined by geographic location. In other words, the angle equals the breadth of the building's location. This is due to the fact that during the year the sun changes its height over the horizon. Therefore, in the design it is important to provide for the possibility of correction.
7. Mount the solar cells so that they can be accessed. These structures do not require additional care, but periodically it is desirable to clean the alternative "site" from snow or mud. The presence of excess particles of something on photocells also reduces the efficiency of the whole installation as a whole.

Solar panels on the roof, will they heat the houses, heat the water? Of course they will. In many countries of the world their installation and use are mastered very well. In Turkey, for example, these devices can be seen on small one-story houses, and on multi-storey handsome men too.

Solar panels on the roof of the house help to save electricity, providing electricity to the whole house.

The action of solar cells is based on the principle of a photogenerator - a semiconductor radiation energy converter sunlight  in direct current. In such a circuit, an inverter-converter direct current  in alternating current, which will be used by the technique of the house. The energy of the sun is very uneven, therefore, batteries must be connected to this electrical circuit, which will smooth the uneven voltage. To monitor the battery, use a controller - a device that does not completely discharge the battery.

Combined solar installations

Today, the most popular in application is a combined version of the electrical circuit, the joint use of solar panels and electricity. This scheme helps to significantly reduce the power consumption from the network.

Solar installations have a small coefficient of efficiency. Under optimal conditions, a solar battery of one square meter of space produces only 120 watts of electricity. it's like one small light bulb. But, if you use 20 square meters of the area of ​​these elements, mounted on the south side of the house, electricity is already generated about 200. 300 kW per month.

Installation and attachment of solar panels, as well as related equipment, brings significant costs to owners. But in the process of operation such plants do not need special maintenance and repair. It is a free and inexhaustible source of energy to help any homeowner. With a constant rise in price of energy carriers, today the energy of the sun can be regarded as alternative source  traditional energy. It should be noted that the use of solar panels, even in northern latitudes, for example, Moscow and St. Petersburg, fully justifies itself. And in places far from communications this can be considered as the only source of energy. Solar panels  can be used for the home, and for emergency feeding of public institutions, for example, hospitals.

Battery selection

When choosing solar installations  for the house, the first thing to do is pick up the batteries. Recommend lead-acid, not serviced because of their high operational and economic performance. Then the amount of energy that the solar panel can give is calculated. This depends on the time that the batteries can work without recharging. We need to consider the nature of the future energy system. If your installation is planned for a summer cottage, it is better to choose powerful batteries that will be charged five days and two days to give you energy.

After choosing and purchasing everything necessary, you can make the installation of the system. Solar panels should be mounted on the facade or on the roof of the house. Install them where the maximum illumination. Direct the panels better to the south, at an inclination of 45 degrees to the horizon. The installation cable is made as short as possible. to reduce voltage losses. Fastening of storage batteries and the control unit (controller) - make at the minimum distance from each other. Follow all instructions given in the product data sheets.

Abroad, surplus electricity is bought from homeowners by the state, which gives a quick return on solar batteries and stimulates their use.

A big plus for the described system is environmental cleanliness and safety for people. Even the high initial cost of these units, dependence on geographic location and weather conditions, does not prohibit these installations from conquering new homes and constantly improving technically. The energy of the sun should be in people's service.

Acquiring roofing material for suburban housing, homeowners usually choose between tiles of bitumen, metal or ceramics. However, manufacturers are constantly in search of new energy-saving technologies that will soon completely change our understanding of the modern roof.

Photovoltaic roof

There is nothing special in using the energy of the sun with the help of heavy and dimensional solar panels on the roof: this technology is far from new. Another thing - a roof coating of light photovoltaic cells, which is a flexible thin-film material on the bitumen base. With this decision, the Italian company Tegola entered the market, the main specialization of which is the production of soft tiles.

The photocells of the Tegosolar coating consist of three-layer amorphous silicon, which makes it possible to produce more electricity than conventional solar cells made from mono- or polycrystalline silicon. From the mechanical damage and ultraviolet solar cells protect the wear-resistant polymers: photovoltaic tiles are not afraid of hail, or icy rains. On it you can even walk without fear for its integrity. The material is easy to integrate into any flexible roof of the same manufacturer, without requiring the installation of any additional supporting structures.

It is interesting that the coating generates electricity even in cloudy weather, while maintaining 60-65% of normal performance. Each photocell is able to create a peak power of 68 watts: it's a lot, considering that there are several such elements in one section of the tile. The planar configuration of the product allows it to be applied on roofs with any slope or without it. If desired, the material can be placed on the facade.

The tile is delivered in packages of 15 panels. One package is more than 16 m² of coverage, which can generate up to 1 kWh.

It is still too early to talk about the wide spread of photovoltaic roof: the price of one panel is from 30,000 rubles. However, it is possible that the price for this technology will decrease with time.

Glass shingles

Another interesting development is presented by the Swedish company Soltech Energy, which for 10 years has been engaged in innovations in the field of alternative energy. The company's engineers propose the use of shingles made of impact-resistant tempered glass. In appearance, the material resembles the usual roof covering in the form of a wave. True, this wave is transparent, so it is impossible to confuse it with any other type of roof. This glass roof looks original, but the main purpose of the development has nothing to do with visual effects.

The power system created by the Swedes allows using glass tiles from glass to receive a certain amount of thermal energy necessary to reduce the cost of heating the house. They place the tile on a black nylon material: under the influence of the sun rays passing through the glass, it quickly accumulates heat. The nylon is transferred to the air vents that are under the roof under the roof. Soon, hot air begins to circulate in them, which in turn heats up under the roof accumulation tank, from where warm water enters the house.

For those who do not think this solution is effective enough, Soltech Energy experts advise using glass tiles in combination with photovoltaic cells. This combination can increase the energy efficiency of the glass roof several times. So, with insufficiently heated water in the accumulator, it starts to be automatically heated by the energy received from the flexible solar panels.

According to the developers, the power supply system based on glass shingles, depending on the climatic features, can produce up to 350 kW of heat per square meter.

Blue roof

The American company SRS Energy has implemented its own version of solar roof, which has fundamental differences from the products of fellow competitors. Products from photovoltaics are not supplied in the form of flexible panels, but as separate thin-film plates, each of which is mounted on ordinary ceramic tiles. Thus, the fully assembled roof covering can be taken as a traditional tiled roof. True, the color of such a roof can be so far only blue.

The main advantage of the system is that its cells are separate power modules that generate electricity independently of each other.

That is, if any of the cells fails, it is necessary to replace only it, and not the whole cover or one of its large sectors.

Just like in the previous cases, the energy obtained from the tile can be heated by water or used for any other household purposes. The innovation was to the liking of conservative consumers, who do not want to give up the usual roof design, but at the same time do not mind saving on electricity. Unfortunately, these novelties are not yet delivered to the Russian market, but we hope that the advanced Russian science will soon give a worthy response to foreign developers.