Solar Energy FAQ
Customers regularly ask us how a solar energy system works. They’re also curious about the various components of solar systems. Below, we have listed some of the more commonly asked questions about solar energy and solar battery storage.
What’s an inverter?
How does an inverter work?
What’s a hybrid inverter?
A solar hybrid inverter converts DC energy to AC power you can use in your home in the same way that a normal string inverter does. Additionally, a hybrid inverter includes a component that allows it to direct the energy from your system to a battery or to the grid if there is excess power and allow your system to utilize the charge in the battery when needed.
What’s a solar module?
What’s a solar cell?
A solar cell is a wafer of silicone that reacts with solar irradiation to produce electricity. One side of the cell is positive, and one side is negative.
How does a solar module work?
Each of the solar cells in a solar module is two wafers of silicone. One is laced with an element to cause it to have a slightly negative charge (this is the top wafer) the other is laced with an element that causes it to have a slightly positive charge. The difference in charge, between positive and negative, creates an electromagnetic field.
When solar irradiation from the sun strikes the two silicon wafers, it dislodges and electron which flows into the conductor connected to the cell. These electrons then flow along the wires that join all the cells in a module until they reach the junction box part of the module. The junction box has two cables (positive and negative) coming out of it. These cables are connected to other modules to form a string. The string(s) are connected to the inverter to form the solar energy system.
What’s an optimiser?
Do I need optimisers?
How do optimisers work?
An optimiser is essentially a module level MPPT (Maximum Power Point Tracker). It steps up or down the voltage of the module to match that of the neighbouring modules to maximise the efficiency.