How can the Sun power your home?
Photovoltaic (PV) cells are an arrangement of semiconductors on silicon. When sun light strikes the cell, a portion of it is absorbed into the semiconductor material. The absorbed light is transferred to the semiconductor which knocks electrons loose, allowing them to flow freely. These free electrons are forced by an electric field to flow in one direction. Once this flow of electrons is created, the current can be drawn off and collected to use in your home.
Unfortunately, electricity is not only necessary when the sun is shining, but also when it is not so we need energy storage, or batteries. Batteries are costly and add regular maintenance to the PV system, but they are a necessity if you want to be completely independent. One way to avoid batteries is to connect your array to the utility grid, buying power when you need it and selling back to the power company when you produce more than you need. In this scenario the utility acts as an infinite storage system. The utility must allow you to interconnect your system to their power grid. This is accomplished by changing your current metering system to a net metering system. When the sun is shining brightly your meter will spin backward while you are producing peak power from your solar array. Your meter will work normally at night when your solar array is not producing energy and you are drawing power.
In a grid-tied PV system, power is generated with solar panels flush-mounted on the roof, ground-mounted in a field, or mounted on the top of a pole. The solar modules produce Direct Current (DC) while our homes and the utility grid transfer Alternating Current (AC). DC power created by the solar modules must be transferred through an inverter and converted into AC power to match the grid's power.
Puerto Rico power companies have a large demand for renewable electricity into their power grid making a grid-tied solar electric array the most common and financially sound way to go solar. Call or email 787-344-1643,joe.cresoto@msn.com
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