Solar power for your home can come in a variety of different forms and packages these days. And it might seem overwhelming if you begin to dig into the details of what's available to you. Not to mention the solar industry is evolving at a rapid pace complicating things even further. So let's start by understanding the 3 main categories of solar systems for your home or DIY project. The 3 main categories of Solar PV SystemsOff-grid, Hybrid, and Grid-tied are the 3 categories in which most of today's Solar PV Systems fall into. Which one is the best? It all depends on what you are trying to accomplish. Every potential solar buyer will have different needs, wants, and goals that will help decide what system is best for you. Let's dive into my favorite category; off-grid.
Off-grid PV Systems behave similar to a whole home backup generator in that it won't ever feed it's energy back to the grid thanks to transfer switches built into most inverters. The solar energy your system collects has to either be used by your house or stored in a battery for use later. These systems have to be sized properly so that there is a good balance of solar power to battery capacity. Too much solar and you will be wasting solar capacity when your batteries are full and your house doesn't have a load. Too little solar power and your batteries will rarely charge up, wasting your investment in batteries. Balance is key with a good off-grid PV System. Off-grid systems are an excellent choice for anyone that doesn't have a current grid connection or for new homes or cabins where the power company wants a large payment to run new power lines due to location. A lot of times you can save thousands by investing in off-grid solar instead of paying to get the power company to run a new service. These systems are also ideal for someone who gets power from a Co-op such as Surry Yadkin Electric or Blue Ridge Energy. These Co-ops don't compensate well for delivering power back to the grid but you can still save money on your bill by reducing your monthly usage with your off-grid system. Essentially an off-grid system would take part or all of your house loads "off-grid" powering them with solar energy directly or indirectly from stored energy in the battery. Any Solar energy captured and put to use is offsetting power from a utility, saving you money every day the sun shines. This is my favorite category of solar because once set up properly, you have a fully functioning power station on your home that will operate independently from the grid. This independence from the grid and fuel powered generators can bring a lot of peace of mind knowing that you will have power if the grid goes down for an extended period.
Grid-tied PV Systems are great for one thing; Net Metering. Net Metering is typically described as "one kwh in equals one kwh out later." For example, one month you produce 500kwh of excess solar energy with your grid-tied PV System. But that same month you used 700kwh of energy during the nights that month, so the "net" would be 200kwh and this is all you would be charged for. This is a very good deal financially but unfortunately it's currently only available if you are a Duke Energy customer. And even at Duke the details have changed making it less favorable. If you have power with a Co-op such as SYEMC then it's usually not a good idea to install a Grid-tied system at all because of unfair compensation for excess solar energy. Grid-tied Systems only have one purpose the way I see it and that is to save you money. So if for some reason a Grid-tied PV System isn't going to pay itself back in less than 10 years then you might be better off looking at other options that can serve more than one purpose.
In the future, utilities are going to be switching to "time of use" energy charges which means you will be charged differently depending on the time of day that you are using energy. Hybrid systems are ready to help when that time comes as they can be programmed to store energy from the grid at the cheapest rate and sell it back later at the highest rate. Hybrid systems are at the peak of solar technology blending both traditional systems. However its cost needs to be considered to determine if it is the best option for a specific project. Grid-tied vs. Off-grid vs. HybridAs you have learned, there's not a straightforward answer to the question of which system is best. It's going to depend on several factors unique to each potential customer, but in each individual case there is usually a clear winner. I have included a chart outlining the pros and cons of each system to help you decide for yourself. If you are located in Western North Carolina feel free to reach out to Vision Solar NC for professional recommendations and estimates!
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