How can you ensure the efficiency of a solar system?

For residential rooftop solar great tools such as Aurora or Solo have layers that can be activated to show the irradiance for all areas of the roof. I would recommend to use the tools not just to come up with the best design, but also to engage the homeowner in the process of arriving at the best design. Finally, keep in mind that for homeowners aesthetics can be as important as efficiency. Using the tools to show exactly what is lost in efficiency by moving panels from a south facing roof plane to a north facing roof plane can help the homeowner reach their own conclusion.

- Location Selection: Choose a site with maximum exposure to sunlight. The location should be free from shade caused by trees, buildings, or other structures, particularly during peak sunlight hours. - Orientation: For optimal sun exposure, solar panels should face true south in the Northern Hemisphere, and true north in the Southern Hemisphere. This orientation maximizes the amount of sunlight striking the panels throughout the day. - Utilizing Software: Employing software can help in precisely calculating the optimal orientation and tilt angle, considering local weather data and solar irradiance patterns. These tools offer detailed simulations and energy modeling to fine-tune system design for maximum efficiency.

In single-phase systems, Neovolt increased round-trip efficiency from 80% to 90% by optimizing battery voltage and inverter design when our ESS landed. Round-trip efficiency refers to the overall efficiency of the solar panels charging the battery, and the battery discharging to the load. Higher system efficiency saves more energy for customers, leading to higher profits. For instance, if a customer consumes 10 kWh per day, within the 5-year product warranty period, they can save over 1,800 kWh. Within the 10-year battery performance warranty period, they can save over 3,600 kWh.

Optimizing DC / AC ratio to reduce clipping and upsizing conductors for voltage drop are two ways to raise solar system efficiency but sometimes it pays to be inefficient. There are a lot of fixed costs in developing and building a solar project and the only way to offset these costs is to produce and sell more electricity. This might mean increasing the DC/AC ratio and lowering system efficiency to increase net present value of the project over the system life. This added value only increases as the module prices continue to fall. Upsizing conductors to reduce the ohmic losses can sometimes add more costs than the revenue from the additional production. These upsizing decisions should be checked against post covid material pricing.

Be the expert you are and stick to your design! I recall a client that didn't want extra cost beyond a string inverter to deal with tree shade, and insisted on a roof location where his neighbor's home shaded a whole row of panels in the winter. I lost the sale and another rep/company installed it as he wanted it. Years later, I bumped into him at a store and asked how he liked his array. He whined loudly that solar is a scam, doesn't work, and so on. Some short sighted sales people might think I was dumb to lose the sale, but I learned that if you don't stick to your design, you'll have an unhappy customer speaking poorly of you, your company and solar in general. The customer is NOT always right - lol!

Ensuring community solar efficiency involves optimal site selection, engaging the community, and designing a scalable system. Exploring ownership models, fostering inclusive access, and implementing educational programs encourage broad community participation. Integrating smart grid technologies, monitoring performance, and having a maintenance plan ensure reliability. Emphasizing community benefits, regulatory compliance, and fair energy-sharing mechanisms ensure project sustainability. Open communication with community members is vital for fostering ownership and engagement in the renewable energy initiative.

Panels get dirty over time, resulting in reduced energy production; this is commonly referred to as soiling losses. You can minimize soiling losses and get up to 30% more energy production out of your panels with automated solar panel cleaning system. But before you grab a hose and a ladder, keep in mind that manual cleaning only increases production until panels are dirty again. Manual solar panel cleaning requires, well, manual labor. And manual labor translates into logistics and labor safety hazards. The more people there are working on your property the more room there is for human error, which means there is a much higher likelihood that someone will get injured.