![]() Instead of sending excess energy to the utility company, you'll store it in a battery for later use. In addition, extending a power line to the grid is more expensive the further the line must travel. The grid may be inaccessible or unreliable. If you live in a highly remote or rural area, connecting to the grid might not be feasible. Disconnecting from the grid means keeping your lights on during emergencies and outages. Otherwise, they could pose a safety risk to the utility workers repairing transmission lines. When solar panels are connected to the grid, they shut down during outages. The main practical disadvantage to staying on-grid is that you will lose power when the grid loses power, even if your system could be producing energy. An off-grid system has a stronger environmental impact. You'll still rely on fossil fuel energy when you stay connected to the grid. The process also undermines some of your solar system's ecological benefits. ![]() Instead of sending excess energy into the grid, you can store it to use later. ![]() If you've chosen to invest in solar, you likely want to use all of the energy your system generates. Sending excess solar energy into the grid might feel wasteful. Here are some disadvantages to consider: 1. Of course, staying on-grid also has its downsides. If your system is not producing as much energy as you need - maybe the weather has been overcast for several days in a row - you can take what you need from the grid. Energy Available in the Grid When You Need ItĪnother advantage is that you'll always have energy available unless the grid goes down. Your bill at the end of the month will be the net energy - what you owe minus what you generated. When you need to take energy from the grid, you'll owe per kilowatt-hour, like normal. You'll earn a designated credit per kilowatt-hour for all of the energy you send to the grid. Utility companies will partner with you in a process called net metering. Here are some of the reasons to remain connected to the electricity grid: 1. On the other hand, when your system does not produce as much electricity as you need, you'll be able to take from the grid.Ĭhoosing to stay connected to the grid has its advantages and may be the right choice for you. When your system produces more electricity than you can use, the excess will go into the grid. You can choose to have your solar system connected to the power grid. Whether you choose to be on-grid or off-grid will determine where any excess energy goes. As long as sunlight is available, solar cells continue to generate energy in this way. Conductive plates gather up the resulting current of energy. When the photons from sunlight hit the PV cells, they knock the electrons within free. The top layer has a negative charge while the bottom layer has a positive charge, creating an electric field between them. Each PV cell has two layers of a semiconductor, usually silicon. The most popular type of solar system is photovoltaic (PV). Solar technology converts energy from sunlight into usable electricity. Learning as much as you can about solar power systems will help you make an informed decision.įirst things first, you need to know a little about how solar power works. With that said, there is no one right answer - your choice will depend on your priorities and situation. Each of these choices will affect the cost, day-to-day operation and effectiveness of your solar system. If you're considering solar power, you'll find you have a few choices to make - renting or buying, roof or ground installation and on-grid or off-grid.
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