Household solar power plants: a guide for buyers from iSolar

Solar power plant for home: how to choose it, where to install it, and what to expect

Today, a home power plant is no longer a luxury or a whim, but almost a necessity. At a time when the centralized power grid is constantly under enemy attack and blackouts have become a reality, many Ukrainians are looking for an alternative to power their homes. Add to this the popularity of renewable energy sources that are environmentally friendly and do not harm the environment, and it becomes clear that green energy is the future, and it can and should be used in private homes as well.

Among all renewable energy options, residential solar power plants are the simplest, most efficient, and most practical option for a home power plant. In particular, our local climate plays in favor of this choice, as solar radiation in Ukraine is quite intense, and the number of cloudless days allows us to generate enough electricity using photovoltaic panels. This is especially true in the southern and southeastern regions and in mountainous areas. So, buying a solar power plant for your home is a good solution for independence from state suppliers. But how to choose one? We’ve put together some tips for you on how to choose and use a home solar power plant.

Home solar power plants: where should they be used?

Home solar power plants can be selected for almost any type of housing with its special electricity needs. Today, the following options for using solar power plants in everyday life are gaining popularity:

• Using a solar autonomous station for a home as the main source of energy in an area where it is difficult to connect to the general grid or there is no power supply at all. If you have a summer cottage or land plot in a remote region, this is a good solution to provide it with energy.
• Installing a private solar power plant in your own home is an opportunity to reduce dependence on centralized energy supply and cut electricity bills.
• The same applies to the installation of home power plants in apartment buildings: it can be a general decision of a condominium or a private apartment owner.
• And if you have a free plot for installing photovoltaic panels, you can make your own solar power plant for your home an additional source of income and sell the generated energy to the state under the Green Tariff program for individuals.

So how do you choose the right power plant for your home?

Options by type: which household solar power plants to choose?

The first thing you should pay attention to is the type of solar power plant for your home and cottage, and there are three of them:

• Stand-alone SPPs are stations equipped with an inverter and a battery; they are not connected to the general grid but accumulate energy in their own tanks. This is a rather expensive type of SPP, but in the absence of centralized energy supply or the need for a backup energy source, they are indispensable.
• On-grid SPPs are those that are connected to the general grid and can generate energy both for the needs of the home and for sale. You can switch the power supply of your home appliances to it when the SPP is working, or switch to a centralized power supply if the generation is insufficient. On-grid SPPs are also suitable for connection under the Green Tariff.
• Hybrid SPPs are all the options of the previous two types in one station. They have their own batteries for energy storage and at the same time are connected to the general grid.

So, for a house or apartment, grid and hybrid stations are the best choice, while stand-alone stations are best used either as an additional source or in conditions where there is no centralized power supply at all.

Power matters: what power should a solar power plant for a home and a summer cottage have?

Next, let’s move on to power. You need to buy a solar power plant for your home that will provide enough energy for all your appliances. And here the needs of each home may differ, because a large private house with air conditioners, refrigerators, many appliances and electronics will require more energy to power a large private house than a one-room apartment or a small country house with only a kettle, a few lamps and a microwave.

Therefore, calculate the total power of all appliances and, based on these calculations, choose a SPP that will produce the same amount of electricity, or better yet, 10-20% more. At the same time, do not forget that power has its own specifics, namely:

• The more powerful a solar power plant is for a private house, the more photovoltaic panels it needs to operate. And PV panels need space to be installed.
• The total power of the PV panels should be equal to the power of the inverter, which transmits the generated energy to the house.
• The greater the capacity of a solar power plant for a home, the higher its price will be.

Installation features – how and where to mount the panels and install the inverter?

Another important question: where exactly do you plan to install your own household PV system? You need to not only find a place to locate the PV panels (in general, they are usually mounted on the roofs of buildings, such as a private house or high-rise building, or on the ground), but also calculate the orientation of the panels so that they face the sun for most of the daylight hours. It is also important to choose reliable fasteners for the panels, as they are quite vulnerable.

So, it is worth involving professionals. In particular, if you want to get solar power plants for your home at the manufacturer’s price that will work efficiently, reliably, and completely cover your electricity needs, we will be happy to help you. Choosing the right solar power plant for your home and installing it in a way that takes into account the specifics of your home and landscape will help you recoup the cost of your purchase as soon as possible and even start earning money from your purchase.