Solar electricity: A renewable energy source

Grid-tied solar system
A grid-tied solar system also has solar panel modules and inverters. Some of these systems have battery backup as well. Here the key difference between a stand-alone and grid-tied system is in the inverter design. The inverter is designed in such a way that it synchronizes its output with the grid and pushes the energy toward the grid by varying the phase accordingly. These inverters have to be equipped with islanding prevention features to be able to remain isolated from the grid in case of grid failure. Overall, these inverters are more complex than normal inverters.


Since these systems are connected to the grid, a special means of accounting for energy transfer between grid and the system should be available. The energy meter must be able to track records of both incoming and outgoing energy. The electrical authority and governmental rules should allow the energy transfer to the grid.

In a grid-tied system, the total energy to be generated in a day and the insolation index of the area are the key parameters in system design, which determine the solar panel size and the inverter capacity.

Solar electricity – A supplement to rising energy demand
Solar electricity can play a vital role in fulfillment of the energy requirements of today’s world. Due to the fact that sun is available only during daytime, disturbance due to clouds and variation of sunshine in different seasons imposes limitations to the direct integration of solar electricity to the grid in bulk amounts. Our total energy generation cannot be made dependent upon solar electricity alone with the existing technology of solar panels.

The cost factor associated with the solar modules also plays a major role in this context. However, the use of solar electricity in conjunction with other sources of electricity makes it a perfect supplement. Specifically, in the “Smart Grid,” solar electricity can be efficiently integrated as a distributed generated system. In addition, today the whole world is turning toward electrical vehicles (EVs) to reduce fossil fuel consumption. This movement will bring an enormous change in the power consumption pattern compared to what we have today. More and more vehicles will be charged from electricity. Smart Grid and Smart Metering technology both will have a key role in utilization of solar electricity to support the grid requirements.

This article was originally published on EBN, an EE Times sister publication.

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