In order to design and install a suitable solar system the following steps are followed:
An initial discussion is conducted to understand the strategic goals for the installation. Is the aim to save electricity costs, to protect against load shedding and power interruptions, to reduce the carbon footprint etc.
An energy logger is installed to measure and log the actual electricity usage, over a period of time. Electricity bills do not provide enough detail do proper designs. Firstly, electricity bills are often estimated and not actually measured. Secondly an electricity bill provides no detail of usage patterns like maximum demand, or usage per day and night. Important data that are recorded on the logger and used in the design of a suitable system are:
See below for the before and after energy logs of an actual domestic project. This is a 4 kW system with 2,4 kW battery capacity.
Energy usage dropped from more than 26 kWh per day to less than 10 kWh per day, providing a saving of more than 60%. This installation started out with modest battery capacity. The battery capacity will be upgraded to 4,8 kW soon and it is estimated that energy usage will reduce to less than 5 kWh per day, i.e. an 80% drop from the starting point.
Once the logged data is available a system can be designed to meet the strategic goals and load requirement exactly. Measurements are also made after installation to confirm that the aims of the design are met.
Once designed, the final step is to install your system so you can enjoy clean and green energy.