SOLAR ENERGY TROUBLES? READ THIS!

Have you acquired and installed a solar system in the past and it failed to function as you intended or didn’t give you the services that you were told it would? You may have become fed up and may have also concluded that this generation of sustainable energy by solar power is just a fraud, well before you base your judgement on your possible bad experience(s) just know that the reason(s) for the failure are as a result of inadequate knowledge of the system. Here are possible causes of the failure of your solar system.
1. Inadequate power rating
When installing a solar system for your home, office or factory there are certain considerations that must be made,  first, one must consider the load the system is expected to power, the system must be installed to ‘carry’ this load with good comfort.  Secondly, one must consider the intent for the system,  that is if it would be used as a back up in case of power failure from utility supply or if it is to be used as a way of going off-grid that is without one having need for utility power supply. Again, one must consider the intended duration of the use of this system, there are two options, one is that of a twelve-hour (12hour) supply of power (night only) and the other is that of a twenty-four-hour (24hour) power supply (uninterrupted day and night), these would determine the number of panels. For a 24 hour installation the energy rating of the solar panels should be at least three (3) times the sum of that of the load.
2. Improper solar panel combination
Solar panels all have ratings in power (watts), voltage (volts) and current (amps). When combining solar panels, one must use solar panels of equal or same rating as stated in order not to lose power.
3. Controller choice
There are two solar controller types, Pulse Width Modulator (PWM) and Maximum Power Point Tracker (MPPT). The MPPT is the best option at the moment especially if one is  setting up a 24 hour system, as it utilises the energy from the solar panel more effectively than the PWM which under utilises the energy from the solar panels and its wasteful for persons who intend to go off grid in areas where energy supply is poor.
4. Wrong panel positioning.
Position your solar panels in a way that nothing shades direct sunlight from reaching it. Ensure that the panels are facing upwards in areas of maximum sunlight, this would enable fast charging of batteries and maximal use of the panels.
5. Use of batteries with dead cells.
The commonest batteries used in solar system installation are deep cycle batteries and they have on the average,  a life span of 3 years from the date of manufacture. When you go to buy a deep cycle battery, confirm that it has not ‘expired’ by checking its date of manufacture.