Off-grid Solar Roof-mount
Stand-alone or Off-Grid PV systems are designed to operate independently from the electric utility grid and are generally designed and sized to supply certain DC and/or AC electrical loads. Stand-alone systems may be powered by a solar PV array only or maybe coupled with a wind turbine. An engine generator or utility power may also be complemented by solar as a backup power source is commonly called a PV-hybrid system. The simplest type of stand-alone PV system is a direct-coupled system, where the DC output of a PV module or array is directly connected to a DC and/or AC load. In many stand-alone PV systems, batteries are used for energy storage which enables the system to provide power 24 hours a day.
On-grid Solar Roof-Mount
Solar Grid Tied Photo Voltaic System has a "synchronizing" inverter to feed the solar generated energy into the establishment’s electrical system which the facility can internally use. The net effect is a reduction of the electricity imported from the grid utility resulting to a reduction on the monthly electricity bill. Solar power is environmentally friendly, noiseless, with low operating and maintenance cost. The other key benefits derived from an installation are: 1) Potential equivalent cost of solar generated power for the first year with increasing continual savings up to the 25th year. 2) Proven showcase of the use of renewable energy which will be a positive example for any establishment to be an advocate of clean energy and solar power.
Project Development: Solar Farm
A photovoltaic power station, also known as a solar farm, is a large-scale photovoltaic system (PV system) designed for the supply of merchant power into the electricity grid. They are differentiated from most building-mounted and other decentralised solar power applications because they supply power at the utility level, rather than to a local user or users. They are sometimes also referred to as solar farms or solar ranches, especially when sited in agricultural areas. The generic expression utility-scale solar is sometimes used to describe this type of project. The solar power source is via photovoltaic modules that convert light directly to electricity. However, this differs from, and should not be confused with concentrated solar power, the other large-scale solar generation technology, which uses heat to drive a variety of conventional generator systems. Both approaches have their own advantages and disadvantages, but to date, for a variety of reasons, photovoltaic technology has seen much wider use in the field. As of 2013, PV systems outnumber concentrators by about 40 to 1.
