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There are two kinds of solar plants, PV, or Photovoltaics and Solar Thermal.
With a PV installation, you put out a bunch of panels, these panels are hooked to a device called an inverter, which changes DC current that the PV panels make to AC current that you use on the electrical grid.
A solar thermal plant uses mirrors to concentrate sun rays on a collector array that heats a working fluid. The working fluid drives a turbine that drives a generator/alternator which feeds the grid.
But at the simplest level, the home, most systems are PV. Home PV panels are 12 volt. In my own system I have 6 solar panels, Each is a 285 watt 12 volt PV panel. I have them set up in 2 3 panel strings. These two strings - each 855 watt. feed into the combiner box; Here, we attach the two strings in parallel and the 12 volts become 24 volts. I have a 24 volt system. This feeds into an inverter which converts DC to AC which is fed into the house.
The logic of an inverter is to feed excess electricity to ground OR to a charge controller. The charge controller senses the charge state of a battery, and when the charge state is low it takes the excess electricity and pumps it into the batter which is energy storage. When the panels can not keep up with demand, the batteries are used to compensate and the battery DC is used to feed the inverter.
During the day, the batteries charge, during the night, they discharge. In my system with average use, the batteries are charged by 11 AM and then go from bulk (collecting) to float (full), the excess power then going to ground, wasted. In my case I have a 4000 watt inverter and 4 deep cycle 6 volt batteries in series.
Does this answer your question?
1) You don't need to charge solar panels. They merely convert light to electricity.
2) They don't wear out. After 20-25 years they will still produce 80% of the electricity they did.
3) Batteries maintained properly and not deeply discharged will last 10-15 years.
4) The break even point is 4-5 years in most installations.
A home use for solar thermal is solar water heater. These are required in Israel and Mexico. They save vast amounts of power that the grid does not have to supply.
What else can I help you with?
How long does it take to build a solar power plant?
3 to 5 years
How much land do you need for a solar plant?
The land required for a solar plant depends on the plant capacity, panel technology, site layout, terrain, and the spacing needed to avoid shading. As a general estimate, a utility-scale solar project may require around 4–7 acres per MW, although the actual requirement can vary by project design. For example, a 1 MW ground-mounted solar plant may need roughly 4.5–7 acres when space for panel rows, access roads, equipment, electrical infrastructure, and maintenance is considered. Higher-efficiency panels and optimized layouts can help make better use of available land. At Ksquare Energy, solar projects are designed according to the required capacity, site conditions, energy demand, and available space. A proper site assessment is therefore important before determining the exact land requirement for a solar plant.
Is green energy cost effective?
define green....... anything like a solar panel or a windmill...yes. But like a power plant no it costs way to much to burn or incinerate anything to make energy...unless you consider a nuclear power plant green.
What is the cost of Solar Power?
solar power from a concentrated solar power plant costs the same as electric from a fossil fuel pant. if you install home photovoltaic solar panels, it will cost up to $25,000. after installation, there is little maintenance and the panels will last over 30 years.
How does building a solar power plant slow down resource depletion?
It increases the supply of electricity from alternative sources
What is the item to make a plant grow?
water and solar energy
What do you call an organism that can make its own food using solar enery?
A Plant., photosynthetic autotroph .
What is the closest plant to the sun in our solar system?
The closest plant to the sun in our solar system is Mercury.
Why does a plant cell have chloroplast and animal cells do not?
Chloroplasts are used to convert solar radiation into energy for the plant... This means they can make their own food. Animals do not do this.
What kind of jobs are available in the solar energy industry?
There are many different jobs available in the solar energy industry. Anything from scientific research, to solar power engineering, to manufacturing the solar power, working at a solar power plant, development of the plant, construction of the plant, plant operations, solar photovolataic installers, panel installation and maintenance and supporting occupations.
Do you get more water from a solar still or a plant?
from a plant
When did the operation of the largest solar power plant in the Philippines start?
The solar photovoltaic power plant of the Cagayan Electric Power and Light Company, Inc. (CEPALCO), is not only the largest solar power plant in the Philippines, but in the entire Southeast Asia. CEPALCO started operating the plant last July 2004.
What plant organelle produce solar energy to produce chemical energy for surviving?
No plant organelle produces solar energy. Only the sun produces solar energy.
Where does the energy needed by plant to make food come from?
From the sun. It's solar energy
What do solar collectors solar calculators and green plant cells have in common?
They all use solar energy
Where is the largest solar power plant?
Solar Energy Generating Systems is currently the largest operational solar power plant in the world. It is located in the Mojave Desert of California, US.
Plf related to solar?
Yes, Plant Load Factor (PLF) is related to solar.
