At a time when we are fully dependent on electricity and at the same time we need to replace a significant part of its current sources with renewable ones, considerations about photovoltaics are extremely relevant. Today’s article will introduce photovoltaics to a lay audience and provide an objective summary of the advantages and disadvantages of photovoltaics for family homes. If you are interested in what the return on photovoltaics is, whether it is worth it on your home or who is currently buying surplus photovoltaic energy, read on.
What is photovoltaics and how does it work?
A home solar power plant is an effective solution to get rid of dependence on electricity suppliers and avoid, among other things, sudden increases in the price of electricity. Therefore, it is not surprising that the popularity of photovoltaic elements on family houses and office buildings has been growing in recent years. How do solar power plants work? In simple terms, it can be said that they convert solar radiation into electrical energy, we refer to this process as the photovoltaic phenomenon.
Who buys surplus photovoltaic energy?
Electrical energy from solar radiation is of course variable, so the logical question is where the excess energy can be diverted. Domestic solar power plants are usually connected to a boiler, battery or heat pump. Each of the variants has its advantages and disadvantages. The cheapest, but least effective way of using excess energy is to connect it to a boiler. The battery will store electricity, which you will then either use yourself or sell to the central distribution system, but this is a higher initial investment. If you do not conclude a contract on the purchase of excesses, the excess energy flows into the distribution network for free, and you may even pay a fine for exceeding a certain value. It is ideal to conclude a contract with a compulsory purchaser in your region, as a producer of electricity from renewable sources you are entitled to this. Another option for solving surpluses is to connect a solar power plant to a heat pump – the excess electricity will be used to produce cheap heat, which every family will appreciate during the colder months.
Advantages and disadvantages of a photovoltaic power plant in the home
The main advantage of a domestic power plant is self-sufficiency. Not only do you not have to purchase electricity from wholesalers and adapt to their rising prices, but by using the battery, home photovoltaics are backups in case of a blackout. Solar panels bring financial savings to their owners for energy, at the same time they are proud of their long service life and their maintenance is not expensive. If we ignore the financial side, it is a clean source of energy that is environmentally friendly.
Home photovoltaics also has its weaknesses, in the first place, it is simply not worth it for every house. Today, panels can be installed on any roof covering with any slope, but if you live in a built-up area and your roof is shaded from all sides by taller buildings, the investment is not worth it. For many people, the initial investment in solar technology is unattainable despite the subsidies, especially if you want to use batteries in your home power plant to store excess energy. It is also necessary to take into account the climatic conditions in our republic, it is not clear every day and on days when it is cloudy, it is necessary to rely on an additional source of energy.
