RENEWABLES
CEF’S TOM BINNS OUTLINES HOW RENEWABLES CAN POWER A RESILIENT, AFFORDABLE AND SUSTAINABLE FUTURE FOR ALL…
Exploring solar PV and battery storage
I had the opportunity to present at the latest Electex show in Dublin. With renewables one of the hot topics in the electrical industry and at the forefront of many minds, we took a look at the fundamentals of solar PV and battery storage across four separate talks throughout two enjoyable days. Believe it or not, there is an abundance of energy within the earth’s atmosphere every single day by way of radiant energy. Energy can only ever be transferred from one form to another. This is where the solar panel comes in; it takes radiant energy that’s travelled many miles through the earth’s atmosphere, manipulates it and transfers it into DC electrical energy. A typical installation would require a number of solar panels connected together to create what we call a string. Once the radiant energy is manipulated by the panels within a string, it is then typically fed back to an inverter. It is at this point that the DC electrical energy is inverted into AC electrical energy that we can then utilise within our homes and businesses. Technologies such as solar photovoltaic and battery storage are becoming ever more vital, not only for the fight against climate change, but also to reduce consumers’ energy bills, increase grid independency and reduce an entity’s carbon footprint. With the constant rise in energy prices and reduction in the cost of solar photovoltaic installations over the years, the return on investment for such systems has become even more worthwhile.
That said, there are number of factors that affect the generation of a solar PV system. To name a few: • Pitch/the angle in which solar panels are sited: Panels operate best with direct radiant energy hitting the front of the panels. • Orientation of the solar panels: South-facing panels are the most, and north-facing the least, ideal in many cases. • Geographical location: Can also influence the total generation of a solar PV system. • Panel surface temperature: Contrary to many beliefs, hot weather and high temperatures have a significant effect on a solar panel’s output and efficiency level. These technologies can power
Tom Binns, Electrotechnical Solutions Engineer at CEF.
“Technologies such as solar photovoltaic and battery storage are becoming ever more vital.” T: +353 (0)42 935 7669 - E: ireland.go@cefltd.ie www.cefltd.ie Want to know more?
a resilient, affordable and sustainable future for all!
www.elecmagazine.com FOLLOW US ON:
IRELAND’S ELECTRICAL MAGAZINE | 41
Made with FlippingBook - professional solution for displaying marketing and sales documents online