Merits of a grid-tied and off-grids photovoltaic installation
Grid-tied photovoltaic installation is an electricity-generating photovoltaic power system connected to the utility grid consisting of solar panels, inverters, power conditioning units, and grid connection equipment. On the other hand, off-grid photovoltaic installation is energy produced from the solar, stalled and used in the site, and it is not connected to the electricity grid. Both grid-tied and off-grid photovoltaic installations have their advantages and disadvantages. To start with the merits, off-grid PV avoids power outages that occur without any warning. When one loses electricity, it means living in without light which is an inconvenience to the users. Loss of electricity varies from freezing rain, high winds, storms which can damage the power line, making use of off-grid more preferable in such situations.
Secondly, off-grid and grid-tied reduces the electricity cost, which rises with the rise in production cost of fossil fuel energy source which may deplete. There are minimal or no cost of the off-grid PV, thus making individuals save money in the long run. It’s advantageous since there are no monthly electricity bills since it relies on the sun upon to provide the power at no cost. Also, the maintenance is minimal since you only need to charge the battery with light. At the same time, electricity requires more care as the grid needs experts to operate them in case of any damage like wind and heavy rains.
It is easy to install the off-grid PV compared to electricity and the tied-grid where an individual with a set of tools can install it independently, helping them reduce the overall cost. Off-grid solar-powered systems invest anywhere compared to the traditional grid power where lines squeeze in using the pole and infrastructure to put energy where necessary. In the last decade, the equipment for the solar system has been falling, but the cost for the off-grid continues to rise, making people hire professionals because it was a complicated process. The off-grid solar-powered system is an easy alternative for rural areas where electricity is one of the most significant residents’ problems. Since rural and remote areas have fewer infrastructures, connecting the primary grid is a challenge and costly; therefore, off-grid solar systems offset this significant role. This helps people living away from the primary grid to save money through an off-grid system. It gives people the freedom to live anywhere while producing and controlling power where the users don’t have to pay extra to connect to anything.
Off-grid is significant in keeping the environment clean compared to other sources of energy. As a renewable energy source, it minimizes carbon footprint that keeps the environment clean, unlike the burning fossil fuel that drives the global warming crises since they produce large quantities of carbon dioxide. People decided to switch to the off-grid solar system to provide nature with the help it needs. Use solar energy technology help in providing electricity which will reduce the consumption of fossil fuel, thus minimizing the negative impact on the environment and also help in reducing the price of these fuels and gas due to this alternative solution. The solar energy system is significant in solving energy problems, mostly in remote areas.
The electricity produced in grid-tied is more than what is consumed and used by the owners, thus increasing the number of users. Homes and buildings that use a grid-connected PV system can use a portion or all of their energy needs with solar energy and still use power from the standard electrical mains grid during the night or on cloudy dull and rainy days, giving the best of both worlds. This has increased the number of users in grid-tied as it is a multi-purpose supplier.
Grid-tied is significant as it is less expensive since it does not require batteries and other equipment. Also, it covers a large area, thus making it most effective and accessible to all. People who need electricity can easily subdivide them from the primary grid and make it to access. The net metering also allows the electricity generated by the solar to offset the electricity used from the grid during the night and cloudy days. Therefore this makes owner earn income from grid-tied as they sell Solar Renewable Energy Credits (SRECs)
Demerits of grid-tied and off-grid photovoltaic installation
Off-grid is more costly where batteries are needed for storage of the electricity for night usage. Batteries are required to consistently deliver electricity throughout the day and night, making it expensive. Some of the storms may have low storage power, making the users have no light. Off-grid also has a disadvantage where it requires people to change the lifestyle for energy consumptions. People are needed to adapt to the capacity of the electricity their solar and battery could hold without blackout.
On the other hand, Grid-tied solar systems have the disadvantage of going down if the system will shut off, leaving the user without power. Your grid-tied system will automatically shut off when the grid goes down and automatically turn back on when power is restored, making it hard for the users not to predict when the grid will go down. Also, it makes users make a lot of loss when this grid goes down without noticing where some of the products being processed using the electricity got damaged. It also increases the insecurity if the light goes off at night and people have no other alternative to supplement it.
As I sum up, the disadvantage of using off-grid and grid-tied is that they have minimal electric current than the electricity. This solar energy technology relies on the sun. Thus, when the weather is unfavorable or cloudy, there will be minimal or no light since the solar will not generate the power. The power of these solar maybe not enough to supply the energy to the whole community, thus making it disadvantageous to some who will be in a blackout. This will affect those using the grid-tied since the power is supplied to them through the grid. Also, it will be a challenge to others using the off-grid, which is also expensive to purchase and install; scarcity of resources will make them miss the light.