Your solar panels have been working great and providing you the needed electricity for your homes and even lowering your electricity bills. Now you want to maximise the advantages of using solar power by adding more solar panels.
Here are 3 ways to do it.
You can install a whole new separate system of panels beside the original one.
It will turn out that you will have two sets of solar systems. They will have different warranties and different solar wirings. The two systems will not be integrated and will work out independently. You will not have problems regarding inverters because they have separate units. It might also be less costly than upgrading your existing solar system. And the good part is you will also receive solar rebates because you will be installing a new solar system.
You can add more solar panels to your current system using the existing inverter.
When you are using solar panels for electricity production, the allowed peak power is at the most 133% of the inverter’s rated peak power. Take, for example, a 1.5kW of an inverter. If you follow the allowed peak power, you can attach up to 2kW of solar panels. If you don’t exceed the 133% peak power, you can also get rebates.
When your inverter is powerful enough, you can still add more panels and maximise your inverter’s capacity. This way, it will be more cost-effective than getting a new inverter or getting a whole new system. Although the inverter limits the power output, because of generation or production loss, your inverter will not reach the peak power limit. It can still accommodate energy coming from additional panels.
For this particular way of adding additional panels, you should consider some critical factors, including:
- Similarity of Panels
It is best if the solar panels that will be added or installed should be the same as your existing panels to prevent issues on compatibilities, wirings, etc. You can ask the help of your previous installer to help you find a similar type of panel.
- Warranty of the Panels
You should also keep in mind that the existing system has a warranty and if it is tampered, then the warranty is voided. To avoid this, you should get the services of the installer who worked on your original system. That way, they will honour the warranty and can still provide you warranty services if something went wrong because of the newly installed panels.
You can also replace your inverter and then add more panels.
If you plan to add more panels, you can replace your smaller inverter with an inverter with a bigger capacity. This set-up is better than using two small-scale inverters. It will also be easier to back up with batteries one inverter instead of two.
Take into consideration also the following things when you opt for this way of upgrading your solar system.
- Warranty. It is best to hire your original installer for this new installation.
- Type of Inverter. You should choose an inverter that has inputs for two different kinds of panels in case you cannot find the same panels as your original ones. Choose also the type of inverter that has a communication protocol that can help you add batteries with ease.
Need help with expanding your solar system at home? Solar Shop Online, Australia’s largest online shop, has got you covered! Get in touch with us today at 1300 620 290 or info@solarshoponline.com.au.