The usage of non renewable sources of energy is increasing day by day and the day when the world will run out of them is not far off. The pollution and destruction thenon-renewable sources create may eventually challenge the very existence of the human race on the planet, hence it is important that we start concentrating more on green sources of energy.
Solar energy is one source of green energy. The solar energy can easily be tapped with the help of proper use of solar panels. Solar panels are used to generate electricity from the sun and are the most preferred sources of green energy. Solar panels are available in the market which can be bought in the required number as per requirement and installed.
The working of a solar panel and why are solar panels wired in series:
The output of a solar panel is always a DC voltage. Home appliances work on AC, hence the generated DC voltage has to be converted to AC voltage using inverter. But, the DC output of individual solar panel is low and the AC inverters need high DC input voltage to work. This can be solved by connecting various solar panels in series, where all the voltages generated by individual solar panels will be summed up. Hence this should explain why are solar panels wired in series. One more point should be taken into account that is the total output voltage of all the solar panels connected together in series should not be more than 600 V in DC.
The problems with series connection of solar panels:
This may seem to be the solution to get high input voltage to the inverters to convert the DC voltage generated by the solar panels to AC voltage, there is a problem that rises up as soon as you connect panels in series. That is, if all the solar panels generate equal amount of voltage then the system will be working just about awesome! But if one of the panel is under the shade of a tree or is delivering lesser amount of DC voltage as output then the efficiency of the system drops drastically, by say 20% to 30%.
The solutions to the problems generated by the series connection of solar panels:
The obvious solution to the above mentioned problem where the solar panel gets shaded due to a tree would be to cut down all the trees in the near by region around the solar panel. Similarly, the other alternative for tall skyscrapers or multi-storied building would be to have the solar panels installed on the roof tops where the panels are not obstructed by any trees or other objects.
But, practically speaking, partial shading cannot be completely avoided right? So, there is an electronic solution where the system equipped with bypass diodes or microinverters to reroute the current around the under performing solar panels, but rerouting again has a small glitch where it will result in the loss of potential energy from these cells and lowering the entire string’s voltage but only to a small extent, hence this method can be used where there is the problem of shades effecting the efficiency and productivity of the solar panels connected in series.
By fine tuning the series connection of solar panels one can easily make efficient use of sunlight and generate enough electricity to drive a home. The fine tuning is the most time taking process and varies according to the region and the atmospheric conditions.
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