How Does Solar Power Work at Night?
Solar energy has been used around the globe for commercial, industrial, and residential purposes. However, solar electricity generation is not without its challenges. One limitation is that solar electricity generation must be done during daytime hours only. For use at night, we have to use stored electricity generated in the daytime with battery backup to power up the electrical appliances of the home. Let’s read on further to know more.
How Do Solar Panels Work?
Solar panels are one of the most popular renewable energy technologies. They are not just used for electricity generation but also for heating, cooling, and transportation.
They are the result of a complex process with the help of which they convert sunlight into energy. Solar cell technology is designed to get electrical energy from sun rays for powering homes and industry. When sun rays hit solar cells, they get converted into electricity with a process called the photoelectric effect. This process is the catalyst for converting sunlight into electricity. The technology is high in value and holds a lot of promise because it can help end the hurdles of energy shortages, lack of clean air and water as well as dependence on fossil fuels.
Working of the Solar System at Nighttime
The solar system is powered by sunlight, which is converted into energy. The sun’s rays can be captured and stored in batteries to be used during nighttime. The batteries can be charged by the solar energy collected during the daytime. The amount of solar energy captured and stored in the batteries depends on the amount of sunlight (peak sun hours).
For Grid-Tied Systems or Net Metering Enabled:
Solar power is the most important energy source for our modern world. But at night, the sun is not available. Grid-tied systems are connected to local energy grids. When the solar system generates excess power, it is sent back to the grid (mostly via net metering). Similarly when there is no solar generation (night) then all the required power is drawn from the local grid to meet the energy requirements of the home.
If the local grid supply fails, then battery backup works as a secondary source of power.
For Off-Grid Systems with Battery backups:
Solar Power is one of the most popular renewable energy sources. It is used in many off-grid systems to power lights, refrigerators, and other appliances. As the off-grid systems are independent of the local grid supply, only battery backup is used to power up the appliances.
One of the reasons why solar batteries are popular is that they can be used on a regular basis, Lithium batteries are best suitable for solar battery backup and much more convenient as they can be used efficiently at night.
Worth of Battery backup for Energy Usage at Night
We can use solar energy at night, but only if we have enough battery backup. The battery backup system of a solar energy system is an essential part of the whole PV system installation. It helps in providing power to the home during nighttime and when there is no sunlight.
A reliable battery backup with an adequate capacity mentioned in Ampere hours (Ah) is crucial to the success of a solar energy system. To get a good balance, it is essential that you select the right type of battery. When a good backup is installed then there will be no worries about power outages. In order to make sure that the battery works well, it is important that proper system sizing (kWh) is correctly done by a professional.
Final Words
Solar power is a reliable and inexpensive way of generating clean and sustainable energy. The sunlight is converted into electricity by solar panels and stored in batteries. Your solar system is highly dependent on efficient battery backup solutions in order to deliver the required energy at night.
