A changeover switch moves a circuit from one set of connections to another; the switch has both sets of contacts. Changeover switches find wide & varied applications in industries as well as in residences for use in low voltage distribution…

The majority of PV cells produced today use crystalline silicon (c-Si) which is a light absorbing semiconductor. Crystalline solar cells are made from silicon wafers, which in turn are made from polysilicon ingots. Crystalline cells could either be monocrystalline (made…

Concentrating PV technology concentrates more sunlight onto a unit area of solar cells, resulting in much higher efficiency of sunlight conversion to electricity. CPV typically uses lenses or mirrors to concentrate sunlight onto high-efficiency solar cells. These kinds of solar…

A charge controller is a key component of a power system in which battery charging is required. The charge controller, through optimal regulation, prevents the battery from overcharging. In a solar PV system, it regulates the voltage and current flowing…

A solar inverter is used to convert the Direct Current (DC) electricity generated by solar panels into a usable form of Alternating Current (AC) that can be used to supply the grid or run AC loads/appliances. Three types of solar…

Backup power is an electrical system that provides emergency power when the input power source, such as solar power, fails. Backup power can be provided by a diesel generator, or energy storage systems such as batteries or flywheels.

A battery isolator is an electrical device that divides direct current (DC) generated by the solar plant into multiple branches and only allows electrical current in one direction in each branch. The primary benefit of such an arrangement is the ability to simultaneously charge…

A battery bank is group of batteries connected together using series or parallel wiring. This allows more power to be stored than using a single battery. A battery bank allows you to store electricity generated by solar PV system for use…

A backup battery provides power to a system when the primary (Solar) source of power is unavailable. Backup batteries range from small units used to power a few lights, up to large battery rooms that power uninterruptible power supply systems for entire homes or offices.

A conventional solar inverter receives DC power from the solar panels and convert to AC power. A bidirectional solar inverter can additionally convert AC power to DC power for battery charging (if required). The inverter automatically detects availability of AC…