What exactly does a self-consumption solar energy kit include

Solar energy kits are products used to make photovoltaic solar installations in the home, as well as in companies or factories, caravans… It is a set of components thanks to which we can self-supply with electricity and save significant sums of money on the utility bill.

What exactly does a self-consumption solar energy kit include

light of each month Now, what does a self-consumption solar kit include? What is each component of the solar power kit for? what types are there? We solve all these questions below.

What is a solar power kit?

As we said, a solar energy kit has all the necessary products to carry out a photovoltaic solar installation. The self-consumption solar kit allows us supply ourselves with electricity directly from the sun’s radiation. These can be used both for installations connected to the grid, in which case the energy surpluses are deposited in the general grid —obtaining compensation for it— or for an isolated installation —in which case, the solar energy kits include batteries that they will be the exclusive supply sources that we will use to supply ourselves with electricity—.

Solar energy kits allow us to produce energy for free and save considerably on electricity bills at the end of the month. In general, these usually include instructions to be able to carry out the installation on our own, although in some cases it will be essential to have the help of professional technicians.

What does a self-consumption solar kit include?

Depending on what the kit is going to be used for —if it is for a home with access to the network or an isolated home, for a company, for a factory, for a caravan…— the components of the self-consumption solar kit may vary. Of course, there will be essential components that will always be included in it. These are all the components that we can find in the different solar energy kits:

• Solar panels: Solar panels or solar panels are those that generate electricity through photovoltaic cells that transform solar radiation into direct current. It is an essential component in all installations.
• solar inverters: These are the components that transform direct current into alternating current so that it can be used in the electrical installation of the home. They can be of various types, both for network and isolated installations. It is an essential component in all installations.
• batteries: These store the electricity that is generated in the solar panels to be able to use them at any time of the day or night. It is an essential component in isolated housing installations.
• charge regulators: They serve to regulate the charge that enters the batteries, avoiding overloads. Currently we can find some solar inverters that also include this function. It is an essential component in isolated housing installations.
• bidirectional counter: The bidirectional counter is used to count the energy that is generated in the solar panels and that which has been consumed, as well as the energy that has been discharged into the network. It is an essential and mandatory component in homes with agreements to discharge energy into the general network.
• Anti-spill system: Prevents the house with a solar installation connected to the grid from pouring excess electricity into the operator’s general electricity grid. It is an essential and mandatory component in homes that do not want to dump surplus electricity into the general network.
• Panel structure: It is used to fix the solar panels and give them the ideal inclination that they should have to improve performance. From 20º to 40º in Spain and with an inclination towards the geographical south. It is an essential component in all installations.
• Cabling: The energy generated in the photovoltaic solar panels circulates through it to the general meter. From the latter it is distributed to our electrical installation. It is an essential component in all installations.
• Treatment plants and irrigation pumps: They are devices used for the purification of swimming pool water or for pumping water at an agricultural or livestock level. These components are not essential, they can be purchased separately.

Types of Solar Power Kits

Once the number of components that we can find in the different self-consumption solar kits has been clarified, we can now proceed to explain what the different types of solar energy kits are, depending on the type of installation that we are going to do. These are:

• Solar energy kit for a home with network installation: This kit is one of the best sellers for individuals. It allows to complement the network installation with a solar self-consumption system in order to reduce costs.
• Solar energy kit for a house with isolated installation: It is another of the best-selling kits. In this case, it is a kit specifically designed for homes that do not have access to the network. This provides the necessary components to be self-sufficient, even in the hours when there is no sun thanks to the batteries.
• Solar power kit for a caravan: It is a kit intended only for caravans and campers. It allows to obtain energy for the electrical appliances that are inside the caravan, avoiding using the vehicle’s battery. The installation is completely unrelated to this – it has its own battery.
• Solar energy kit for pumping or irrigation: At an industrial level, it is one of the most widely used kits since it allows water to be pumped directly to the tank or plantation for free. It can also be used to pump water to animal drinking fountains on farms.
• Solar energy kit for swimming pool treatment plants: In this case, the function of the solar kit is intended exclusively for the operation of the treatment plant during daylight hours. The purifier can be included or purchased separately, depending on what each buyer is looking for.