Types of Solar PV System:
- Grid-Connected / Grid-Tied / On-Grid Solar PV System
- Hybrid / Battery Backup Solar PV System
- Off-Grid / Stand-Alone Solar PV System
Grid Connected Solar PV System / Grid-Tied Solar PV Solar System / On-Grid Solar PV System:
As the name suggests, a Grid Connected Solar PV System is a solar energy system connected to the main electricity grid. It is the most simple, cost-effective, and popular type of solar system out of all three types.
A majority of households or business owners choose this type of solar system due to its reliability. During sunlight hours, the power generated by the system is used to run the electrical appliances at the premises and any excess power is sold back to the government grid for a rebate or feed-in tariff offered by the government or the electricity network provider. After sunset, the power is supplied from the mains grid, which means a property never runs out of power except in cases like blackouts or grid failure. On cloudy and rainy days, a property with a grid-tied solar PV system can use a portion or all of its energy needs with solar energy and the remaining power from the main grid.
A battery pack can be added to this type of solar system later in an AC-coupled way (without changing its original inverter) to store and utilise power after dark or in the event of blackouts.
Hybrid /Battery Backup Solar PV System:
A Hybrid Solar PV System is a setup of a grid-connected and storage-ready apparatus. It is a great way to be in control of your energy supply. This type of system remains connected to the main grid like the grid-connected solar PV system, but it also includes a special hybrid inverter and battery banks to store excess energy that provides an uninterrupted energy supply during the day, night, blackouts and grid failure. This type of system might be the most suitable option for home or business owners from areas that experience frequent grid failures.
For the residential market, hybrid systems are still relatively high in price compared to the savings they incur. But they help save money by reducing electricity bills, making the higher upfront system costs worth considering. The battery pack will store most, if not all, of the excess power the system generates instead of selling it back to the utility grid.
With a hybrid solar energy system, if you overuse your stored battery power or there is bad weather for a few days and your solar panels do not produce enough energy, the grid connection will help provide power until the system starts producing again at its peak or restore enough power in the battery bank.
Off-Grid / Stand-Alone Solar PV System:
An off-grid solar energy system is a solar PV system that is not connected to the utility grid, unlike an on-grid solar PV system which remains connected to the utility grid throughout its lifespan. If you do not have batteries, you will have less or no electricity when it’s cloudy, and will not have electricity after dark. That’s why, off-grid solar PV systems compulsorily require battery banks. Along with an off-grid system, generally, a backup generator is required for times of the year when the batteries are low, and the weather is very cloudy for several days in a row.
It must be designed in a way that it should be able to produce enough power throughout the year and have enough storage capacity to meet the home or business energy requirements, even during the winter when there is much less sunlight.
A stand-alone PV system is an ideal option for remote areas and rural places where other power sources are either impractical or are unavailable to provide power for lighting, appliances and other uses. In such cases, it is more cost-effective to install a stand-alone PV system rather than paying the costs to the local electricity company to extend their power lines and cables directly to the property to get it connected to the grid. It can be installed on a rooftop or ground-mounted frame.
