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This tread will exist basically to educate people with interest, the basics/foundation of Solar systems as an alternative Power Solution.

Before we continue, it’s ideal we introduce our brand and what we stand for.
[\B]MarsSolar[\B] is a registered business in Nigeria that over time, have brought together and groomed many solar engineers specifically in Lagos and Abuja and extensively all over Nigeria.

Through other platforms and through physical meets and practice, we have maintained a stance of Solar Energy education for everyone.
Our countless projects in Nigeria for Private and Public sector speaks Volume, and have warranted many accolades and recognition.

Back to how this online articles will work;
Post will be made by MarsSolar every 2 to 3 days and follow up comments, questions and contributions will commence based on the Topic or subject of the post. More outlines will be made known as we go.
It’s a fairly long journey So excited to get started now let’s publish a post

[\b]INTRODUCTION[\b]
More energy from the sun falls on the earth in one hour than is used by everyone in the world in one year. A variety of technologies convert sunlight to usable energy for buildings. The most commonly used solar technologies for homes and businesses are solar photovoltaics for electricity, passive solar design for space heating and cooling, and solar water heating.
Businesses and industry use solar technologies to diversify their energy sources, improve efficiency, and save money. Energy developers and utilities use solar photovoltaic and concentrating solar power technologies to produce electricity on a massive scale to power cities and small towns.
Though Nigeria and Africa are not there yet, let at most talk about solar photovoltaic as it’s what we can commonly relate to as Solar Panels.

What is PHOTOVOLTAIC (PV) technology and how does it work?
PV materials and devices convert sunlight into electrical energy. A single PV device is known as a cell. An individual PV cell is usually small, typically producing about 1 or 2 watts of power. These cells are made of different semiconductor materials and are often less than the thickness of four human hairs. In order to withstand the outdoors for many years, cells are sandwiched between protective materials in a combination of glass and/or plastics.
To boost the power output of PV cells, they are connected together in chains to form larger units known as modules or panels. Modules can be used individually, or several can be connected to form arrays. One or more arrays is then connected to the electrical grid as part of a complete PV system. Because of this modular structure, PV systems can be built to meet almost any electric power need, small or large.
PV modules and arrays are just one part of a PV system. Systems also include mounting structures that point panels toward the sun, along with the components that take the direct-current (DC) electricity produced by modules and convert it to the alternating-current (AC) electricity used to power all of the appliances in your home.

INTRODUCTION TO SOLAR CONTROLLER
Solar charge Controllers are an integral component of most solar inverter systems. I said Monday because some systems, depending on how small they are or their structure dont require a Controller or a dedicated controller.
A solar charge controller manages the power going into the battery bank from the solar array. It ensures that the deep cycle batteries are not overcharged during the day, and that the power doesn’t run backwards to the solar panels overnight and drain the batteries. Some charge controllers are available with additional capabilities, like lighting and load control, but managing the power is its primary job.
A solar charge controller is available in two different technologies, PWM and MPPT. How they perform in a system is very different from each other. An MPPT charge controller is more expensive than a PWM charge controller, and it is often worth it to pay the extra money.

PWM SOLAR CHARGE CONTROLLER
A PWM solar charge controller stands for “Pulse Width Modulation”. These operate by making a connection directly from the solar array to the battery bank. During bulk charging, when there is a continuous connection from the array to the battery bank, the array output voltage is ‘pulled down’ to the battery voltage. As the battery charges, the voltage of the battery rises, so the voltage output of the solar panel rises as well, using more of the solar power as it charges. As a result, you need to make sure you match the nominal voltage of the solar array with the voltage of the battery bank. *Note that when we refer to a 12V solar panel, that means a panel that is designed to work with a 12V battery. The actual voltage of a 12V solar panel, when connected to a load, is close to 18 Vmp (Volts at maximum power). This is because a higher voltage source is required to charge a battery. If the battery and solar panel both started at the same voltage, the battery would not charge.
A 12V solar panel can charge a 12V battery. A 24V solar panel or solar array (two 12V panels wired in series) is needed for a 24V battery bank, and 48V array is needed for 48V bank. If you try to charge a 12V battery with a 24V solar panel, you will be throwing over half of the panel’s power away. If you try to charge a 24V battery bank with a 12V solar panel, you will be throwing away 100% of the panel’s potential, and may actually drain the battery as well.

MPPT SOLAR CHARGE CONTROLLER
An MPPT solar charge controller stands for “Maximum Power Point Tracking”. It will measure the Vmp of the panel, and down-converts the PV voltage to the battery voltage. Because power into the charge controller equals power out of the charge controller, when the voltage is dropped to match the battery bank, the current is raised, so you are using more of the available power from the panel. You can use a higher voltage solar array than battery, like the 60 cell nominal 20V grid-tie solar panels that are more readily available. With a 20V solar panel, you can charge a 12V battery bank, or two in series can charge up to a 24V battery bank, and three in series can charge up to a 48V battery bank. This opens up a whole wide range of solar panels that now can be used for your off-grid solar system.

SOLAR INVERTER
INTRODUCTION
In any solar system, inverter plays an essential role like a brain. The main function of this is to alter DC power to AC power which is generated from the solar array. It allows for monitoring the system so this system operators can observe how this system is working. If you are considering a solar panel system for your home, one of the key decisions you make is the type of inverter to install. Inverters convert direct current (DC) energy which is generated from the solar panels into usable alternating current (AC) energy. After the panels themselves, inverters are the most important equipment in the solar power system. The inverter gives analytical information to assist in identifying operations & maintenance to fix issues of the system.

What is a Solar Inverter
A solar inverter can be defined as an electrical converter that changes the uneven DC (direct current) output of a solar panel into an AC (alternating current). This current can be used for different applications like in a viable electrical grid otherwise off-grid electrical network.
Working Principle of Inverter
The working principle of the inverter is to use the power from a DC Source such as the solar panel and convert it into AC power. The generated power range will be from 250 V to 600 V. This conversion process can be done with the help of a set of IGBTs (Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistors). When these solid-state devices are connected in the form of H-Bridge, then it oscillates from the DC power to AC power.
A step-up transformer is employed so that the AC power can be obtained & can be fed to the grid. A few designers have started designing inverters without transformer which have high efficiency as compared with the inverters which have a transformer.
Types of Inverter
*String Inverter
*Central Inverter
*Micro Inverter
*Battery Based Inverter
*Hybrid Inverter
What is most common used in Homes, Businesses and offices is the Battery Based and Hybrid Inverter