SOLAR HOME SYSTEM TO REDUCE ELECTRICITY COST
Solar home systems (SHS) are stand-alone photovoltaic systems that offer a cost-effective mode of supplying amenity power for lighting and appliances to remote off-grid households. In rural areas, that are not connected to the grid, SHS can be used to meet a household’s energy demand fulfilling basic electric needs. Globally SHS provide power to hundreds of thousands of households in remote locations where electrification by the grid is not feasible[1]. SHS usually operate at a rated voltage of 12 V direct current (DC) and provide power for low power DC appliances such as lights, radios and small TVs for about three to five hours a day. Furthermore they use appliances such as cables, switches, mounts, and structural parts and power conditioners / inverters, which change 12/ 24 V power to 240VAC power for larger appliances[1]. SHS are best used with efficient appliances so as to limit the size of the array.
A SHS typically includes one or more PV modules consisting of solar cells, a charge controller which distributes power and protects the batteries and appliances from damage and at least one battery to store energy for use when the sun is not shining.
Suntech Engineers Limited provides various types of solar home system(SHS).
Md. Maruf Akter
The term solar home system, and its acronym SHS, refers to a stand-alone system, suitable for residential applications, such as home appliances, lighting, computers and water pumps. Normally, the SHS is low power, less than 100 W [12]. The SHS is generally designed and sized to supply DC and/or AC electrical appliances. It consists of PV modules connected to a PV charge controller, stand-alone inverter and battery system. The generated DC power is stored in the battery and converted to AC power for supplying to AC loads
Planning, Installation and Maintenance of Solar Home Systems (SHS)
Before installing a photovoltaic (PV) SHS, its size has to be calculated according to different assumptions, such as measurement of solar radiation, solar insolation and power demand. Regarding the installation process, Solar Home Systems have to be installed by a trained technician who knows how to handle its different parts. Thus, aspects of maintenance and a solar technical training manual is presented: Planning, Installation and Maintenance of SHS.
