Can Solar Panels be added to an existing system
One of the great things about solar energy is that while other renewable energy sources have pretty much been limited due to many self-limiting reasons of their own, solar energy has no such issues. The fact that it has a steep upfront and initial cost is not a deterrent for people looking to go solar. In fact, its quite the opposite, with many people choosing various financing schemes to have their solar panels and solar inverters installed. The greatest thing about solar energy is that when a system is commissioned, one might think that the system has been finalized and nothing can be added. However, in this blog post, we’ll answer the question that many people have regarding solar panels: can you add solar panels to an already existing and operational system? Lets find out.
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Now, onto the question of whether solar panels can be added to an existing system.
Can new solar panels be added to an existing system?
The short answer is: Yes. New solar panels can be added to an existing solar energy system. Now why would someone want to add new solar panels to an existing system? The reason is quite simple. Considering that energy demands fluctuate for a household or office and may increase following the installation and commissioning of a solar energy solution, it is viable that to cater to the increased demand as well as keeping in tune with the requirements of the energy flow that keep in factor both the grid power and solar power, new solar panels be added to an already existing and operational system.
However, adding new solar panels to an existing system isn’t as simple as simply bolting and connecting a wire to the new solar panels. A lot needs to be done beforehand to ensure that the new solar panels are indeed operational and contributing efficiently to the system, and even then, these requirements first need to be taken care of.
Adding solar panels to a system: What needs to be done?
The first and foremost concern for the system is not actually the electrical concern, but rather the physical concern. This alludes to the fact that since most solar panels are roof-mounted, whether or not the premise has enough space left on the roof for additional panels to be installed. In most cases, suitable space cannot be found because the initial installation tries to take up as much space as possible to put down as many solar panels as possible.
Once the issue of ample space has been resolved, it is then time for the electrical considerations. More specifically, whether or not the solar panels are in a string configuration, in which case the new installation will simply be a matter of bolting and connecting a couple of new panels to the grid. Then, in order to bring the whole system in line with the new energy output, several components of the system will also need to be upgraded.
Starting with the solar inverter. If a string inverter has been installed, then the inverter will need to be upgraded to efficiently process the power from the renewed solar panel setup. Similarly, should the homeowner require a battery setup to be placed in order to store the energy, the entire system will have to be reconfigured to include a bank of batteries that will then store the energy for later usage.
How many solar panels to add to the system?
The next obvious question is: just how many solar panels should be added to the system? And in most cases, the answer is usually determined by the energy requirements as well as the current output of the system. If your energy needs have scaled up dramatically, then the corresponding wattage of solar panels will be added to the system. For lower energy spikes, such a permanent and costly step isn’t recommended, and you should always consult with a solar energy installer to decide on whether you should go with new solar panels in the system or not, or just have the existing panels replaced with higher efficiency ones.