Expanding your Solar Panel System

With freedom comes responsibility of handling your own electricity needs. It can be difficult if your solar system has to supply energy on a daily basis. You might find that your renewable energy needs have changed over time.

A majority of off-grid systems can be expanded with additional panels, inverters, and a bigger battery bank. Before we discuss how to expand your off-grid system, let’s go over why you need to add on to your solar system in the first place.

There are a few situations where solar modular expansion makes sense: budget constraints. It’s best to start with a small system, then expand as your budget allows.

Room to Grow

An off-grid system is a big investment. Not everyone can buy a solar system that will cover 100% of their electricity needs. You can make your solar system in smaller installments than make one expensive purchase. This is a good idea to approach off-grid installations but planning in advance is your best bet.

It’s suggested to build a solar system with future expansion into consideration. Regardless of what set up you’d like, ensure that your setup leaves space to add on more solar panels. Remember that inverters and batteries have their own capacity limits.

If you include more panels, you’ll likely pair them with new inverters and batteries to keep pace with the extra output. Also, keep in mind that a piecemeal installation plan can be more costly long term. Be aware of the disadvantages of building a solar system.

Understanding the Components

Panel Consistency: A majority of solar panels have a standard voltage and size, so new panels will probably be compatible with an old system. There are cosmetic differences, but a mix-and-match system should work just fine. Mix and match panels work as long as they’re within 1 volt. Electrical specs and sizes are standardized (60-cell and 72-cell panels are common).

Extra Installation prices: When you purchase a system in installments, you end up paying a lot more in shipping and installation. If working with a contractor, you’ll have to pay the same service fees twice. The labor costs less if you get the whole project done at the first time around. These fees are minor compared to the overall cost of the solar system.

Depending on your circumstance, it may be worth it to get the purchase installment payments. Including more panels isn’t difficult, it takes small adjustments to the mounting hardware. Depending on the brand and frame size of your panels, bolting it on to your existing hardware without any changes may work.

When upgrading to create more renewable energy, you may need to include another charge controller and adjust wiring to prevent overloading the circuitry. If electrical expansion is needed, get the aid of a certified electrician.If you want to join the solar revolution, go to HahaSmart.com and try our price checker tool.

You can see how much a system will cost, and how much you can save over the next 20 years. For more information about solar, don't forget to visit our solar blog section for guides and articles.

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