Rooftop Solar Power Plant (PLTS) is one of the uses of renewable energy sourced from solar heat. Along with the advancement of technology, this also encourages the trend of installing solar panels on the roof of the house.

By installing a solar panel system at home, it is estimated that you can save up to 30% on electricity bills every month. If you want to install solar panels at home, you should first understand the following things about solar panels:

  • What are Solar Panels?
  • Advantages and Disadvantages of Solar Panels
  • Home Solar Panels
  • Types of Solar Panels
  • Price of Installing Solar Panels
  • Tips for Installing Solar Panels

What are Solar Panels?

Solar panels are the conversion of sunlight into electricity, either directly by using photovoltaic, or indirectly by using concentrated solar power to produce electricity for your home or for your company.

Solar panels as a more efficient and more affordable solar power system to take advantage of the economic and environmental benefits. Solar panels are not only used in homes, solar panels are used in areas and remote areas where there is a shortage of electricity, schools, communities and telecommunications equipment and water pumps.

To get the most out of your solar panel system, it’s worth spending some time researching the solar power system to make sure you make the best decision when purchasing a solar panel system.

By installing a solar panel system, it is estimated that you can save up to 30% on electricity bills every month. Are you looking for a cheap house? Check out the selection of houses in Depok for under Rp600 million here!

Advantages and Disadvantages of Solar Panels

Here are the advantages and disadvantages of solar panels that you need to know before using them.

Advantages of Solar Panels

Renewable Energy Source

Among all the benefits of solar panels, the most important is that solar energy is a truly renewable energy source. It can be utilized in all regions of the world and is available every day.

We cannot run out of solar energy, unlike some other energy sources. Solar energy will be accessible as long as we have the sun, therefore sunlight will be available to us for at least 5 billion years when scientists think the sun will die.

Reduce Electricity Bills

Your electricity bill will go down. How much you save on the bill will depend on the size of the solar panel and the use of electricity or heat.

In addition, you will not only save on electricity bills, but also the possibility of receiving payments for the excess energy that you channel back into the grid if connected within a region.

Multiple Apps

Solar energy can be used for many purposes. You can generate electricity (photovoltaic) or heat (solar heat). Solar energy can be used to generate electricity in areas without access to the energy grid, to purify water in areas with limited clean water supplies and to power satellites in space.

Low Maintenance Fee

Solar energy systems generally do not require much maintenance. You just need to keep it clean, so cleaning it a few times a year is sufficient. When in doubt, you can always contact a specialized cleaning company, which offers this service.

Some of the most solar panel manufacturers offer a 20-25 year warranty. Also, since there are no moving parts, there is no wear and tear. The inverter is usually the only part that needs to be replaced after 5-10 years as it continues to work converting solar energy into electricity and heat.

Apart from inverters, cables also need maintenance to ensure the solar power system works at maximum efficiency. So, after covering the initial costs of the solar system, you can expect very little spending on maintenance and repairs.

Technology Development

The technology in the solar power industry is constantly evolving and the improvement will increase in the future. Innovations in quantum physics and nanotechnology can potentially increase the effectiveness of solar panels and double, or even triple, the electrical input of solar power systems.

Disadvantages of Solar Panels

Cost

The initial cost to purchase a solar system is quite high. This includes payment for solar panels, inverters, batteries, cables and for installation. However, solar technology is constantly evolving, so it can be assumed that prices will fall in the future.

Depending on the weather

Although solar energy can still be collected during cloudy and rainy days, the efficiency of the solar system decreases. Solar panels rely on sunlight to effectively collect solar energy.

Therefore, a few cloudy rainy days can have a noticeable effect on the energy system. You should also take into account that solar energy cannot be collected at night.

On the other hand, if you also need a water heating solution to work at night or during winter, thermodynamic panels are an alternative to consider.

Expensive Solar Energy Storage

Solar energy must be used immediately, or it can be stored in large batteries. These batteries, which are used in off-the-grid solar systems, can be charged during the day so that their energy is used at night.

This is a great solution for using solar energy throughout the day, but it is also quite expensive. In most cases, it would be smarter to only use solar energy during the day and draw energy from the grid at night (you can only do this if your system is networked).

Uses Lots of Space

PV solar panels take up a lot of space and some roofs are not big enough to fit the number of solar panels you want. An alternative is to install some panels in your yard but they must have access to sunlight.

Related to Pollution

Although the pollution associated with solar energy systems is much less compared to other energy sources, solar energy can be associated with pollution.

Transportation and installation of solar systems have been linked to greenhouse gas emissions. There are also some toxic materials and hazardous products used during the manufacturing process of solar photovoltaic systems, which can indirectly affect the environment.

However, solar energy pollution is much less compared to other alternative energy sources. More than that, solar panels, for example, just need to be cleaned.

Home Solar Panels

Electricity capacity in Indonesia is not sufficient to serve all regions in Indonesia. The demand for electricity in Indonesia continues to increase, which is 10% – 15% per year, but the construction of power plants is still lacking. As an impact, PLN performs rotating blackouts which of course harm consumers.

Utilization of a solar power generation system (PLTS) can be a solution in dealing with the threat of an electricity crisis. Power generation systems that use solar panels, also known as solar panels, are an environmentally friendly energy source.

In simple terms, the way solar panels work is to absorb sunlight and store the energy produced in a battery. Thus, the system can run even in the afternoon, at night, or when it rains.

In addition, there are cables that are integrated with electrical installations in the house. When there is electricity consumption from electronic goods, for example when turning on the television, the electricity is automatically taken from the battery.

Installation of solar panels on the roof of the house should not be done haphazardly. There are things you need to pay attention to the following.

Pay attention to the installation location

Solar panel installations are usually placed on the roof of the house because it is the location that gets the most sunlight. However, so that the energy obtained is maximized, you need to pay attention to the location of your home. The closer your home is to the equator, the easier it will be to get sunlight.

You also need to pay attention to which direction the roof is facing, the location of the land to install the solar panel system, and the distance between the solar panels installed on the roof and the main electrical panel. By considering these things, you can plan a solar panel installation system on the roof of the house properly.

Buy Quality Components at Trusted Sellers

In purchasing solar panel components, you should not be careless. Make sure you check the credibility of the seller and buy quality components from a seller who has a product warranty.

The seller also needs to provide service when problems occur and have after-sales service. This is important because it relates to electrical installations which can be dangerous in the event of damage or problems with the system.

Types of Solar Panels

Solar panels or solar power, known as renewable energy and have been transformed into alternative energy that is easiest to apply for ordinary people. However, not many people know that solar panels have several types with different characteristics.

Most of the solar panels sold in Indonesia are of one particular type that is considered the most suitable for the geographical area of Indonesia itself. This is one of the reasons why the price of solar panels for households is quite varied, because it is adjusted to the type.[1]https://www.sankelux.co.id/

Before discussing the types of solar panels and the reasons for their compatibility with the geography of our country, you should first read some of the types of solar panels in the table below:

Of the four types above, the most popular and often used by the general public are the first and second types. Mono and Poly types which are short for Monocrystalline and Polycrystalline.

Monocrystalline is a solar panel that is considered the most efficient, it can produce electrical power with the highest unit area and has an efficiency of up to 15%. The weakness of this type of panel is that it cannot function well in places where there is less sunlight. The efficiency of this type of solar panel will decrease drastically in cloudy weather.

Meanwhile, polycrystalline solar panels have a random crystal arrangement. This type requires a larger surface area than monocrystalline if to produce the same electrical power. However, this type of solar panel can still produce electricity in various weather conditions even on cloudy days.

When it comes to solar panels, of course the climate that will be very influential. This climate then becomes a determinant of the suitability of solar panels in an area.

For Indonesia itself, even though it is located at the point of Ecuador and gets long sunshine every year, Indonesia is still a tropical country. Where the hallmark of a tropical climate is in addition to getting high sun exposure, it also gets high rainfall as well. Even some points east of Indonesia is one of the wettest places in the world.

Therefore, the selection of the most suitable type of solar panel is the polycrystalline type. Although the efficiency of this type of Polycrystalline is lower than that of Monocrystal during hot sun conditions, the efficiency of this type of Polycrystalline will remain stable in cloudy / cloudy weather. In addition, the price of solar panels for this type of household is also relatively affordable for the wider community.

Price of Installing Solar Panels

The cost of installing the latest Rooftop Solar Power Plant or PLTS Roof in 2022 is in the range of Rp. 14 million to Rp. 17 million per kilowatt peak depending on capacity. This figure has decreased when compared to the previous few years.

Director General of New, Renewable Energy and Energy Conservation (EBTKE) of the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) Dadan Kusdiana explained, the cost of installing the PLTS Roof includes the converter. The price of installing PLTS on the roof is now attractive to consumers, not as expensive as a few years ago.

Although the purpose of installing solar electricity is not for buying and selling, he said, consumers will automatically compare the price of buying electricity from PLN with the new price after they install rooftop PLTS.

Meanwhile, industry players will not compare the economic value between having their own PLTS or buying electricity from PLN, but the industry is indeed required to use renewable energy, because clean electricity will support the export process of industrial products to the global market.

Tips for Installing Solar Panels

The most important step before installing a rooftop solar panel is to check the readiness of the solar panel installation location. The aim is to assess the suitability of the prospective location as a solar panel installation area.

Analysis of Roof Area and Orientation

In general, the entire roof area can be used for rooftop PV mini-grid installations. But not all of the roof area can be used effectively. Because a certain roof orientation allows for a shadow effect to appear. For example on a prism roof which can reduce the effectiveness of the performance of solar panels. In addition, the roof that is already full of building support equipment such as air conditioning compressors, communication towers, water tanks, and so on is also inadequate for the installation of PLTS Roofs.

Structural Strength Check

Analysis of the structure of the roof/wall/solar panel installation area also needs to be carried out to assess the location is adequate or feasible to withstand the load of the solar module circuit (solar panels).

Shading Analysis

Shading analysis aims to analyze the sunlight that falls on the solar module so that it is not blocked by objects around it. For example, the shadow of a tree, a building, or the shadow of the solar panel itself.

References