Solar Photovoltaic - Grid Connected
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At a glance |
Grid tied applications were once a very small percentage of Photovoltaic (PV) applications. Over the past several years, grid tied PV has grown rapidly and now makes up the vast majority of PV installations worldwide. The growth is due in part to an ongoing reduction in the cost of PV, and to an increase in government targets and incentive programs to promote clean, renewable energy production.
The market for grid tied PV systems is only beginning in Canada with about 100 systems installed/year. The largest growth in grid tied PV in Canada has been in Ontario, due to a new policy improving the terms for system owners. The policy, called a "Standard Offer Program", is similar to the policies used in jurisdictions such as Germany and Spain.
While PV provides but a fraction of global electricity demand today, the potential is immense and growth is expected to continue at rates of 30% or above globally for the foreseeable future. Growth is expected in household sized applications, large power plant scale systems (see PV power plants - link), and building integrated photovoltaics (BIPV). The latter refers to systems that integrate photovoltaic panels into the building structure, e.g. roofing, windows).
Residential or farm-sized grid tied PV systems are usually 1-5 kW with larger farm, commercial or industrial sized grid tied systems can be up to about 100 kW. Size is often a function of space and investment dollars available. Grid tied systems today are high voltage (up to about 600 volts) systems with PV panels attached to roofs, ground mounts, poles or as roofing material, depending on the type of PV panel chosen. The panels produce direct current electricity. The panels are wired to an inverter that changes the Direct Current (DC) electricity to Alternating Current (AC) to match the electricity grid. Systems also include disconnects for safety and meters to measure the electricity produced.
Grid tied solar PV is a mature, reliable technology with a wide variety of high quality commercial products available. A significant challenge facing grid tied PV systems is the high upfront capital costs. While costs of PV systems are declining over time as production and installation increases, the cost to install a grid tied PV system is still more expensive than the cost of electricity from the grid in most jurisdictions.
Grid tied PV systems usually require minimal maintenance and carry 20-30 year warrantees on panels and 5-10 year warrantees on inverters. The economics of such systems will vary significantly depending on the existence of government incentives, programs, regulations and cost of electricity in your jurisdiction. Check with your local utility to see what options are available to you.
For more information, please the full technical note and visit www.cansia.ca.
Modified: 04-03-2008
