PVeducation.com

All About Solar Electric Systems and Components

  • Welcome
  • About
  • General Information
    • Working Safely with Photovoltaic Systems
    • Climate-101
    • Leasing Solar Systems
  • Solar Module Quality
    • Poor Quality Solar Module
    • Poor Quality Control – Solar Cell Color Differences
    • Snail Trails
  • Solar Concepts
    • Solar Cells, Modules, and Arrays
    • Series and Parallel Wiring
    • Sun Path
    • Solar Azimuth
    • Roof Pitch and Roof Angle (Degrees)
    • Electrical Fundamentals
    • Weight of Typical Pitched Roof Solar System
    • Solar PV Module Efficiency
    • Fixed or Tracking Array
    • Shadow Calculations for Row Spacing
    • Battery State of Charge vs Open Circuit Battery Voltage
    • Solar System Output
    • sREC – Solar Renewable Energy Credits
    • Roof Zones
    • Common Electrical Services
  • Solar System Types
    • Grid Tied Residential and Small Commercial Solar System with String Inverter
    • Grid Tied Residential and Small Commercial Solar System with Micro Inverters
    • Solar System with Direct Load
    • Grid Tied Large Commercial Solar System
    • Off Grid Solar System with DC Loads
    • Off Grid Solar System with DC and AC Loads
    • Grid Tied Battery Backup Solar System
  • Designing an Off Grid Solar Electric System
    • Designing an Off Grid Solar Electric System, Step 1, Planning Considerations
    • Designing an Off Grid Solar Electric System, Step 2, Determine the Total Load
    • Designing an Off Grid Solar Electric System, Step 3a, Determine the Amount of Solar Needed Using an MPPT Controller
    • Designing an Off Grid Solar Electric System, Step 4, Sizing the Battery Bank
    • Stand-Alone Photovoltaic Systems Book
  • System Design Equations
    • Calculate Array Voltage
  • Solar Installation Failures and What Not To Do
    • Squirrel Damage
    • Using the Wrong Disconnect
    • Poor Fused Combiner Design
    • Wrong Conduit
    • Improper Row Spacing
    • Badly Placed Conduit and Bad Roof Penetration
    • Inverter Commissioning
    • Water Filled Enclosures
  • Design Parameters
    • Conductor Ampacity of AL
    • Conductor Ampacity of CU
    • Temp Adjustment Conduit on Roof
    • Conduit Fill Table
    • Adjustment Factors Qty of Conductors
    • Solar Radiation by State
    • US Irradiance Maps
    • Wind Speed, Snow Load, Seismic Ratings, Temperature

Welcome

Hello,pveducation-large

Welcome to PVeducation.com.  This site is designed to teach you about Solar Electric Systems of all different types.

I am currently in the solar electric industry and a good part of what I do is to share knowledge with the customers that I work with and this is the foundation of this website. I want to share the practical knowledge that I have learned over the years with everyone. This site is design to be a straightforward guide to all things solar electric and I am creating it based on personal experience and my practical knowledge. PVeducation.com is for solar installers, students, homeowners, and end users of all types. I hope that you will find this site a foundation of knowledge presented from a straight forward point of view. My plan is to cut through the hype and marketing provided by manufacturers to provide you an unbiased point of view.  I will be creating short topics to make finding and reading the information you want easy. If you want a complete solar education, be sure to read everything.  Please stop back often as new content will be added on a regular basis.

If you have any suggestions, I am totally open to your ideas so please click on the above contact form and let me know your thoughts.

Thanks!

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