What kinds of solar PV systems are there?
Solar PV has long been used in off-grid situations – such as for remote buildings, cottages and recreation vehicles – where the electricity is stored in batteries for use at night. An increasingly significant option is to directly connect the system to the electrical grid through the building’s electrical service panel. This allows solar PV owners to export surplus electricity to the grid and to draw electricity from the grid when the sun isn’t shining or producing enough power for the home’s needs. In other words, the electric grid acts as a storage device (instead of expensive, inefficient batteries), thus providing a stable supply of electricity.
