How to Wire Solar Panels in Parallel

If you are going solar for your home or business, it is important you know why and how to wire solar panels in parallel.

Mark just switched to solar energy as an alternative energy option. With all the talk about renewable energy and climate change, he decided to ‘go clean and green’ with his home energy supply.

He is finding it quite confusing to understand how to install the system in his home. Mark isn’t sure he needs to learn how to wire solar panels in any specific way: parallel or series. This is because to him, once the connection provides electricity, it’s all good. But is it?

Well, I‘m so not sorry to burst Mark’s bubbles, and yours too if you think the same way. How you wire your solar panels matters. It is one of the most important variables in your solar energy system. It determines the overall efficiency of your system and also affects the kind of equipment you would have to buy alongside it.

For one, your choice of inverter is based on its current and voltage rating depends on how your solar panels are connected: series, parallel or both. I’m sure you want the best option for your home, right? This is why you have to take note of this.

For those who are still in the dark as to what solar energy, solar panels, inverters and all the jargons we have just discussed, no worries. I got you. Let’s take a run down through the basic concepts. Shall we?

What is Solar Energy?

Solar energy is the most available energy source on earth. It is clean, renewable and cannot be used up. Solar energy is increasingly being integrated as an off-grid energy option in homes and offices. This is well in line with the Sustainable Development Goals for 2030, which targets a substantial increase in the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix as well as an improvement in energy efficiency globally.

Functions of a Solar Panel and Solar Energy System

A Solar panel is a very important component of the solar energy system. It is responsible for trapping sunlight and converting it into electrical energy. The panels are made of Photovoltaic cells or PV cells. They are spread about on the surface of the panel boards. When sun rays fall on these cells, they are converted to electricity. So, the more the panels, the more PV cells are available to generate electricity. This electricity is Direct Current (DC). However, most of our commonly used electrical equipment make use of Alternating Current (AC). An inverter is then connected to the solar panels. Inverters are electronic devices that convert DC to the required AC needed to power electrical devices. So, we have our needed current and so our system is set up, or is it? There is still one more thing.

We also need batteries in our system. Since we do not have the sun in full intensity at every time of the day (of course night comes and the sun retires to bed), we cannot guarantee that we would always be able to constantly produce a certain amount of electricity. Also, during cloudy days and also in the winter, the many clouds that form in the sky reduce the intensity of the sun reaching us