Photovoltaic systems (or PV) are electric power systems designed to supply usable solar power converting sunlight in electrical energy. They consist of an arrangement of several components:
Solar panels to convert sunlight into electricity.
Solar inverter to convert the direct current produced by the panels to alternating current.
Accessories to set up a working system as cabling, electrical panel, energy meters, MPPT, solar tacker, solar irradiance sensors, energy managements softwares and battery storage systems.
In the last years the world usage of PV increased esponentially evolving from a niche market of small-scale applications to a mainstream electricity source. The challenges represented by climate change and global energy crisis will result in a further growth of usage of this renewable energy source.
The main advantages of PV systems are:
Highreliability: PV arrays ensure uninterrupted operation even under harsh conditions.
Lowmaintenancecosts: because of the lack of mechanical movement, PV systems require only regular inspections and occasional cleaning and repair.
Zerofuelconsumption: unlike traditional energy sources (as fossil fuels and nuclear) and even other renewable energy sources (as biomass), solar energy does not rely on any fuel then it eliminates the associated procurement, storage and transportation costs
Strongindependence: PV systems are designed to maximize the self-consumption of the produced energy and to minimize the reliance on utilities.
The main disadvantages instead are:
Startupcost: as part of our designs, we economically evaluate the possible solutions in order to find the one that best meets the users' needs
Availablesolar radiation instability: solar radiation depends on day-night cycle and weather. In order to evaluate the average energy production of your PV system, we evaluate the yearly solar radiation availability using data and statistics provided by various agencies (e.g. PVGIS)
Efficiencyneeds to be improved: in order for PV systems to be cost-effective, they need an efficient method to distribute the produced energy. We provide our customers with the most recent techniques of energy distribution and usage such as Microgrids, Smart Grids and Smart Buildings.
Lackofknowledge: despite te massive growth of the last years, PV technology is still an emerging technology requiring specific knowledge to evaluate the various solutions and design the most cost-effective PV system to meet the user's needs.
