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Chapter 4
System Components and Configurations Components Electricity Sources System Configurations

Chapter 4 System Components and Configurations

PV modules are connected together to form an array, which is the primary powergenerating source and principal component in any PV system.

Chapter 4 System Components and Configurations

Since the supply of energy from a PV array rarely matches the energy demand at a given time, some type of energy storage is usually required.

Chapter 4 System Components and Configurations

PV systems with battery storage usually require more than one battery. A battery bank is a group of batteries connected together to provide a specific voltage and capacity.

Chapter 4 System Components and Configurations

Flywheel energy storage systems convert and store electrical energy as kinetic (motion) energy in the rotation of a heavy rotor.

Chapter 4 System Components and Configurations

Supercapacitors store energy by accumulating a charge on pairs of thin foil plates. The plates are usually wrapped into a cylinder shape.

Chapter 4 System Components and Configurations

Inverters convert DC power from batteries or arrays into utility-grade AC power.

Chapter 4 System Components and Configurations

Charge controllers protect batteries in PV systems from overcharge or excessive discharge.

Chapter 4 System Components and Configurations

Rectifiers and chargers make AC power from sources such as the utility or engine generators available for charging batteries or other DC loads.

Chapter 4 System Components and Configurations

Balance-of-system (BOS) components include all the mechanical and electrical parts to connect and secure the major components.

Chapter 4 System Components and Configurations

Engines use reciprocating pistons to create mechanical power, which is then converted to electrical power in the generator.

Chapter 4 System Components and Configurations

Engine generators are usually installed as a complete, integrated package.

Chapter 4 System Components and Configurations

Gas turbines have separate compressor and turbine sections that work together to send mechanical power to a generator.

Chapter 4 System Components and Configurations

Wind turbines convert the power of the wind into electrical energy.

Chapter 4 System Components and Configurations

Fuel cells use hydrogen and oxygen in a process that transfers electrons from hydrogen to an anode and from a cathode to oxygen. The byproducts are water and heat.

Chapter 4 System Components and Configurations

The simplest type of PV system is the directcoupled system, consisting of only an array and a DC load.

Chapter 4 System Components and Configurations

Self-regulating systems avoid the complexity of adding charge control components by precisely sizing the battery and array.

Chapter 4 System Components and Configurations

Systems with charge control regulate the charging current into the battery. Regulation may involve disconnecting or dissipating the current inside the controller or diverting the excess current into an auxiliary load.

Chapter 4 System Components and Configurations

Stand-alone systems for AC loads must include an inverter, which draws DC power from the battery bank and changes it to AC power for distribution.

Chapter 4 System Components and Configurations

A utility-interactive system is controlled by the inverter, which adds AC power converted from DC power to the utility grid power at the main AC power distribution panel.

Chapter 4 System Components and Configurations

Utility-interactive systems have either net-metering or dual-metering arrangements for exporting electricity to the utility grid.

Chapter 4 System Components and Configurations

Bimodal systems can act like either a utilityinteractive or a stand-alone system.

Chapter 4 System Components and Configurations

Hybrid systems include power sources other than the PV array and do not interact with the utility grid.