Domestic Photovoltaic Power System Options -

Grid Tie System

Grid-tie systems are commonly known in the european counties, and is still a new concept for many in Southern Africa.

Until NERSA has approved a feed-in tariff for small generators(residential), small scale generation only makes sense if you can use all the power generated not allowing surplus to be fed back. This is ideal for businesses that operate during daytime and would use the power generated.

As there are no batteries, the maintenance cost of the sytems is reduced significantly, as the PV modules and inverters typically have a much longer life expectancy than the best batteries.

Grid-tie systems are also used in multi-hybrid systems to increase capacity during generation times.

Advantages of the Grid-tie System

• Can start with small grid feed system and expand
• Low maintenance cost as there are no batteries
• Can use wind, solar or hydro for power generation
• Can be used to feed power into main grid.
• And can be used to expand capacity specific off-grid systems