Grid Systems
A grid system is the term defined for what powers a city or town. The source of electricity can be many such as coal, hydro-electric, petroleum, or nuclear to name a few.
A system that does not depend on the grid system is called an off-grid system. The simplest of these systems only needs 4 components.
1. A solar panel to collect the solar energy.
2. An inverter to convert the direct current (DC) produced by the solar panel into AC loads.
3. A deep cycle battery to store excess solar energy and for backup power.
4. A charge controller to control over charging of the battery.
An off grid system can be much more sophisticated that would include wind and gas powered generators. The more complex of systems would have multiple solar panels forming an array, large battery banks capable of storing hours worth of household energy loads.
Going to a full off grid system can be expensive at first but pays itself off many times over in the longer run. More challenging than costs however is the ability to be able to harness renewable energy. How many hours your particular area has of useful sunlight is of great importance. A more sensible method then would be an on grid-tie system.
This means you can grab the renewable energy when its possible and when that source is unavailable, the source immediately switches to the grid system powered by the town or city in where you live.
In some cases the city or town will buy back any extra electricity you have accumulated throughout the day. You can heck your local laws or utility service company on the matter.
