The search for alternative sources of energy to save on household consumption is something that many families are currently considering.
Now, thanks to the repeal of the sun tax, it is much easier to use the energy generated by solar installations. self-consumption. In this article we will tell you how you can save on your electricity bill with the use of photovoltaic solar panels in your home. We hope it helps you.
¿Why choose photovoltaic solar panels for your home?
Photovoltaic solar panels take advantage of solar radiation to generate electricity. Therefore, installing this type of plates in our country is a success if what we want is to considerably reduce our dependence on the electrical network or save on the electricity bill.
Undoubtedly, thanks to the countless hours of sunshine that we have in Spain, we will be able to amortize the initial cost of our photovoltaic self-consumption installation, becoming one of the compelling reasons to take the step and start enjoying the clean energy that the sun gives us. sun.
Depending on the hours in which the sun shines on the solar panels in the area where we live, a savings of up to more than 700 euros per year in the total cost of electricity.
¿How to save energy with photovoltaic solar panels?
When choosing a self-consumption system, it is necessary to determine what energy needs you have and if they can be covered only with the installation of solar panels. In this sense, we find:
Isolated self-consumption facilities
This type of self-consumption installations depends entirely on the energy produced by solar panels. Therefore, they do not imply any cost when generating energy nor do you have to pay electricity bills as they are not connected to the network. The only thing that will have to be taken into account for this system is having batteries that store the excess energy, which can be used at any time.
Self-consumption facilities connected to the network
In this case, the photovoltaic installation acts as a complement to the service contracted from the electricity company. In many cases, generating your own energy at home can save up to 75% on your monthly bill if you opt for an option with energy storage.
How many solar panels are needed to power my home?
The first thing before venturing to install solar panels at home is to carry out a study of our location, so that we know how much solar radiation arrives and the hours of sunshine that are enjoyed on average per year. In this sense, not only the number of panels to be installed is important, but also their orientation and inclination, since if they are inadequate, they will not be as efficient as they could be.
For this reason, the solar panels must be oriented to the south to capture the maximum energy and, in addition, have an approximate inclination of 18º over the geographical latitude.
Regarding the number of panels that we must install, this will depend on various factors, such as the energy needs of each home (heating, lighting, electrical appliances, etc.), whether it is going to be an isolated self-consumption or connected to the network, whether they will use batteries or the hours of sun enjoyed by the place where the installation is to be carried out.
Next, we give you some information about the panels that would have to be installed in certain cities, as well as their profitability.
Profitability of photovoltaic solar panels
amount of sun per year
Getting more or less out of self-consumption facilities depends to a large extent on the place where it is carried out, since the hours of solar irradiation vary throughout the national territory.
Therefore, it is essential to know the hours of sunshine in the area where you want to install the solar panels, since the same number of panels will not be as productive in Murcia as in the Basque Country.
As an example, Madrid has about 2,600 hours of sunshine a year, being the European capital that enjoys the sun the most.
With an installation of about 14 solar panels on average, a Madrid family with an annual consumption of 5,000 KWh would achieve savings of up to 64% on the electricity bill.
However, Madrid is not the city with the most sun in the country, and it is in places like Badajoz, Seville, Almería or Alicante, where the highest values of solar radiation are produced.
In Seville, for example, only about 13 panels would be enough to generate annual savings of 720 euros per year, thanks to the use of more than 2,800 hours of sunshine per year.
Regarding areas with less incidence of solar radiation, such as Vizcaya, these would need a greater number of solar panels. Specifically, for savings of up to 61% on the electricity bill, the installation of 17 photovoltaic panels would be necessary.
With these data, thinking about installing solar panels in our home becomes much more appealing and, even more if we take into account that with the savings that it entails in the bill, the installation, which will have a useful life of up to 35 years on average. , will be amortized between 5 and 8 years.
Type of photovoltaic cells
On the other hand, the profitability of a solar panel will also be determined by the type, since there are several kinds of photovoltaic panels available on the market. Specifically, and depending on the type of cell that forms them, we find the following:
- crystalline cells, which can in turn be monocrystalline or polycrystalline. In the case of the former, they are made up of circular or octagonal sections of silicon. The second are formed by small crystallized particles.
- amorphous cells, in which the silicon has not crystallized.
In this regard, the more effective and therefore profitable the plates will be, the greater their crystals, weight and thickness. In the case of crystalline plates, their performance can be up to 22%, while amorphous ones do not exceed 10%.
Source: adrase.com