Adding Solar Panels To An Existing Installation

A solar power installation on a sailboat is made up of two independent systems.

Adding solar panels to an existing installation.

3 get a whole new separate solar system installed next to the original. Often the additional solar panels and the battery bank are installed together at a package price. The process for adding additional panels onto your existing system isn t going to be the same as when you were originally shopping for a solar panel system. It is not just a matter of adding more panels.

In the charging system the solar panels convert sunlight into electrical current and deliver it to the batteries via a solar charge controller. Upgrading your solar panel system is not as simple as it may sound. But you may want to add more solar panels to your existing system. One system to charge the batteries and another system to provide 120 volt ac power for household appliances.

When adding batteries there is a wide variety of approaches each of which as its own pros and cons. 2 get a new bigger inverter and add more panels too. Upgrading means adding solar panels to allow the system to generate more electricity. For example asce 7 16 now clearly states that the weight of solar panels and their support are to be considered as dead loads 1 roof live loads need not be applied to areas covered by solar panels under a certain spacing or height 2 and seismic design is based on already established principles in section 13 3 for non structural component.

These additional panels can usually be tied into the existing string giving you more solar capacity without any major changes to your current system. Your solar panel system could be undersized to begin with or you might have increased your electricity usage since installation due to new additions to your house new appliances or adding an electric vehicle ev purchase. Let s go through each option in detail so you can weigh up the best approach for you. You can add more solar panels using your existing inverter.

1 add more panels to your existing system using your original inverter. For example you can install up to 2kw of panels to a system using a 1 5kw inverter. More and more people are adding solar panels to their existing solar system because they also plan on adding batteries.