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Would Your Home Benefit from Solar Power?

Would Your Home Benefit from Solar Power?


There are many advantages to installing a home energy system in your home. The latest solar panel energy technology will not just save you money by cutting your electricity bill, but also contribute to a cleaner world.

By relying on the clean energy technology of solar panels, your family can look forward to reducing your electrical consumption and slashing your power bills.

A solar power system is designed to convert sunlight to energy. The main benefits of installing a solar system include:

  1. Reducing the cost of electricity
  2. Having a source of power to your home in the event of a power outage
  3. Reducing your carbon footprint
  4. Adding value to your property
  5. Receiving financial compensation for extra electricity going back into the power grid

How home solar energy systems work

Solar panels capture sunlight and converting this into Direct Current, or DC.

This Direct Current moves to an Inverter which converts the direct current it receives to Alternate Current or AC. This is electricity which can be used around the home.

solar cell system

Image source: istockphoto

Modern Inverters are created to get maximum energy production. Unlike older versions, the current generation of solar energy systems can continue to function even if one solar panel is not operating.

The AC (electricity) produced in an Inverter can be used to power home appliances and electronics such as the TV, computers, fridge and cooktops, lighting and air-conditioning and heating.

Today, slimline solar energy storage batteries are available. They make a smart choice for families who want to capitalise on their solar panel investment.

By using battery storage there is no wastage of excess electricity.

The electricity not used in your home is stored for later use. If the battery becomes full, excess power is sent back to your local power grid, and you are compensated at a set rate per kilowatt. And all the while, your solar panels continue to generate more electricity for your home to use.

Two Major Considerations

Interested in joining the millions of others that harness the natural power of the sun and use solar technology as a sustainable energy source in your home?

For everyone that makes a major purchase for their home, they must always balance the major considerations of cost versus quality. For every family, this will determine if installing a household solar power system is the right choice.

The Cost Issue

There is no doubt that installing a complete solar energy system is not cheap. And it is not something you should DIY. If you are building a new home, talk to your property developer about including a solar energy system as part of the design.

When done professionally, a high-quality solar system will add value to your property. But the cost of installation will be thousands.

To reduce this cost many governments, offer rebates. Installation companies also offer payment plans.

Do your research.

While these rebates or plans may not offset the cost of the installation immediately, an efficient solar panel system is definitely a cost-saving feature for your home.

Solar panels help homeowners save money immediately and in the long-term.

  • Immediately using a residential solar system will reduce the household power bill and avoid purchasing power from the local electricity grid.
  • In the long-term, having solar panels also protects the homeowner from rising electricity costs. It is also an added feature that will improve your property’s value.

The Quality

The cost of installing a home solar system is an issue for many families. As with most things in life, price dictates quality.

There is no doubt that choosing high power-output solar energy panels will create maximum energy output. Which means more electricity.

The energy technology industry moves fast. Always check that you are being sold the latest quality solar panels and that they comply with the current industry standards.

Remember, to create a high power-output solar energy system, you need high-performing solar energy products.

These are the key factors to consider when comparing solar panels:

  • Suitability for residential application
  • Energy yields
  • Stringent testing (including internal testing) for high-performance
  • Reliability
  • The durability of solar materials that will save on repair costs
  • Long warranty periods that offer peace of mind for repairs and replacement
  • Performance efficiency even in the shade
  • Weather resistance, especially if you live in an area prone to frost, sand or even hail
  • Suitability for your roof (i.e. sloping or non-sloping)
  • Materials used to build the panels

Weighing up the Value

Once you ascertain what solar panels are best suited to your home environment, it becomes a matter of weighing up the initial cost with any government rebates and your expected benefits.

Research is clear that by harvesting energy for the sun, a home solar energy system will save you money long-term and reduce reliance on the electricity grid. This and the environmental good you are doing the planet might also be a factor in your decision.

If you do decide to install a solar energy system, make sure you get the most out of your solar technology.

Talk to a local expert or your property developer for appropriate advice and correct installation.

Technology

What is Modbus and How Can You Benefit From it

What is Modbus and How Can You Benefit From it


What is Modbus and How Can You Benefit From it

If you’re looking for an easy to use, open serial communication protocol to implement with your electronic industrial devices, then you must have stumbled upon Modbus, at least once or twice.

Curious about what it is and how you and/or your company can benefit from it? Many companies and developers have grown to love this open serial communication protocol, and use it extensively in programming the electronic industrial devices they work on.

Let’s take a look at what Modbus is, and how you can benefit from it.

What exactly is Modbus?

Modbus was developed in 1979 by Modicon, the company behind the first programmable logic controller. In tech terms, it is a serial communication protocol.

In other words, Modbus is a way for electronic industrial devices communicate with each other. It allows information to be transmitted over serial lines between electronic devices. Devices can request information, as well as supply it.

Devices that request information using Modbus are called Modbus Masters, while those that supply information using Modbus are called Modbus Slaves. Modbus Masters can even write information to the Modbus Slaves.

It should be noted that there can only be one Master per Modbus network, but there can be up to 247 Slaves. Each Slave has their own unique address.

How much does Modbus cost and how is it used?

When Modbus was created, it was released to the public, making it an open protocol. This means that companies and developers are allowed to implement it within their networks and build into their equipment without paying royalties.

This fact has made Modbus the most commonly used way electronic industrial devices are connected. Regardless of the industry, your organization is in, Modbus can be used to help automate network communication.

There are also various versions available of Modbus that are used to address specific needs an organization. For example, Modbus TCP is used for Ethernet, and Modbus RTU and Modbus ASCII for serial lines.

How can Modbus help my company?

Modbus is great for any company within the manufacturing industry – regardless of what you manufacture. Your organization can benefit from Modbus, because it allows quick and efficient communication between devices in a network.

A scenario in which Modbus could be used is in transmitting signals from instruments and/or control devices and sending them back to a main control device.

A practical application of this would be an electronic industrial system that measures air pressure and transmits them back to a computer for analysis. Another way that it can be used is connecting a supervisory system to remote terminal units in a supervisory control and data acquisition system.

If your company has a real need for data collection and transmission to a main computer, or if it actively uses a supervisory control and data acquisition system then Modbus is definitely a serial transmission protocol worth exploring.

Those two scenarios are just a fraction of the possibilities that exist when Modbus is used in your company’s network. With Modbus, the possibilities for innovation and simplification are endless.