Your Solar Energy Simplified Top Questions Answered Part 1 (2024)

Explore Solar Energy by Answering the Frequently Asked Questions Part 1 (2024)

Recently, there has been a significant growing interest in renewable energy sources and their applications. It attracts people to seek answers through social media platforms and websites like Quora. Many inquiries revolve around solar energy and solar power systems.

Solar energy stands out as one of the most widely accessible and straightforward renewable energy sources. That is because solar energy offers many valuable benefits and plays a positive significant role in achieving a green environment. 

Because of that, and to address these queries effectively, we are launching a series that delves into these questions and provides clear, accessible answers. Join us and let us dive in as we explore these questions and topics and uncover their solutions.

Solar Power Systems

Can solar panels be used for lighting at night? If yes, how do they work without sunlight?

The solar panels are not working during the night. It needs the sunlight to force the solar panel to produce electricity. But we can use batteries as a support energy storage system to store the solar energy during the daylight in the batteries and supply it again during the night.

There are some devices used with the batteries like battery charge controller and inverter to ensure the maximum performance of the system. You can check the following solar cell article link for detailed information about the working principle of the solar cell.

How many solar panels are required for a 10kva inverter?

For 10kw inverter. We should add a safety factor based on the loss of power due to internal parameters of the solar cell like temperature and the change in efficiencies of system components of the solar power system.

This safety factor is from 20 to 30%. So, the required power will be 12500 watts. Depending on the power of each solar panel that will be used, the number of solar panels will be determined. If we used the 250-watt panels, we would use 12500 / 250 = 50 panels. 

We would use 23 panels if we chose the 550-watt. Check that example for more information on how to calculate your solar power system for your home application.

How do solar panels function in cloudy weather? Do they use more power or work differently?

First of all, the solar panels do not need any power sources to work. It generates power. In cloudy weather, the solar panels do not function well because it depends on the intensity of the direct sunlight (irradiance) absorbed by the solar cell.

In cloudy weather, clouds prevent direct sunlight from reaching the solar panel as a result, the generated power from the solar panels decreases according to the surrounding daylight with low irradiance value. 

What are the considerations during solar calculation?

Before doing the solar calculations, we have to decide the type of my project is it an on-grid project or an off-grid one? These two types of projects have different types of components which will significantly affect our calculation. 

In off-grid projects, we need to add batteries and their charge controller. We need to add more solar panels for battery charging. Finally, we should consider the following parameters when calculating the solar power systems:

• Determine carefully our needed power (load).

• Adding safety factors for the power loss and efficiencies of the devices used.

• Effect of temperature on the solar panel.

• Irradiance values and shading at the project's place which affects significantly the solar panel's efficiency.

• Battery charging and worst cases of bad weather.

home solar system is a complete example showing how you can calculate and design your solar power system by yourself for your home applications.

What specific components are necessary to build a solar power plant?

First, there are two types of solar power projects, Off-grid and On-grid. In On-grid, the solar power system is a stand-alone project, and its components are:

• Solar panels.

• Charge controller.

• Batteries

• Inverters.

• Circuit breakers.

The second type of project is the ON-grid project where the solar panels are connected directly to the inverter and the output of the inverter is connected to the national grid. The On-grid system components are:

• Solar panels.

• Inverter.

• Circuit breakers.

• Net metering counter.

Note: the net metering counter is used to determine net the power resulting from the difference between the consumed power and the excess power supplied to the grid (money can be earned if the power supplied to the grid is more than the power consumed by the load based on the agreement with the grid authorities).

What is the difference between a solar panel and a solar cell?

The solar cell is the smallest device unit that converts the power of sunlight to electricity. It works based on the photovoltaic effect. The photovoltaic effect is the generation of electrical current when sunlight photons hit the electrons in the semiconductor materials causing the free of these electrons. 

These free electrons are collected at the connection grid awaiting their delivery outside the solar cells. The solar panel is a solar module consisting of a group of solar cells. The standard numbers of cells per module are 36, 72, and 144 cells.

In conclusion:

Solar energy is a readily, available, and globally abundant resource that offers many advantages while holding environmental sustainability. 

Questions surrounding the components and functionality of solar power systems are frequently raised by individuals seeking clarity on this topic. This article has addressed some of these inquiries, with ongoing plans to address additional questions in forthcoming content.


We hope that you have found answers to your queries here, and encourage you to share any further questions or feedback for future discussions.