PPC enjoys strategic and some exclusive partnerships with solar technology manufacturers and power storage solution providers. This is translated into the superior product quality and enhanced optimization that our clients receive. Renewable energy has numerous benefits including: smart energy consumption, lower overall cost, reduced environmental footprint and (in case of hybrid systems) revenue generation.
Photovoltaic Solar Systems
The main components of a Photovoltaic (PV) solar system are: PV panels, cabling, inverter, battery bank, charge controllers, and power switches. PPC supplies, installs and maintains complete PV solar systems; with specialization in optimized power storage solutions. The utilized system components and their configuration determine the system classification:
Off-grid PV System
The Off-Grid or Stand-Alone PV System incorporates large amounts of battery storage to provide power for a number of days (and nights) when sunlight is unavailable. The array of solar panels must be large enough to provide for all energy needs at the site while simultaneously recharging the batteries.
On-grid PV System
The simplest and most cost effective PV design for most sites is the On-Grid (sometimes referred to as utility-interactive) system. Suitable for sites with reliable grid utility because lack of batteries means that the system can’t provide backup power. This is usually the logical system choice.
Direct PV System
Direct PV systems are designed to operate independent of the electric utility grid. Such systems are designed and sized to supply certain DC and/or AC loads (with inverter). Suitable for applications where no constant supply of power is required, e.g. irrigation tank refilling.
Hybrid PV System
Hybrid systems enable ‘net metering’ from excess power being pushed to the utility grid as well as backup power (utilizing batteries) when the grid is down. As the name suggests, this is the most beneficial system but it has increased complexity which subsequently increase capital and maintenance cost.
Concentrated Solar Power (CSP)
CSP technologies utilize mirrors to reflect and concentrate sunlight onto receivers that collect solar energy and convert it to heat. The thermal (heat) energy can, in turn, be used to produce electricity via a turbine or a heat engine driving a generator.
Illustrative applications of solar PV solutions are listed below, with their corresponding system(s) classification:
- Solar Car Park Roofs (on-grid)
- Street Lighting/ Traffic Signalling (off-grid)
- Industrial Manufacturing Facilities (hybrid)
- Agriculture Irrigation (off-grid, direct)
- Residential Home Power (off-grid, on-grid, hybrid)
- Solar Water Heating Systems (off-grid)
- Power Storage Systems (off-grid)
- Underground Water Pumping (direct)
- Swimming Pool Circulation (direct)