Adding Solar Panels To An Existing Installation

Often the additional solar panels and the battery bank are installed together at a package price.

Adding solar panels to an existing installation.

A solar power installation on a sailboat is made up of two independent systems. One system to charge the batteries and another system to provide 120 volt ac power for household appliances. 3 get a whole new separate solar system installed next to the original. It is not just a matter of adding more panels.

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. If you have additional roof space with good sun exposure it s relatively simple to install more solar panels on a new section of rack. Homeowners whose solar panels generate electricity that is not sufficient for their needs typically think of upgrading their existing system. Upgrading your solar panel system is not as simple as it may sound.

You can add more solar panels using your existing inverter. Your inverter s rated peak power can be maximized up to 133. Upgrading means adding solar panels to allow the system to generate more electricity. These additional panels can usually be tied into the existing string giving you more solar capacity without any major changes to your current system.

When adding batteries there is a wide variety of approaches each of which as its own pros and cons. 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. 2 get a new bigger inverter and add more panels too. More and more people are adding solar panels to their existing solar system because they also plan on adding batteries.

1 add more panels to your existing system using your original inverter. But you may want to add more solar panels to your existing system. Let s go through each option in detail so you can weigh up the best approach for you.