Island systems

Photovoltaic systems

Photovoltaic systems (PV) directly generate electricity from solar radiation, without any moving parts, without any noise and without emission of any pollutants during operation. A clean and hazzle free technology ideally suited for small scale distributed installations, and equipped with a battery bank in so called isolated systems they can even completely cover the electricity demand of a given housing or other installation!

The main components of a PV system are the significant solar modules which transform the incoming light into direct current, using both the direct and diffuse part of the solar radiation. A PV system is therefore also generating power when the sun does not shine!

Thus, PV systems can not only be used in regions with an extremely high amount of annual sunshine hours like in Spain but also in parts of the world with lower sunshine like in Germany.

It is a well-known fact that Andalusia has a large solar irradiation, which is one of the biggest in Europe. The coastal strip in the region of Malaga is well represented with its name "Costa del Sol" = Sunny Coast. Many people from northern parts of Europe and also from Great Britain appreciate this and established themselves here or have their part-time domicile over here. Sometimes these houses lie in remote areas without grid connection and electricity would be a prestigious good to have.

Depending on the availability of a public grid two types of PV systems are distinguished:

Grid connected Systems either feed the generated electricity completely into the electrical grid or the solar power reduces the load from the grid and thus the electricity bill. In Spain the owner of the PV system receives a legally guaranteed high compensation for the solar electricity, so that usually all solar power is sold to the grid operator. This is a really profitable deal for the owner of a PV installation.

In Isolated systems the demand for electricity is covered by the PV system. Supply at times without sun or light is secured with a battery system or through a combination with other generation systems, e.g. diesel generator or wind mill. These systems are perfect for locations that are far away from the electrical grid, but where the comfort of electrical energy shall not be missed or is essential. In these cases a pure PV system is often a more reliable solution than a diesel generator and the most cost efficient!

Due to the different conditions of the place of installation and the requirements on the system there is a huge variety of how PV systems can be implemented. The following pictures show a selection of some possible solutions.

It is obvious that it helps to reduce the cost and installation effort if the use of solar energy is already foreseen during the planning phase of new buildings rather than trying to adopt a solar system to an already existing building. If you are currently designing or constructing a house, ask your architect to get in touch with us!