Solar Home Systems (SHS)

Solar home systems (SHS) are stand-alone photovoltaic systems that offer a cost-effective mode of supplying amenity power for lighting and appliances to remote off-grid households. In rural areas, that are not connected to the grid, SHS can be used to meet a household's energy demand fulfilling basic electric needs. Globally SHS provide power to hundreds of thousands of households in remote locations where electrification by the grid is not feasible. SHS usually operate at a rated voltage of 12 V direct current (DC) and provide power for low power DC- appliances such as lights, radios and small TVs for about three to five hours a day. Further-more they use appliances such as cables, switches, mounts, and structural parts and power conditioners/inverters, which change 12/ 24 V power to 240 VAC power for larger appliances. SHS are best used with efficient appliances so as to limit the size of the array.