The most visible component of a solar system are the panels. These panels are arrays of individual photo-voltaic cells mounted in a rigid frame. The second major component is a bank of deep cycle batteries. These are different from automobile batteries; they are designed to be repeatedly charged and discharged. Although for optimal performance they should be routinely discharged below half of their rated capacity. Your battery capacity should be roughly balanced to the amount of solar charging capacity available. Both should be sized to your anticipated needs, figuring the effective battery size at half the rated capacity. In addition some allowance should be made for cloudy weather, although it’s not practical to store more than a couple of day’s needs.

The third component is the charge controller; this device ensures your batteries are not overcharged. Some controllers also include over-temperature protection and specialty circuitry to optimize performance.