Solar energy technology is an old concept and was developed years ago, it has capability to meet all your energy needs without being dependent on the grid for your power needs. You may be wondering how can you enjoy watching big screen television, using multiple refrigerators or even enjoy cool breeze of air conditioners in those hot months.
All this can be met using solar power to your advantage as the technology has further developed. Getting off the grid has become a reality these days especially for residential or commercial buildings. These days most of the solar panel technology has become quite efficient and affordable that you can easily install it for your homes.
This is also a fact that that the initial investment could be very high as compared to the conventional power. With the rising prices of fuel and utility, solar energy is now the only viable solution to meet your power demands.
Many new buildings constructed these days have the solar panel array on the roof tops which look good as compared to large solar panels in the past. The solar panels these days are not only more efficient but are small in size so that less space is required to install the solar power system. Today you will find Photovoltaic (PV) solar panels more attractive and modern, thanks to the development of technology.
Generating electricity using solar panels is really a new concept, many houses which have solar panels installed are also connected to grid, this ensures drastic cut in their energy bills as they are using mixture of both solar power and conventional power. There are some houses which in fact produce surplus power using PV panels and earn handsome money by selling this power to the utility companies.
Installing solar array is not that costly as most people think, there is subsidy and incentives offered by the federal and local governments to the people who are interested to install the solar panels. There are almost ten federal incentives which you can expect when you install the solar panels. These are in the form of tax credits, corporate and private exemptions and special loans and grants.
In addition you can also get local solar rebate, property tax incentives and much more. In some of the states 70% of the costs are borne making installation much easier for the common home owner.
Solar Panels for Homes
Solar panels or Photovoltaic system convert sunlight into electrical energy, each solar panel contains about a group of 30 to 40 solar cells which are made of silicon or some other material which absorbs sunlight. The material is so efficient in absorbing light that it immediately converts the solar power into electricity.
Each solar panel is a series of solar cells which are connected all together; the entire panel is sealed to save it from the moisture. The part of the solar cell which absorbs the electricity is negative and the bottom is considered to be positive.
When the sunlight is absorbed into silicon cells, electrons are knocked loose and travel from negative to positive layer and the electrical energy is passed through the contacts in the top layer and is routed through the circuit array thus producing power.