Home Solar Panels For Electricity
Solar panels have been used to generate electric energy for nearly half a century now. Thanks to advancements in technology, more and more people are resorting to this alternative source of power because it is practically free, other than the initial installation cost. Anyone can invest in this source of energy. However, the system delivers excellent results in regions that receive plenty of daytime sunlight.
So, how do solar systems work?
Each solar panel comes with a particular number of photovoltaic cells, which are arranged in a particular manner and connected to absorb and transform sunlight into electric energy that is used to power your appliances at home, depending on the output generated.
- Photovoltaic Cells
- Inverter
- Battery Storage
- Net Metering
Photovoltaic Cells
Photovoltaic cells are the heart of a solar panel system. These cells are made up of silicon wafers that absorb sunlight and convert it into electricity. When sunlight hits a photovoltaic cell, it knocks electrons loose, creating a flow of electricity. Multiple cells are connected to form a solar panel, which can generate enough electricity to power a home.
Inverter
The electricity generated by the solar panels is in the form of direct current (DC) electricity, which is not compatible with the alternating current (AC) electricity that is used in homes. An inverter is used to convert the DC electricity into AC electricity that can be used to power appliances in your home.
Battery Storage
A battery storage system can be added to a solar panel system to store excess electricity generated during the day for use at night or during cloudy weather. This can help you reduce your reliance on the electric grid and increase your energy independence.
Net Metering
Net metering is a system that allows homeowners to sell excess electricity back to the electric grid. When your solar panels generate more electricity than you need, the excess is sent back to the grid and you receive a credit on your electricity bill. This can help you save even more money on your energy bills.
Common ways of using domestic solar energy
The power produced from your panel, like any other energy, can be used for powering several domestic appliances depending on the amount of electric power that your system is generating. You can generate sufficient energy to power your entire home by lighting your home, charging your gadgets, and even powering your television sets. In case you have not noticed, your system can generate enough power to warm your entire home during the winter months and cool it down during summer.
Better still, you can also sell excess power generated from your system to the grid! As you can see, you can have more than enough energy to power your home without having to worry about bills thanks to your solar panels for electricity investment. The higher the number of PV cells, the greater the amount of output from your system.
How Much Energy Can this System Produce?
The efficiency of your panel and the amount of electricity that you can generate from it entirely depend on the climate, weather, and some daylight hours in your region. This system can overwhelm you with electricity on a sunny day and underperform on a cloudy day. You should also know that PV cells are affected by heat with hotter temperatures lowering their output by 20% to 40%. This means that your panels can generate more electricity during winter than during summer months despite reduced daylight hours.
Most panels come with a label indicating their peak power output, the maximum power in watts that your panel can generate at optimal performance.
Benefits of home solar panels for electricity
i. A clean source of energy
Solar panels use no fuel except sunlight to generate electricity. Better still, it does not release any by-products into the environment.
ii. Cost-effective
Sunlight is and will always be free. All you have to do is make a one-time investment in the panels and begin enjoying unlimited yet free electricity for decades.
iii. Low maintenance cost
Home solar systems are pretty easy to manage since they do not involve high costs or lots of effort to maintain.
Solar panels for electricity are the investment of the future. With it, you can be sure of clean, environmentally friendly energy for all your domestic needs. With the rising costs of living and fuel, this is no doubt the real deal.
Solar Panels – How Do They Work?![Solar Panels - How Do They Work?]( "Solar Panels - How Do They Work?")
Most people grapple with the question: “how do solar panels work”? If you are considering powering your home using solar energy, you must understand what solar panels are made of, how they are assembled, and how they convert solar power into electricity that you can use to power your appliances.
Solar panels are made of photovoltaic cells, (PV), which are semiconductors made of silicon elements. Semiconductors are materials that conduct electricity only after there has been energy injected into them.
The photovoltaic cells work by converting solar energy into electricity. These cells are made of a positive and negative slice of silicon placed under a thin layer of glass. When photons from the sunlight come into contact with the PV cell, they knock off neutrons in the silicon material. These negatively charged free neutrons get attracted to the silicon surface. However, they are trapped by a magnetic field that is created from the opposing fields. Small wires present on the silicon material trap the neutrons which when connected to a circuit result in the creation of electric energy.
To create a flow of electricity, you will need to have an electric field which is realized when you place a positive layer of silicon next to a negative layer of silicon. At this point, it is important to note that silicon by itself is electrically neutral hence to create the positive and negative layers; you have to add phosphorous to one sheet of silicon and boron to the other. This will result in the silicon sheet having an overall charge of both positive and negative terminals. Upon connecting the negative and positive sheets of silicon into your electric circuit, electrons will flow through the circuit resulting in the creation of electricity.
This reaction however only results in the formation of Direct Current (DC), which must be converted into Alternating Current (AC) by passing it through an inverter. It is the produced AC that is used to power your home appliances. During the conversion process, some of the energy is lost since the inverter is only about 95% efficient. Photovoltaic cells require little or no maintenance at all since once fixed, they are not often moved from place to place. This means that solar panels can have a lifespan of up to 40 years.
So, how can you use the generated electricity to power your appliances?
You can use solar energy in several ways around your home besides just powering. You can use it to heat your hot water, warm your pool, or even heat your entire home if you are generating sufficient power for this. Better still, you can get a grid system, which means that besides powering your own home, you can also sell excess electricity back to the grid!
Solar energy is without a doubt the cleanest and most renewable source of electricity that you can use to power your home. The popularity and availability of solar power in homes are a testament to how versatile this source of energy is. To get the most out of your system, ensure that you mount your panels in a location where they receive the maximum exposure to sunlight. This is the most important step toward answering the question: how do solar panels work?
Solar Panel Prices
The past two years have seen a continued drop in solar panel prices, making this energy-efficient technology more attractive than ever to the DIY consumer. The largest factor in better pricing is the increase in demand across the globe for solar panels and solar products. This steady increase in use represents the activities of governments, businesses, and individuals. The greatest result of this lower pricing is that individuals and businesses may soon be able to employ solar technology more readily without the incentives and benefits offered by some governments. In a sense, the price of solar panels is now in reach to the average consumer striving to make their home or business more efficient and less reliant on the larger and more volatile power grid.
Another factor in the competitiveness of solar panel prices is the increase in costs of the extraction and distribution of commonly used fossil fuels. While oil has not currently been approaching the spikes and peaks of pricing seen in recent years, the cost at the pump to the average consumer has and this increased cost is also reflected in home heating bills. In addition to an overall increase in cost, the environmental impacts involved with the extraction of fossil fuels from the earth and their often unexpected and devastating results have grown more apparent and evident to the average world citizen.
Even fuels like natural gas, which have been traditionally seen by many to be one of the cleaner ways to provide energy, have come under the scrutiny of the public eye. The process known as fracking, where fractures are placed within rock layers in the earth to process natural gas, is suspected of an increase in earthquake activity in areas in which it has been used. These and other natural disasters have resulted in a rapid increase in the attractiveness of alternative energy, which in turn, has been reflected by a drop in the price of solar panels.
While an increase in interest and purchase of material will often be expressed by a steady rise in price and lack of availability, the opposite has been true in the case of this green technology. Increased efficiency in both the areas of manufacture and the resulting product has enabled businesses involved in this technology to keep pace with increased demand. From the thin-film solar method being perfected by those in the US to the latest fractional cell crystals being explored by the Chinese, the excitement and innovation of the industry have helped to keep pricing at a level found comfortable by the average consumer. More efficient panels have resulted in products of smaller size and these lighter panels have led to an explosion in DIY installation practices. The ability to leave the grid and install solar panels on the roof is simpler than it has ever been before in history. The ease of installation, in addition to subsidies offered by many governments, has also helped to account for the drop in solar panel prices.
Solar Panel Mounting
Solar panel mounting can save a lot of money. As the panels themselves are quite costly, paying for installation can be quite difficult. The good news is that almost anyone can install paneling without the aid of an installation technician. While DIY solar panel mounting is not a particularly easy job and it takes a fair bit of time and work, it can be done even by a person with minimal carpentry experience.
When installing paneling, it is very important to read the instructions carefully. Most DIY kits come with their instructions. While basic principles of installation are the same across the board, the exact step-by-step instructions vary a bit, depending on the type, brand name, and size of panels purchased. The instructions enclosed with the package must be followed explicitly or the paneling will not function properly.
Solar panels need lots of sun
The paneling should be installed on the side of the house that will get the most sunlight. Remove tree branches or other obstructions that will block the sun from hitting the panels. Placing the panels at an angle is also a good idea.
A homeowner will want to ask a friend or relative for help when installing paneling on the roof. Having someone to hold the ladder steady can help to prevent accidents. The person on the ground can also help by passing the panels to the person working on the roof.
It is a good idea to pre-drill holes in the rafters using a pilot bit. This will reduce the risk of splintering the rafters. Once the holes have been drilled, the mounts can be put in. The panels should then be installed on the mounts.
Once the solar panels have been mounted on the roof, wire them together and connect them to an inverter. The inverter should then be connected to the storage battery and circuit breaker. After this has been done, connect the inverter to the home fuse box.
In many areas, a homeowner may need to obtain a building permit before having solar paneling installed on the house. A homeowner should call the planning department in his or her county before starting work to see if permission for this work is required. This can save a homeowner a lot of time, hassle, and money.
Solar panels help to preserve the environment and they can save a lot of money in the long term. Solar energy is becoming more and more popular and many panel manufacturers make paneling that can be installed without professional help. However, a person who is doing a solar panel mounting job should be sure to follow the instructions carefully and take the time to do the job well. Clear the roof of obstructions and make sure the panels get plenty of sunlight. Following the above instructions along with the specific instructions included in the package will ensure that one has solar paneling that works properly and provide plenty of energy for the home.
Solar Panel Construction![Solar Panel Construction]()
For many people who are looking for home improvement projects to help in increasing the value of their property, solar panel construction can be a good choice. One can gain many advantages from this type of project. Not only does it serve to increase the value of one’s property, but it can also help reduce energy costs as well. Besides, those who decide to use solar energy, are helping to play a part in protecting the environment. This can be a benefit for today and in years to come.
This type of power has been used in one way or another since ancient times. For centuries, people have used the power of the sun to perform the heating and cooking tasks that they require to survive. Today more than ever, people are turning to the sun’s energy to help them with many of their energy needs. Solar energy is used in heating, air conditioning, and ventilation systems. It also is used to power lights at home, work, and on the streets of many cities. Many people now use the sun’s power to heat their water as well as cook their meals. In almost any place where one needs some type of energy, solar power can be used.
In the past, it could be quite expensive for a homeowner to install this type of power system on their property. The panels that were required could be quite costly to purchase and the physical installation of such panels could be even more expensive. However, today there are many more options when it comes to installing and using these devices in one’s home or even office. Because of their popularity, the prices have come down tremendously in the last few years so now most people can afford the addition.
There is a wide variety of resources for anyone interested in solar panel construction. With the increased use of the internet, it is much easier to find not only businesses that can supply the parts needed, but also it is also easier to find instructions on how one can assemble solar panels for themselves. Because of this, it has become a much easier home improvement project for those who are inclined to work on such things. Installing panels is not extremely difficult and it can be done safely. There is a variety of kits that one can purchase or even instructions on how to make panels using basic kitchen and hardware supplies.
Solar panel construction can be a great project for anyone who is looking for ways to increase the value of their home. It can also be a great asset in helping one decrease their energy bills as well. By using this type of power, one can also know that they are helping the environment by eliminating some of their needs for energy from other sources. This can be beneficial in helping to reduce the need for fuel-generated energy and that can be beneficial in many ways. By incorporating solar energy into one’s home, they can see benefits for themselves now and it will be helping to provide benefits for their children, grandchildren, and more.
