Category Archives: Solar Energy
Solar Energy
Solar photovoltaic energy cells are the main power source behind all solar systems, these cells first got their start in calculators. Over the years they evolved into many different uses, the most popular of which is supplying power to homes and business’s around the world. The solar cells are made from a semiconductor material with silicon being the most popular choice. When light strikes this material the semiconductor starts to move the electrons in the solar panels. The resulting electron activity is so strong that as the electrons flow around the semiconductor electricity begins to be produced in the solar panel.
Solar Energy
Now that you have energy produced in a cell you have to is harness the power from the photovoltaic cell into usable power. You must be aware however that solar power is in the form of DC current and needs to first be run through a inverter to change it to AC current at 120 volts. During this conversion a small bit of electricity will be lost. Once the power is out of the inverter a simple circuit is all that is required to power your electrical items.
If the power output is not enough to cover your electrical demands you will have to add more photovoltaic panels to increase the power output of the system. On the other hand if your solar system produces to much electricity you can actually sell it back to the power company. The power companies are required by federal law to buy back excessive energy, not only is this good for the earth but this will help offset the cost of the system as well.
The use of photovoltaic cells to produce power is an emerging technology that has a very bright future. As home owners and business around the world make attempts to save money and reduce operating costs solar energy is becoming a more frequent choice.
For more information on how you can gain from the many benefits of solar energy, visit http://sourcetecenergy.com/.
Benefits of Solar Energy
We have ways to heat our water, our homes and provide us with electricity. We probably take all of this for granted and if we lost them we would probably panic. We take for granted that these conveniences will be there for us from now on. We expect glitches to happen but we want them to be fixable without going long without all of these. We appreciate the heat in the winter when it snows outside and when the temperatures drop. We need water to live and although it is usually running under the ground we want the convenience of it running through our pipes and into our homes.
Solar Energy
The sun is a very intense ball of gas up in the atmosphere. It burns twenty four hours a day, seven days per week. We only see it during out daytime but on the other side of the globe they get the daytime when we get the night. When the sun light beams down on the earth’s surface, a small percentage of the solar radiation heading for earth gets reflected. There are larger amounts of the sunlight that is actually absorbed. When you consider the fact that the sunlight must go through fog, clouds, dust particles and harmful pollutants in order to reach us that reduce the amount of sunlight that we receive even more. When it finally makes it to the earth’s surface it is then radiated back up into space. When it reaches the earth, plants and vegetation absorb it and the oceans, winds and other resources absorb the sunlight as well.
Some people use some of the heat generated from the sun in order to heat homes, power electricity and provide water to their families and businesses. When you think about all that you have that runs through a machine it may be possible to reroute that in order to run it all by sunlight. Scientists have only started to make this possible but it is far from being completed. When you consider all the solar energy that reaches the earth’s surface and then radiated back into the atmosphere, you could power electricity, heat and water from now on. This solar energy can be redirected and concentrated using special boxes that attract the light during the day to heat water and homes throughout the night.
Solar power is very important and provides a natural way to heat, obtain electricity and water with just a little more effort. In the future we may have no other choice but to look at natural resources in order to have these necessities and conveniences. Solar power is important now and in the future.
For more information on how you can gain from the many benefits of solar energy, visit http://sourcetecenergy.com/.
How Solar Power Works
How Solar Panels Work
The first component to consider when trying to understand solar power basics is the solar panel itself. These panels are typically mounted to the roof of a home, but could also be located on a pole or ground frame nearby. They need to have adequate sunlight exposure throughout the day and should be facing south for the best possible production of solar power for your home. So how solar panels work is that inside each of the panels is a collection of solar cells that are able to produce a small electrical current when exposed to sunlight through a process known as the photovoltaic effect. Even though this current is small for each individual solar cell, when they are connected together in a group their output can be quite substantial when generating solar power for the home. Most homes have a group of these solar energy panels in the system that can generate all the power their home requires.
How Solar Energy Works
Solar Power Inverter
These solar panels generate a DC current as part of their conversion process that needs to be converted to AC current before this electricity can be used by your home appliances. This is accomplished through the use of a device called a solar power inverter. The inverter is connected to your home’s electrical system and converts this DC current to AC current and supplies it to your home when your home solar power system is active. If your home solar power system is generating more power than you are using, the inverter will send the excess power back up the power lines to the local utility and generate an energy credit for you. This credit can be applied to the power you’ll need to buy back energy from the local utility company in the evenings when your system is inactive. If you size your system correctly this back and forth trading of power should cancel each other out and you’ll be left without a power bill each month. The solar power inverter is also the part of the system that switches your home between solar power that you are producing during the day and utility supplied power you are purchasing in the evenings.
Solar Power Battery
The last component that some solar power for homes systems include is a set of batteries. These are completely optional in your system, but if installed they can store the excess power your system produces during the day for later use at night. Some homeowners use this power first in the evenings before switching to utility supplied power to lower their energy bills even further. Other homes keep this reserve of power separate for use in the event of a power outage in their area.
For more information on how you can use green energy and gain from the many benefits of solar energy, visit http://www.sourcetecenergy.com/.