Many people are gaining interest in solar energy to power their homes these days. The key to becoming an authority on solar power is to learn everything you can find about its many benefits. The following article will help you get a good staring point for your solar energy education.
Everything begins with our sun's rays. Sunlight bombards our planet with solar radiation. Most of us know it as UVA and UVB radiation. A great deal of those rays are reflected back into space but there's an ample amount of that energy that's soaked up by the earth in order to fuel houses all over the planet. Regrettably technological know-how has not caught up with our fantastic ideas to help save our planet however you are able to do your part with residential solar electricity.
You have witnessed solar panel systems on rooftops as well as in backyards. They've become much more sleek since the time that they initially arrived on the scene. Previously, only people with a good amount of money could have enough money for residential solar electricity however the systems are widely used today.
Each and every solar panel is made up of photovoltaic cells. These cells usually are manufactured from silicon or some other semi-conductive substance. The cells are usually organized uniformly with both a positive and a negative end to produce the solar panel system. Whenever the suns's rays hit the solar panels (typically positioned on the south side of the roof or the lawn), it is soaked up into the solar cells.
The light energy (photons) strikes the solar cells and electrons will be knocked free. All these free electrons proceed through the array and generate the electrical energy you must have to power your entire home. At this time, the electrical power which is generated is DC, or direct current. Your house utilizes AC or alternating current therefore the energy must be converted.
This is the point where the remaining system takes over. The electrical energy which is generated by the solar PV (photovoltaic) array, is next handed to a DC disconnect apparatus. This apparatus interrupts the stream of electricity from the array.
Following that, you need to use one of two techniques designed for funneling the electrical energy straight into your home. If you are using a residential solar energy system which is directly linked to your electrical system, the electrical power will traverse an inverter to alter the DC to AC. For anyone who is using a system which uses a battery to keep solar electrical energy for future use, solar electrical power is directed to a battery bank in which it is saved until needed. When you are set to use the energy, it then moves through an inverter to be used by AC outlets in your house.
With the invention of powered roof vents to draw out heat, the decrease in home cooling expenses showed promise, but it wasn't until these too were combined with the cutting edge innovative technology available today that people began to see their real value.
Grid Tie in systems are systems designed to power a person's home, while feeding extra energy back into the grid to supply the neighborhood. This technique effectively slows the amount of power drawn from the energy company, and in some cases turns the homeowners meter backwards. This is an example of a shared provider system, where the homeowner has less worries about being powerless in the case of something happening to their array, but if their system is working fine, they can eliminate their electric bill altogether and end up with the power company paying them for the energy they provide their solar grid.
Off Grid systems provide power to a house to be stored in a battery bank. This allows the person to have power in locations where there are no power grids, like in the desert, or the tundra, or in the mountains if they are seeking a cabin retreat. This type of system, while not providing them with payments from the electric company, means they are free to build where they want, without the hassle of if the power companies can supply them with the energy needed for their creature comforts.
A powered roof exhaust vent could lower the temperature of a person's home by 10-15 degrees on a hot summer day, but at the expense of an increase in electricity usage. Now, with a solar powered unit running the same price as a conventional unit, a person can drop their house from 85 to 75 degrees without worrying about their electric bill increasing every time the fan kicks in.
