Solar power is generated when energy is extracted from the suns rays through the use of photovoltaic cells (commonly referred to as solar cells). These cells convert photos (from the suns rays) into electricity, and this process is known as the “photovoltaic effect.”

Many people are beginning to invest in such technologies to avoid rising electricity prices and to help our environment. If every home could be fitted with solar panels, then the strain on power stations would decrease dramatically, which means we wouldn’t be left as dependable on fossil fuels as we currently are.

There are many alternatives to solar power, so why should we invest our money into solar technologies, rather than lets say, home wind turbines, or a geothermal energy system? To answer this, we shall look at the advantages and disadvantages of the technologies above.

Solar Panels:

Advantages – widely available, relatively easy to install, very significant output, a solar panel will pay for itself in two to three years, lifetime of 20 to 30 years, modern cells can harness power on cloudy days, can bring power to remote locations.
Disadvantages – costly to begin with, older technologies won’t work too well if cloudy.

Wind Turbines:

Advantages – fairly cheap for a home turbine, can be used in harsh conditions.
Disadvantages – totally dependent on the wind, small output, larger turbines can be noisy, wind farms are seen by many as eyesores, larger (more effective) turbines can be very expensive.

Geothermal Energy:

Advantages – can aid in the heating of hot water, save money on running your boiler, can supply effective underfloor heating, heat from the ground can be relied upon.
Disadvantages – have to lay hundreds of meters of piping underground, hard to fix a leak, expensive, longer time to heat water than a boiler.

So there we have the advantages and disadvantages of each. Assuming you do not live by a rapid stream or running river (which rules out hydroelectric power), then as you can see from the above text, solar power is your best option. Solar panels offer many more friendly factors and less disadvantages than other technologies.

A proven method is to have more than one of the above technologies installed around a home (all three would be a dream, but also leave a large hole in your wallet). So if you have the spare cash, are interrested in saving money on future electricity bills, care for the environment, and would like to be less dependent on fossil fuels, why not take a deeper look into the world of renewable energy resources.

http://www.clean-energy-ideas.com/solar_panels.html

www.easyhomesolarpower.com In this video this mans home is completely powered by the power of the sun which is available to us all. DIY solar power for your home is actually fairly simple. You can follow the above link and find an ebook giving instructions on how to make your own solar power system for less than 0.00 worth of materials to get started. I have found it very useful information in solar power kits and highly recommend it….

Using the power of the sun is becoming increasingly attractive from an economic and environmental aspect. If you’re going solar, you need to know the components.

Solar Components

While generally considered electric platforms, solar systems definitely have unique components. Here’s some of the jargon you are going to need to be familiar with before buying.

1. Photovoltaic Cell – This is the key piece of any solar platform. Known as a PV cell, it is typically a small cell containing a silicon substance under glass. When the sun hits the cell, the silicon undergoes an electrical reaction that creates a charge. The charge is collected by small wires. Depending on the nature of the cell, each should produce roughly half a volt.

2. Solar Panel – A collection of solar cells joined as a unit in a frame. A single panel typically is insufficient to produce enough energy to power anything of significance in your home.

3. Solar System – Also known as a photovoltaic system, a solar system is an interconnected set of solar panels. This is what you see on the roofs of home or other areas around homes and buildings. A solar system converts enough sunlight into electricity to provide most or all of the power required by a home.

4. Orientation – Before installing a panel system, one has to give some thought regarding where to put it. The sun tracks across a structure in a particular way. To maximize the energy production, the panels have to be oriented to receive the maximum amount of sunlight. This, of course, results in the maximum amount of electricity.

5. Direct Current – A type of electricity that flows in only one direction. Solar cells produce direct current electricity.

6. Alternating Current – Electricity that flows in both directions. AC power is used by utilities and in practically all appliances and machines in a home.

7. Inverter – A key component in a solar panel system. The inverter converts the direct current produced by the solar panels into AC power that can be used in the home or fed back into a utility power grid system.

Obviously, there are a wide variety of systems for converting sunlight into power. Making yourself familiar with the above components is a good place to start.

See this solar panel system with lights. Inexpensive, easy to install, reduce your power bill. Cheap Solar Power. Cheap Home System. See my part 2 video.

If you are building your home you have several choices to choose from regarding your heating source. If you choose to heat from the sun you need to build your home facing in the direction that the sun rise’s. This allows your home to get the most sunshine during the hottest part of the day. Buying solar powered glass windows allow the sun to come through and stay in the home without escaping back out. After the sun goes down your home is kept warm by the sunlight that came into the home during the day. You need to keep the door shut in order to keep the heat in and you also need to use insulated curtains on the windows at night so that the heat will not escape at night while you sleep. Make sure you don’t allow too many windows on the side of the house that faces the evening sun as it may cause the home to cool down quickly.

Using sunlight to heat your home is an excellent way to safe money on your heating bill and also to improve the environment. You can install a backup heating source incase the sunlight does not heat your home efficiently during the day because of clouds. Your back up system can be used to assist the solar energy which will also cut down on the use of electric or gas.

Heating water using solar power is very affordable and can be installed with minimal effort. Choosing to heat your water using solar power is a wise choice and a first step in making a choice to help preserve our environment. We know how easy it is to use solar power to do a lot of things, including heating our water.

Solar power efficient appliances

Now you don’t have to go through the time and effort of making your home solar power but using regular standard appliances. With solar power appliances it is easy to become solar power all the way.

Appliances that are Efficient: Not all appliances can be solar powered and for that reason appliances that are efficient are the next best thing. They conserve the energy that it takes to run that appliance and provide you with the service that you expect out of that appliance. Chest freezers, dishwashers, stoves, microwaves, washers and dryers are all appliances that can be purchased with efficiency to save on energy and money. When you use appliances that are efficient they usually cost more up front but in the long run they are worth the effort and can last you a lifetime with proper maintenance.

Adding a solar source outside where you can use a solar power designed box to attract the heat from the sun can be transformed into energy to power your home and warm your water. The products that it takes to get this accomplished will cost a little more than if you built a standard home without using solar power. The good thing about solar power is that it is an initial investment.