Learn About Solar Energy

If you want to learn about Solar Power then this article will be right up your alley. In this article, you will learn about how practical is solar power for the home, what are the uses for solar power in my home, and what is needed to generate electricity with solar power?. After this article is finished you should be able to decide if solar power is a good solution to your electricity and heating needs, especially if you want to live where the normal power distribution system is not easily reached..

Is solar power practical? If you are a homeowner looking to lower the energy bills or reduce the carbon footprint of your home, you will discover today's solar power equipment is readily available and practical to use. There are many vendors and solar power companies available to help you plan and install a solar generation system for your home. There are also a large number of books and down loadable digital files on the subject of solar power. And that brings us to what are the uses for solar power in your home?

How is solar power applied to the energy needs of my home? Solar energy usage for the home falls into two broad categories, heating and electricity generation. Solar can be a good solution to your electricity and heating needs with proper planning, especially if you live beyond the reach of the normal power distribution grid. Solar heating of your house is best incorporated during the planning and construction of your home. Solar hot water heating, however is available for retrofitting to almost any existing house. Likewise, solar electricity generation is practical to provide most of the power needs for a home with the necessary components.

What is needed to generate electricity with solar energy? A solar generation system has several parts which all must function as a system to have a useful solar power system for the home. It starts with the solar panels which convert the radiation from the sun into electrical current by the photo voltaic action of the cells. The current flows through a regulator or charge controller into a bank of storage batteries. These batteries store the electricity for later use during nighttime or cloudy days. The voltage from the storage batteries is converted into the proper voltage by an inverter unit. All of these parts plus a backup generator for prolonged cloudy days work together to provide a reliable power generation system.

This brief over view of the possibilities of using solar power in the home should help you determine if solar power is practical, some of the uses for solar power in the home, and what is needed to generate electricity with solar power. Now you should be able to go on and learn more about the different parts of the solar power systems and begin to plan a solar installation of your own.