Solar Panels in the Spotlight

What is a Solar Panel?

We’ve all heard about solar panels being a great way to harvest the sun’s energy to help power our home, but before investing in solar panels for your home you may want to learn a little more about them. What are they and how do they work are the questions on many peoples lips...especially if they have not been researching environmentally friendly power sources for long. Solar panels, or to give them their official name photovoltaic modules are group of solar cells which have been connected and grouped together to form a panel. One panel alone is not enough to generate energy and it is only when a group of panels are connected to form a photovoltaic system that there is potential for the creation of energy. A group of panels is also known as a photovoltaic array; a solar system like this will include in addiction to the solar panels, a battery, wiring and an inverter...which is basically a gadget for converting DC or direct current into AC or alternating current.

How do Solar Panels Generate Energy?

The most important factor in the creation of electricity through the use of solar panels is of course the sun; light energy or photons are converted into electricity through the photovoltaic effect.  The basic principles are the same as with ordinary batteries or electrical outlets; with solar panels the fundamentals are rooted in electrons running through a circuit freely. Solar panels rely on silicon for the transmission of electrons and it is by combining silicon with another substance such as Phosphorous to create solar plates that the magical process is begun and electricity can be generated.

How are Solar Panel Used Today:

There has been a huge interest and a steady growth in solar energy and also in related equipment over recent years and this growth has been largely influenced by the rising cost of utilities. As home owners cast about for environmentally friendly ways in which they can reduce the cost of running their households, more and more people are investing in solar energy; this has been in part due to government incentives such as the Feed in Tariff which was implemented to encourage more use of green energy and microgeneration technologies in the home. By offering cash rewards to people who invest in solar or wind power, the government were ensuring the reduction of the UK’s carbon emissions. There have been some changes to the Feed in Tariff which are not at the time of writing, affecting people who choose to install solar energy system but it is expected that by 2012 there will be some changes to which microgeneration installations are eligible for the cash incentives and which are not. There may also be a cap placed on how much households can “earn” via their energy production. The best time to install solar panels in your home in order to take advantage of the government incentives is as soon as possible. So don’t delay! Even with the governments planned changes, the benefits are indisputable for the homeowner.