In simple terms, solar panels work by collecting photons from the sun and converting them into DC electrical power. From that point, power is then thrust through an inverter, which transforms it into a basic voltage and AC power. Despite concerns, the strips still work in cloudy conditions as the sun continues to give off enough diffuse light to be absorbed. However, equipment that is directly linked to a panel may not work at full capability. In addition, during winter months, the shorter days will also cause a reduction in input and a snow-covered roof will stop production completely. Regardless of how often your panels draw the sun’s energy, you will need to immediately use it or divert it to a battery as the strip will not store power.

how do solar panels work. image from solarpanelswattage.net

More often that not, the benefits of solar energy outweigh the investment and time. Even though they take some effort to install, the yearly maintenance is almost non-existent. Most importantly, however, you will be doing your part to eliminate pollutants and drastically cut greenhouse gases.

Solar panels contain photovoltaic cells that convert the energy from sunlight into usable electricity. Use of this type of energy is encouraged by governments and environmental groups all over the world. One of the advantages of solar power is its low cost: sunshine is free and panels require little maintenance. Appliances and machinery that are powered by solar energy operate independently of any electricity network, and it can be used in isolated regions where connection to a grid is not possible. In the longer term, widespread use of sunlight to generate power for residential and commercial buildings is hoped to bring about a significant reduction in environmental pollution caused by burning fossil fuel.

solar car battery charger. image from solargadgetsinfo.com

Solar car battery chargers are small panels that sit on an automobile dashboard. When plugged into the cigarette lighter or connected directly to the battery, the panel converts energy from the sun’s rays into electrical current. The trickle of current produced when sunshine falls on the panel is sufficient to keep the battery’s level of charge topped up. This type of device is especially convenient for maintaining charge in the batteries of vehicles and boats that are not in constant use.

Many solar chargers for car batteries have LED indicators to show when they are operating. Panels that are more sophisticated have an overcharge prevention function that turns the device off when a fully charged state is reached. If you want to avoid being let down by a flat battery, purchasing an environmentally friendly charger could be a very shrewd investment.

In many cases, the cost of solar panels can be as much as $40,000 for a single family home. However, you have to consider that there are many ways to cut down this price. For instance, if you are a do it yourselfer, you can save by building and installing your own solar panel system, which is a large portion of the costs. You may also consider any local, state and federal tax incentives you can get with using an alternative energy source.

cost of solar panels drops every year. image from inhabitat.com

If you are in a region that gets a good amount of sunshine during the day and year, you can end up taking in more energy than you use. You may then sell this back to the utility company that can help alleviate the costs. Furthermore, learning to use less energy so that you do not need as many panels in the first place not only saves you money but also helps you become a better conserver in the long run.

You should also consider the positive environmental factors when you think of the advantages of clean energy. You are using a source that does not harm the environment and essentially produces free energy after the initial investment. Also, solar panels typically require very little maintenance and can last at least 30 years providing reliable power to your home or other living space.

Unlike oil, power fueled by the sun is renewable. While the sun does not emit rays during the night or during severe storms, it will return in full force. In today’s modern society everyone in the country is dependent on oil and fossil fuels to life day to day. With reserves in danger of being depleted, it is time to consider a realistic and safe alternative.

solar power for home. image from kollewin.com

Power fueled by the sun is non-polluting. Unlike oil fuel sources, solar power does not emit greenhouse gases into the environment. Scientists have proven that gas emissions are causing a warming affect on Earth. Not only is solar energy renewable, it is also sustainable.

Statistics show that the United States consumes more than 90 percent of the world’s energy on an annual basis. The remainder of the world uses just under 7 percent. If you understand the affect that fossil fuels and gas emissions are having on the planet and living ecosystems it is time to take a proactive step towards change. Sunlight constantly hits the earth in large amounts throughout daylight hours. This sunlight can be absorbed and turned into clean green energy with the right solar cells. For very little money out-of-pocket you can turn your dependent home into an efficient home. Not only will you lower your monthly expenses you will also take part in saving the environment.

One of the most economical and environmentally friendly energy sources is the sun. You will notice that solar lights are available in home improvement and discount stores. The high demand for solar power is decreasing the cost of solar lights and solar panels. Many consumers save money each month by using inexpensive solar lights around the exterior of their homes.

100 watt solar panel. image from: solarpanelsglobal.com

You can buy an inexpensive 100-watt solar panel that is easily installed. As more consumers are discovering the affordability of a 100 watt solar panel, the prices are improving. The panels will reduce your utility bills. Most home improvement stores carry a wide variety of solar panels. Installation is easy and you will be able to install the panels on your own. However, you can to hire a professional.

If you are ready to save money on your utility bills, you will want to consider installing solar panels. Many people have discovered the advantages of alternative energy and are virtually off the grid.

If you live in an area of the country with an abundance of sun light, you will benefit great by installing solar panels. You can buy one panel and as your utility costs decline, you can put the money you save toward another panel.

The major advantages of alternative energy are most alternatives sources are far less expensive. Sun light is free. You just need a method of converting the sun light to useable energy. Solar panels are affordable and you will be amazed how easily the panels are installed.

There are solar cells for sale from many companies in many of the major metropolitan areas today. Solar energy is effective and easy to use. First the panels are placed on your roof and connected to your house. Next the panels gather sunlight and convert it into electricity. Finally you remain connected to the typical electric grid and can actually sell back power to the power company.

Solar cells for sale, image courtesy of quadmodsusa.com

Another great part about installing solar panels on your home is that much of the cost can be covered through state and federal clean energy programs. These programs are set up to encourage people to invest in clean energy for their homes. Taking advantage of these programs are simple. First you find out the cost of installing the panels and connecting them to your home. Next research the programs and find out what they need to help you. Usually it will be a quote or the receipts for the parts you have installed. Then they return the money to you or pay for the remainder.

Solar energy requires a large investment up front, but the benefits and programs that you can take advantage of greatly help reduce the cost. The additional benefits of generating all of your own power for free and potentially even selling some back to the power companies guarantees you will earn back your initial investment in record time. Green energy is the future of energy and by acting now you can remain ahead of the pack and be the first to use green energy.

1. Obtain a half square foot of copper flashing, a clear plastic CD or jewel case, hot glue, table salt, two pieces of insulated copper wire, and soldering equipment.

2. Cut a small strip from one end of the flashing and set it aside.

3. Place the larger piece of flashing on a stove burner and heat it on a high setting until it develops a thick black coating. This should take about half an hour.

4. Turn off the burner and allow the flashing to slowly cool.

5. After about 20 minutes, remove the copper from the burner and lightly scrub off any remaining black coating. Some small black spots will remain. Do not scrub too hard, or the layer needed for the cell to work will be damaged.

5. Solder a wire to each piece of copper. Cover the soldering with glue for insulation.

6. Glue both pieces of copper to the inside of the CD case, but make sure the two pieces are not touching.

7. Apply glue all around the edges of the inside of the case to act as a seal, leaving only one small opening on one edge. Make sure the wires stick out so that their free ends are exposed.

8. Close the CD case and make sure all glued edges are sealed. Pour salt water in through the opening. Fill it until the copper is almost completely covered.

9. Seal the opening and wait for the glue to dry completely.

home made solar cell, image courtesy of sci-toys.com

Follow these instructions to make a homemade solar cell. Although it would take thousands of these homemade solar cells to construct enough solar panels to power a house, this can be a fun and worthwhile project.

- There are systems which use solar energy for heating and not just generating electricity
- One square meter of solar panels saves about $0.06 per sun hour.
- One square meter of surface receives the same amount of heat from the sun as 0.07 gallons of oil fuel gives out in burning.
- Solar panel system costs about $50,000 to install if you want to cover 100% of house electricity consumption
- Solar system costs around $2,000 to cover 100% of house heating
- You have to face your panels south if you live in the north hemisphere and north if you live in a south hemisphere

- Fossil fuels is a preserved sun energy, since they consist mainly from dead plants which use sun’s energy to grow.
- Leonardo Da Vinci designed one of the first solar concentrators in attempt to use solar energy for industrial purposes
- In just one hour more sun’s energy falls on Earth that entire population uses in a year
- Third world countries today is the largest growing market for solar energy, because many of those countries are located in areas with a lot of sunlight and they use way less energy than citizens in developed countries.
- Cost for solar generated electricity constantly falls unlike the one generated by fossil fuels
- Atmosphere and clouds absorb and reflect about one third of the Sun’s energy which reaches the Earth
- Modern day solar panels convert only about 15-20% of sunlight to electricity, the rest is wasted, thus if 1 kWh of sun energy falling on a solr panel it will only generate about 150 watts per hour
- Japan consumes about half of all produced solar panels
- Germany generated 6,200 GWh of solar electricity in 2009 and it gets about 1.1% of it’s total electricity consumption from solar power plants
- Largest solar power plant is located in Mojave Desert in North America, it consists of solar reflectors which cover the area of 4 square kilometers
- Around 2 billion people around the world don’t have access to electricity

Let me know if you know more of solar energy power facts which deserve to be included in this list. I did not put any stats about the Sun, the surface and core temperature, size and distance from Earth, because I don’t think it’s really relevant to solar generated power which this site is about.

homemade solar panels

So far the cheapest way to get a good quality solar panel is to solder one yourself. You can purchase all the materials required for cheap and then spend some time soldering individual cells. Going this route allows you to get solar panels for as low as $1 per watt, while if you buy ready assembled modules, you’ll pay at least $2-$3 per watt and often even more.

How do you start with home made solar panels? First of all you will need all the ingridients and equipment. Buy solar cells, PV tinned interconnection ribbon and soldering iron (if you don’t have one). You will also need some wood, acrylic glass and transparent silicone (to make a weather protection for your solar panel). First you solder one line of solar cells together (make sure you solder them in series, so their voltage adds up) after that you solder your rows of solar cells together to act as one solar panel (you can connect them either in parallel or in series depending on what output voltage do you need).

If you soldered everything correctly you should have a bunch of cells soldered together in a rectangular form. Take it outside in a sun and test output voltage. You have to make sure your home made solar panels work, before you enclose it in a protective case. The last step is to make a box out of wood, put your soldered cells there, place acrylic glass on top of it and seal everything with transparent silicone. This will make sure water and snow don’t damage your delicate cells. Don’t forget to leave positive and negative connections to hook up your homemade solar panels to your electrical system.

Grape Solar CS-P-270-DJ 270 Watt Polycrystalline Solar Panel.

This solar panel has more power output comparing to previous model and a lower price. Utilizing same up-to-date polycrystalline technology, this panel is a much better bang for your buck, since price per watt is way lower, about $2.44 per watt. For those people, who do not care about fancy brand name, this well over 200 watt solar panel from Grape Solar is a really good choice.

Yingli 175 watt Solar Panel.

This one is well under 200 watt, but within the same price range. It is really hard to justify such a high price for this panel from Chinese manufacturer (it’s not like the other panels are made outside of China). Probably an older model (solar panels like any electronics does become cheaper year ofter year). For this one you will pay $3.81 per watt of power, which is quite close to the sharp model above, but not nearly as cheap as the Grape Solar module.

Sumec-phono Solar PS190M-24/F

High Performance Mono Series Solar Panel. Finally a mono-crystalline solar panel on our list. It is almost a 200 watt solar panel (190W). Older technology results in a bigger surface (notice space gaps between individual solar cells). But “older” does not necessarily mean “worse”. It’s a proven technology, but as you can see, it costs more than it’s polycristaline friends. This particular model will cost you $4.58 per watt. Although manufacturer promises bonus features like tempered glass and duralumin frame.