Are you considering building your first home? If so, you’ve probably already discovered how much planning and work is involved in this process.
After all, there are a million details to keep track of along with an equal number of major decisions to make.
This includes choosing the time of energy you plan to use. In recent years, many have opted to use solar to power their homes. That’s because solar is clean, cheap, and extremely reliable.
If you’ve been wondering how solar panels work, you’ve come to the right place for answers. This article takes a look at solar installation and the basic design of a solar panel system. Keep reading to get the inside scoop.
Understanding the Basics of Solar Energy
When it comes to understanding how solar works for your home, we first need to talk about the basics of solar energy itself.
The process works like this: light travels from the sun, eventually reaching your solar panels. A solar panel is designed to allow photons from sunlight to knock electrons free from atoms contained in solar cells, also known as photovoltaic cells.
Each solar cell contains positive and negative layers that combine to form the electrical field in which usable energy is created.
Contact With Your Solar Panels
So the first step in using solar for your home is to install solar panels for the collection of photons from the sun. Once this energy is gathered and interacts with electrons in the solar cells, it can be sent to your solar inverter.
Converting Sunlight Into Energy
The purpose of your solar inverter is to convert the solar energy from the panels into a usable form of energy for your house. This is the crucial part of the process that literally takes a resource from the sun and turns it into a power source that works exactly like traditional electricity.
Circulating Captured Energy Through Your Home
Next, the AC energy generated by your inverter will then be routed to the breaker box inside your home. From the breaker box, it can then be circulated throughout the house as needed.
Excess Energy
What happens to unused energy? Great question. Whatever energy isn’t needed at any given moment will simply flow back to your utility meter and remain there until needed. Believe it or not, you even have the option of returning unused AC to the electric grid in your area, where it will be credited to you on your monthly energy bill.
The key is to understand that you’ll never have to worry about running out of solar energy because it will always be available when needed.
A Homeowner’s Guide to How Solar Panels Work
There’s nothing easy about designing your first home. That’s because it can be an extremely expensive and overwhelming experience. Fortunately, this guide to understanding how solar panels work shows why this is a great way to generate the energy you’ll need for a clean and worry-free lifestyle.
Keep exploring this blog for more great lifestyle tips and advice.
Good article! Is there a difference in the intensity of the Sun’s rays when the Earth is closer to the Sun as it rotates around the Sun. Here’s my thought. Cover your manifying glass with cheese cloth to burn a hole in paper, and put a clock on it. Remove cheese cloth, and compare times. Is there a difference? Just so you know, I’m not a solar panal fan…………………..Dale McMillian
I was extremely interested when you stated that solar panels can convert the excess energy they create and turn into credit for your home. The thought of getting something like this came to me when I realized that our house has really good exposure to the sunlight in the area, so I figured I might as well research on this. Now that I know there are a lot of financial benefits, I’ll get a solar power expert in the area to help us install some panels.