by Marty Johnson

With energy prices flying through the roof, how does solar power work is a question popping up around many dinner tables these days. Even though it sounds like a winning proposition, the cost of equipment and installation is a major concern when considering going solar. However more grants are becoming available all the time on both the state and federal level to help offset these costs. So rather than focusing on the just costs, it may be a good idea to look at the benefits of solar power for your home.

In both residential and commercial applications the basic concept of how does solar power work is exactly the same with the only difference being the scale of the installation requirements. A factory or warehouse is obviously going to require a larger amount of energy hence a more complex and more expensive installation would need to be in place.

In its most basic application, solar panels are a set of solar cells with a semiconductor that produces electricity when sunlight hits it. There are also solar panels that are made to heat the air and water in the building. When the solar panels produce electricity, it is transferred to the system’s controller-regulator to adjust the voltage/amperage to what your system uses, then transfers for current electricity needs or to the batteries to be stored for future use.

The essential parts of a solar power system consist of: 1. PV panels which are the solar or photovoltaic panels. 2. Current regulator which is a device for controlling the voltage or amperage of the electricity produced by the solar panel. 3 A storage system which is usually a group of batteries that will reserve for later use the power produced by the solar panels when the sun is up.

Solar panels can vary greatly in cost depending on the type of installation you are aiming for. If your building is in a more remote area and is industrial you can use the typical boxy style roof mounted panels. In a business or industrial application solar panels can be installed not only on the much larger roof space offered by an industrial structure but additional panel arrays can also be installed on the ground offering additional power generation.

Solar panels can be located on the roof, on the ground, and on a pole. Exposure to the sunlight is maximized with ground and pole mounts since the options for placement are higher than a roof placement. This is especially true when the roof is shaded parts of the day. Another added option is equipment to turn the panel so that it receives the suns rays directly throughout the day. Solar power has its drawbacks when the sun goes down or during extended cloudy periods . That problem can be solved with a battery back-up or a connection to a supplemental source such a utility company.

It is now possible to build the solar cells into the roof, awning and window features if you would like a hidden solar power features with a dual function. In a residential area roofing material which already has the solar cells included can be installed which function just the same as an asphalt shingle plus it has the added component of the solar cells which affords leeway in designing a house that looks like a home instead of something from outer space.

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