Our sun is a source of renewable energy called solar energy. To convert solar energy straight into electricity, a solar cell is employed. Solar cell is also known as photovoltaic cell or PV for short. Only a small amount of elecrticity is generated by one solar cell, so solar cells are interconnected and packaged into panels. Solar panels for industrial purposes and solar panels for homes are available.
As a rule, solar cells are made of crystalline silicon. When open to sunbeams, wafer-based crystalline silicon cells make electricity. An average of 13% of solar rays is converted to electrical power. Nowadays, 18% is achieved, but 30% is a targeted figure by researchers.
If you want to install a solar system for your house or your business, solar panels for homes are the major equipment you should buy. In general, methods of manufacture and materials used vary for each kind of panels available in the market, so you must understand the requirements of your application to be able to pick the right solar panel for your home.
One thing to consider is whether your system will be stand-alone or grid-tied. Consider also your geographical area and select the right solar panel based on your location. If you reside in a place where much sunlight is available, choose the concentrating solar collectors. These types of panels are angled to collect direct sunbeams. Otherwise, make a choice of the non-concentrating solar collectors, because they can absorb reflected sunbeams as well.
Solar panels that can be installed on your residence are available in various power output ratings, in the range of 60-190 watts. If you want greater output than 190 watts, you will want to buy more panels and set them up in an array.
Depending on the brandname, a solar panel is priced around $1,000. Popular brands are Sharp, Mitsubishi, Sanyo, Kyocera, Evergreen adn Uni-Solar. These products come with 20 years of warranty. In you can, choose brands that have low manufacturing impact on nature.
You must keep in mind the efficiency of specific brands because panels with greater efficiency will pay for themselves quicker. Efficiency of 16 to 18% is already good, and expect around 10-year payback period. This will be reduced to 4 years when panels with 25% efficiency would be available in the future.
With brand new panels costing around $1,000 a piece, a system for your home can cost you up to $20,000, if a contractor does the installation for you. If you can do it yourself, the cost would be reduced to less than 50% of that. Another way to save would be to purchase broken panels and fix them yourself.
The market trend for solar panels slants towards less expensive panels. In addition, both the federal and state governments offer incentives that would reduce the total cost of a solar panel system. With these factors in mind, many households are contemplating installing home solar energy systems.
$20,000 for a system that could power a standard-size house is still ouside of the price range for the majority of homeowners. The solution then is to get a solar powered system that only partially covers the energy needs. Solar panels for homes have been installed for $5,000 and are enough to take 30% of the energy requirements. The number of residences powered by solar panels for homes is expected to grow in the future, thus contributing to a greener planet.
{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
It may seem costly at first, but the benefits will soon be clear.