Today, market trends indicate that consumer demands are moving from traditional fossil fuels to clean energy alternatives. Solar energy has become more prevalent over the years, owing to the increased demand for clean energy. Nowadays, homeowners install residential solar panel systems to significantly reduce utility bills, reduce carbon footprints, and increase home resale value.
Given its significant installation and maintenance costs, not many people can afford to install solar power in their homes. Thankfully, the future is looking up as costs are gradually coming down. Solar panels are viable options for homes that receive enough sun exposure all year round. Before equipping your home, be sure to understand the nitty-gritty details of solar power. This article explores everything you need to know about residential solar power.
What are solar panels?
The solar panel, also known as the photovoltaic (PV) module, is a combined assembly of photovoltaic cells mounted in a framework for installation. They’re made up of individual solar cells composed of layers of silicon, phosphorous, and boron. It absorbs photons and therefore initiates electric currents in the home.
How does solar energy work?
Each solar panel functions with the sun, without which they can’t generate direct current electricity. They have a direct link for the communication between currents directed from the sun to homes. When the sun shines on a solar panel, photons from the sunlight are highly absorbed by the cells in the panel, creating an electric field across the layers and causing a flow of electricity.
When the absorbed photons turn excess, it’s channeled to the home battery. Currently, the best-achieved sunlight conversion rate is around 21.5 percent in new commercial products.
If you’re based in the U.S and you’re looking to get solar panels, companies like GoodLeap LLC can help. They offer a more sustainable and innovative way of providing home upgrades. The GoodLeap pros will handle the panel installation process from the beginning to the end.
It’s also worth noting that a solar panel must be installed on a dependable roof. Today, metal roofs are ideal and natural options for mounting and installing solar PV. If you’re in need of good roofing service, companies like Pro’s Choice Roofing can help. They offer a dependable roof construction, repair, and maintenance service and are a one-stop shop for all your roofing needs.
What are the benefits of going solar?
There are many benefits of going solar. We’ve listed the most common below.
1. It helps to lower your energy bill.
This is undoubtedly one of the most significant benefits of going solar. With an efficient solar power system, homeowners can save a considerable amount of money on utility bills. However, the cost savings is dependent on many factors, including the production capacity of the system and the service charge for electricity.
2. It offers easy access.
There’s no gainsaying that solar energy is a viable alternative to fossil fuels. The sun has been around since the beginning of time and isn’t going anywhere. As long as the sun shines, you can deploy solar energy just about anywhere around the world. This is particularly useful to not just the urban environments but to remote regions with little or no access to any other source of electricity as well. Also, the ability of solar energy to be deployed anywhere makes it an essential factor for powering spacecraft and even boats.
3. It’s more environmentally friendly.
Solar energy is graded to have the most negligible negative impact on the environment compared to other energy sources. It requires just little clean water for maintenance. Solar power technology does not support fuel combustion, ultimately making its greenhouse gas emissions inconsequential.
