How Does Solar Power Work
With energy prices rising higher and higher with no end in sight, these days, the question of how does solar power work is firing up the curiosity of many money-conscious families and individuals. A major concern for people considering going solar is the cost of equipment and installation, but federal and state grants to help defer these costs are becoming increasingly available. Notwithstanding what may seem like a high installation cost, using solar power in the home is a great option for the long term and the ongoing savings will soon off-set the initial outlay.
The concept of solar power is the exact same in both residential and commercial uses with the scale of the application being the only difference. It is obvious that a factory or warehouse will require substantially a larger amount of electricity and therefore a more complicated and costly application.
Solar panels are lines with a semiconductor than generates electricity when the sun’s rays come in contact with it. Solar panels can also be constructed to heat both your water and air coming into the structure through your ventilation system. The electricity generated by the solar panels is then routed to your controller/regulator where the voltage/amperage is adjusted to your system's needs then routed to your electrical system or storage system.
The basic components of a solar power system are:
•Photovoltaic or solar panels also known as PV panels.
•Current regulator or controller to control the voltage/amperage of the incoming electricity generated by the solar panel.
•Storage system. Typically an array of batteries to store the energy created by the solar panels that is not used during the day.
Depending on your location or the type of installation, solar panels can vary quite a bit in cost, For instance, if the building is industrial, and is located in a remote area, than you would probably use the typical box shaped panels. When it comes to commercial usage, solar panels can both be installed on the large roof space available on top of businesses and industrial buildings and on the ground in arrays of panels to generate even more solar power.
Solar panels can be mounted in a rooftop setup in addition to ground and pole mounts. The ground and pole mounts offer additional design flexibility especially when your structure is in the shade for part of the day. Solar panels can also be equipped with mechanisms that allow them to follow or “track” the sun throughout the day maximizing their exposure to the sun’s rays. One of the largest drawbacks to solar installation is of course sunset. This is remedied by installing a battery array or storage system, or using supplemental power from the utility company power grid.
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.