Understanding Solar EnergyAlternative power is one of the most untapped energy sources on earth. In recent years, more people have begun to realize the advantage of solar energy and wind energy and have started to use them to power their home. Today, solar energy remains the most accessible alternative power supply for individuals since solar panels can be placed on peoples homes or elsewhere on their property. Though people know that they can use solar panels to power their homes, exactly how does solar energy work? How is solar energy harnessed and how does the power enter your home? These are good questions. The process, though complex, is easy enough to break down so that people can understand whats taking place inside their panels.

Solar Power into Energy

First of all, how are panels built and how do they collect energy? Well, it all starts with the sun because without the sun, there is no solar power. Thats the advantage of solar power though; its completely free with the necessary equipment. Solar panels are built out of photovoltaic (PV) cells. These cells are built out of silicon doped with a few different elements. Doped is the process of adding elements together, in the case of PV cells, it means adding phosphorous and boron to silicon to make it less stable.

Making the cells less stable is necessary to create an energy field. The energy field is created by freely moving electrons, which can only happen when silicon is doped. The phosphorous silicon creates a negative charge, and the boron silicon creates a positive charge. Together they form a current, which causes voltage. These together make power.

How Does Power Enter Your Home?

Once you have these PV cells, how do they capture sunlight and turn it into energy? To begin with, the PV cell must be arranged on a frame. These frames are what people call solar panels. These panels are assembled, purchased, and then placed in the path of direct sunlight on top of peoples homes or on their property. When the sun hits the PV panels, the energy is turned into direct current (DC) power. This DC power is directed to a solar inverter.

The solar inverter can either be built directly into the panel, or it can be separate. Inside the solar inverter, the DC power is converted into alternating current (AC) power, which is what you use every day inside your home. The AC power is then directed to your houses breaker box so that you can have access to the power.

Too Much Power?

If you live in exceptionally sunny places, you might find that you will have an excess of power. What happens then? There are actually two different options for storing and using excess power. The first method is to store the power in batteries. If you want to live totally off the grid, this is your only choice. However, the batteries are expensive and require frequent maintenance. The second option is to sell the power back to the utility company in your area, though when you do sell or buy power, youre subject to PGE rates.For more information visit us at http://www.skytechsolar.com