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Home solar panels
Whenever possible, the most efficient homes will utilize both types of home solar panels. Since PV home solar panels have to convert the sun's light into electricity in order to function, this type of panel alone would still require an electric hot water heater. Solar hot water panels heat the water directly which is a much more direct and efficient use of solar energy.
The PV home solar panels are more costly than the solar hot water panels as they are a bit more complicated. PV panels also require a mechanism called an inverter to convert the DC electricity into AC, the standard household electric current. Often, a battery pack will also be required for storage of the extra electricity for night time and cloudy days.
The size of the solar array that will be affixed to the roof will depend on how many home solar panels are needed to produce the electricity needed for the home. Obviously, it will be less expensive if you use the solar hot water panels for the water heating for the home. Reducing your normal electricity usage is a good idea, as well.
Home solar panels of either type will need to be properly positioned in order to capture solar energy most efficiently. They should always be positioned on the southern roof facade in order to maximize their energy potential, at least in the United States. To truly get the most from the sunlight for entire day, a mounting system that has tracking abilities to follow the sun will produce the most power.
If you are incorporating solar power into the original design of the building, there are ways to reduce the number of home solar panels required. Using strategic placement of high energy efficient windows and skylights along with techniques like thermal mass and water walls can provide passive solar heating, water heating and daylighting. This will greatly reduce the number of PV panels needed to produce the home's electrical needs as the needs themselves are greatly reduced.
When adding home solar panels to an existing structure, most of the passive solar techniques will be unavailable so therefore a larger solar array will most likely be needed. However, there are ways to reduce the initial investment needed. Many local utility companies offer rebates on energy efficiency improvements and home solar panels. There may be local, state and federal government tax credits available to offset the costs, as well.
Your home solar panels will pay for themselves eventually by reducing your annual energy costs. Those in a sunny climate will recover their investment faster than those in more inclement weather regions but at some point, the panels will be producing free, clean electrical power for your home. Home solar panels are extremely durable and will last more than twenty years. Some companies even warranty the panels for up to thirty years!
As the technology continues to develop and demand continues to rise, the cost of home solar panels will decline. That will make the recovery period shorter and shorter, until some day it will be just as cost effective as traditional forms of energy. Solar energy is as close to an infinite energy source as we are ever going to get and the energy produced is clean so there isn't any contribution to global warming. In fact, every home that goes solar is actually decreasing pollutants by the amount that they decrease using more traditional sources.
Home solar panels listings
Alternative Power Solutions - Solar Panels Houston, Texas
Alternative Power Solutions Corp. is a premier distributed energy provider for commercial, residential, and utility scale solar panels and solar power in Houston, Texas.
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Related information
- Flat plate solar collector Flat plate solar collectors are glazed and insulated with weatherproof boxes that have dark absorber plates under the plastic covers.
- Flexible solar panels Flexible solar panels which're known for their portability can be used for powering laptops, cell phones, RV and marine batteries.
- Grid tie solar electric system Grid tie solar electric systems have a grid tie inverter that connects directly from the solar panels to alternating current system.
- Home solar system A stand-alone home solar system eliminates all reliance on external energy sources but does require batteries for power storage.
- Marine solar panel Marine solar panels provide a renewable and secure source of energy for those using boats for recreation and commercial purposes.
- MPPT charge controller A MPPT charge controller is a maximum power point tracker that compares the output of solar panels with that of the battery voltage.
- Photovoltaic cells Photovoltaic cells are used for everything from operating solar-powered calculators to heating air and water in homes and businesses.
- Portable solar panels Portable solar panels are a critical component of solar chargers which recharge your cellphone battery or other power systems.
- Residential solar power system A residential solar system is an entire system of components that work to capture solar energy and transfer it through air or liquid.
- Solar batteries A solar battery bank can contain many large capacity batteries which can cost more than the solar panels used to charge them.
- Solar battery charger The solar battery charger is a stand alone gadget which you attach to the battery of the appliance that you are trying to charge.
- Solar heating system In solar heating systems, energy from the sun is collected using solar collectors. This creates heat that will heat up liquid or air.
- Solar water heater A solar water heater comprises solar thermal collectors consisting of a network of pipes, and a metal water tank inside a heat box.
- Thin film solar panels Thin-film solar panels are a substantial improvement over the first generation, which use thick wafers of crystalline silicon.
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