Scientists say that the Earth is exposed to enough solar energy in one hour to power humankind’s needs for an entire year. That’s one of the reasons that solar power is considered one of the most promising reusable energy sources.
Also, the price of producing home solar power has gone down as demand for this product has shot up by more than 42% in the last decade.
However, many people still the industry skeptical and often ask, “How is solar-energy produced?” Especially with terms like net metering and DC/AC inverters are bandied about.
Although these terms are essential to understanding how you get energy from the Sun to your wall socket, the process is relatively simple.
In the following article, we’ll discuss solar energy production and how it can benefit your home and wallet.
How Is Solar-Energy Produced Today?
First, the sun generates energy and light in the form of photons.
The solar panels you install on your home are typically made from monocrystalline or polycrystalline silicon. A glass housing holds this silicone surrounded by a metal frame.
One side of the panel houses negatively charged silicone and the other positive. As the photons strike the silicon, electrons are released. These agitated electrons are negatively charged and seek out the positive charge of the cell. To get there, they have to cross the metal mesh.
All these electrons gather in the mesh and wire form electric current, then directed by the wire out of the cell. You call this process the photovoltaic effect.
Power to The People
The electricity that comes off the panels is in the form of direct current (DC). You need to convert this electricity before you use it in your home. You use alternating current in almost all household products, and it is the form of electricity you access in your wall socket.
To convert this electricity, each panel has an inverter. The newly converted alternating current flows from these inverters to a meter, a battery, and then into the home and the larger community power grid.
When your panels generate more power than you are using, the meter will actually flow backward. This backward flow will get the homeowner a credit from the local utility company in many states. You call this net metering.
Installers, like Blue Raven (learn more about Blue Raven here), suggest that homeowners also install a battery to keep some of the power they generate from their panels on reserve for when it’s cloudy out, or the sun is down.
Other Factors
You maximize solar energy benefits when you make sure you place the right amount of panels on your home for your power consumption.
Also, while any home in any part of the country can generate power from solar, homes in the South and West have many more daylight hours than other parts of the country. This makes them especially suited for maximizing solar energy production.
Want to Know More?
Now that you have the answer to “How is solar-energy produced?”, you may want to learn more about if the product is right for you. The best way to do that is to consult a local company with years of installation experience.
Your local company will best know how to finance and hope many panels are suitable for your home.
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