HOME SOLAR PANELS

Home solar panels for a better environment

With the onset of summer, every household is thinking of installing home solar panels to save energy. It is a form of renewable energy and though many nations understand its importance, it is a fact that only a tiny fraction of it is being used by us. Be it for water disinfection, cooking or heating, it is the most economical way of conserving energy. Just imagine the amount of electric energy we would save if we used this natural energy to its fullest.

It is true that the sun gives the earth more energy in a day than what we could use in one year. We have to work hard and try new ways to use this abundance for our daily requirements. The most important concern is the way of collecting and storing it and with all the latest tools being used, we are able to capture it and convert into electricity.

There are two types of solar technologies which are active and passive. These depend on the way the energy is captured, converted and distributed. Active technique uses photovoltaic panels and solar thermal collectors for the process and passive uses doors, windows, etc to do the work. The second one does not involve any panels and machinery to be effective. The design of the building has to be given importance in such a scenario and we have to be dependent on the climate for maximum results. The window and doors have to face the sun so as to give the best results and buildings can be planned accordingly.

In the active technology, we have to use many electrical and mechanical devices to make the system work. Pumps and fans are common equipments which are used to collect, store and use solar energy for varied purposes. This method is more efficient because of the use of extra tools and hence, is the more popular one.

There are 2 types of home solar systems. The first one is home solar PV system which creates clean grid-free electricity from the solar energy. Panels are installed on your roof top or are mounted in the ground and are connected to the electric infrastructure in your home with the help of inverters. PV systems are again either grid tied or off grid. The off grid ones require a battery bank to store power for cloudy days and night time. The grid type ones are being preferred by most people because you can actually save all the unused electricity for a later use, thus saving a lot of money on your bills.

The other system is the home solar thermal type which is mostly used to heat water. These are less expensive than the PV system. However, this can also save a lot of energy in water heating and does not require a lot of space for installation. There are many solar panels which collect the energy and transfer the same to water for heating. The other uses of such a system are solar thermal cooling which uses the energy to cool air, though the whole method is not so easy. Your pool can also be heated with solar heaters without having to spend much on the consumption.

Though the initial cost for home solar panels is high, you will eventually save a lot of money on your utility bills for years to come as there is a lot of untapped energy to be used. Many governments have also encouraged people to make use of this technology which is environment friendly and at no time, will there be a dearth.