Geothermal Energy Heating

Solar panels are made up of PV cells

The search for alternative source of energy generally stops at the Sun. Of course there is wind energy, but since it has movable parts, it requires lots of maintenance and also undergoes wear and tear. Solar energy on the other hand is free, and whatever cost we incur in the process of installing solar power panels on our roof is one time only, and even this cost gets paid up by the system in 4-5 years in terms of electricity produced for us.

The use of solar energy for the production of electricity has become very popular and with advancement of technology, these systems are now much cheaper and smaller in size as compared to earlier times. With government providing facilities in terms of tax incentives and subsidies, it is now much easier to get a system installed in your home. You must have seen people conscious of environment using these solar panels on their roof tops, but you may not have an idea as to how these panels work.

These panels are all made up of small photovoltaic cells, which are cells filled with silicon which gets charged when sunlight falls on it. This system works on the principle of converting energy from the sun, which is in a chemical form into electricity which is another form of energy. Silicon is a semi conductor which implies that it has the ability to conduct electricity. When the cells of a panel get charged up, it can be used by having contacts outside the panel.

But the energy obtained at the contacts is still in a chemical form and we need to convert it into AC before we can use it. This is done with the help of an inverter which is part of the solar power system we install in our home or business. Making these solar panels become an important source of energy to us.

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