Facts about Solar Power

Facts on solar energy help people understand the efficiency of solar power for heating homes, charging batteries and other appliances. We need to make informed decisions because that's the ideal way to find a match for your home. The applications of solar energy around the house are very numerous, although most people have only heard of water heating with photovoltaic cells. A few examples of applications would include computers, attic fans and various small electric appliances like outdoor lighting systems for instance

One of the rather common facts about solar energy is that it charges batteries and can be used for indoor and outdoor lighting systems. The demand for solar panels is presently higher than the offer, although production has increased over the last years. The explanation is simple: not all geographical areas and climates are suitable for the use of photo-voltaic panels. And even if solar energy is captured in colder areas, the process is more difficult and there may not be enough power for all the applications.

Water heating consumes most power of all, this is among the most practical facts about solar energy you should know of. You should expect a 30% consume of the total energy production to just heat water. As for the different parts of the solar system, it includes panels with photovoltaic cells, a support structure, a battery, an inverter and a charge controller. Since the costs of a fully operational solar system can range around $10,000, the incentives provided by the government may be really convincing.

If you are interested in more statistical data and facts about solar energy, you will see that for sunny regions, a 1 kilowatt home solar system can produce approximately 1,600 kilowatt hours in a year. You'll only get 750 kilowatt hours per year in cooler climates with just two hours of sun exposure per day. Even for average systems, the coal consume and the level of CO2 emissions is drastically lowered.

The average home solar system should include between ten and twelve solar panels, facing north so that they receive maximum sunlight exposure. Solar panels have very extensive warranties, up to 20 years in the majority of cases. Yet, the system as such has a lower warranty span of about 5 years. The energy storage capacity and features vary according to the model of the panels. Cells collect sun energy and store it in batteries, or sunlight can be reflected, absorbed or insulated.

TarraSampson is devoted to helping to save the environment and control pollution by using the renewable sources of energy. Check it out at Solar Power For Homes. Also check out a related blog post at Make Solar Power.