How Solar Panels Work
November 16th, 2009
To answer the question about how solar panels work, you need to first comprehend there are two different types of solar panels - one produces heat and the other produces electricity, each having its own working mechanism.
The first type of solar panels takes the sun’ s thermal energy to heat water or oil through thermal collectors. Plastic piping and coils are usually used in these panels, and the sun heats the liquid that runs through the coils to pass on energy. These panels are generally used to heat swimming pools, spas, Jacuzzi, and hot tubs at home or work. When coupled with hot water flooring systems and baseboard units, they have the ability to also be used to heat the interiors of buildings. Once you’ve installed this type of solar panel at home, you can confidently get rid of any additional heating sources. Bear in mind, though, that a motorized pump is often required to help the flow of the liquid in the system.
The second type of solar panels (often called photovoltaic cell system) typically uses silicon as a semi-conductor material, and DC (direct current) electricity can be generated when silicon interacts with sunlight. Based on this working mechanism, these panels only work in the day time when sunlight is available. Dependent on the size of your solar system, the electricity produced can be used to power general home appliances or even the entire home.
In case you also would like to power your home with the photovoltaic cell system at nights or on unpleasant days, you’ll need to have batteries to store the excessive electricity. A cheap option is to use the lead-acid batteries that are commonly used in automobiles, but always remember to fill them with distilled water so that they’ll not lose their charge. You might also opt for more costly batteries, such as the absorbent glass mat batteries. They’re sealed and hence doesn’t require distilled water to retain their charge. If you live in a cold area, gel batteries are good choices as they don’t freeze in low temperature.
Both types of solar panels use a glass frame to hold the collection cells, and both require direct sunlight to function at their maximum capacity. Hence, the solar panels are usually put to face south in order to gain the greatest exposure to the sun rays throughout the day. Even though solar panels can be used anywhere to tap the sun’s energy, they obviously don’t work effectively in places where cloudy weather dominates throughout the year!
The above is just a brief introduction on how solar panels work. If you really like the idea of getting solar energy for your home, you might also like to take into account keeping a generator as a backup. Even if you live in a sunny area, there might be unexpected spells of rainy days, or your batteries might occasionally fail to store the electricity. You can run your generator on bio-fuel to ensure a complete green life.
By: Pam Eisenberg
The first type of solar panels takes the sun’ s thermal energy to heat water or oil through thermal collectors. Plastic piping and coils are usually used in these panels, and the sun heats the liquid that runs through the coils to pass on energy. These panels are generally used to heat swimming pools, spas, Jacuzzi, and hot tubs at home or work. When coupled with hot water flooring systems and baseboard units, they have the ability to also be used to heat the interiors of buildings. Once you’ve installed this type of solar panel at home, you can confidently get rid of any additional heating sources. Bear in mind, though, that a motorized pump is often required to help the flow of the liquid in the system.
In case you also would like to power your home with the photovoltaic cell system at nights or on unpleasant days, you’ll need to have batteries to store the excessive electricity. A cheap option is to use the lead-acid batteries that are commonly used in automobiles, but always remember to fill them with distilled water so that they’ll not lose their charge. You might also opt for more costly batteries, such as the absorbent glass mat batteries. They’re sealed and hence doesn’t require distilled water to retain their charge. If you live in a cold area, gel batteries are good choices as they don’t freeze in low temperature.
Both types of solar panels use a glass frame to hold the collection cells, and both require direct sunlight to function at their maximum capacity. Hence, the solar panels are usually put to face south in order to gain the greatest exposure to the sun rays throughout the day. Even though solar panels can be used anywhere to tap the sun’s energy, they obviously don’t work effectively in places where cloudy weather dominates throughout the year!
By: Pam Eisenberg
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