Solar Power: What You Need To Know

Solar power has skyrocketed in recent years. You’ve most likely seen panels on neighbors’ homes or in their yards and wondered to yourself: what IS that? How could the Jones afford such a thing?

Here, we’ll break down what solar power is and how a home solar panel system works.

What is solar power?

Solar power is the power obtained by harnessing the energy of the sun’s rays. We use solar energy in our everyday lives for a variety of activities – from drying clothes on a clothesline to creating salt from seawater, solar energy has been used for centuries by humans.

Solar power is one of the most exciting uses of solar energy. Solar energy is captured by your home solar panel system and then converted into electricity by using either photovoltaic or concentrated solar power. Using mirrors or lenses (in the case of concentrated solar power), large beams of light are focused into a small beam. Using the photoelectric effect, photovoltaic solar power converts solar energy into electric energy.

This electric energy is then used by you in your household every day.

What is a home solar panel system?

A home solar panel system consists of several solar panels, a battery, a charge regulator, wiring and support materials. Sunlight is absorbed by the panels and is then converted to electricity by the installed system. The battery stores electricity so it can be used later, like on a cloudy day or during the evening. By relying on battery backups, solar energy can provide electricity 24/7 to your home.

Imagine that: electricity, that you produce from your solar panel system, powering your home 24/7. Every time you flip on a light, watch TV, charge your cell phone – you’ll be using stored energy, instead of paying for every kWh of electricity use.

The best part? It’s affordable. Solar panel prices have been dropping in recent years and the solar power industry has been growing exponentially, meaning now is the perfect time to purchase a home solar panel system. And with the 26% Federal Solar Tax Credit, there’s no excuse not to at least research solar power for your home. Did you know that on average, homeowners can save about $25,000 over 25 years when they switch to solar power – talk about saving for the future! This clean and pollution-free process can provide electricity to your home less than what your electric company charges. And solar energy potential dwarfs the potential from every other energy resource on the planet, meaning that solar power is only going to expand and grow as demand rises.

Click below to see how affordable it is to keep up with the Joneses and how much you can save overtime.

How Much You Would Save?