Guest Article-Solar Energy For Residential Use

Solar Energy For Residential Use

by Phil Nichol

I was going to entitle this article "solar heating for the
home" but since heating is not the main use for solar energy
in the home I renamed it. Common sense tells us why solar
energy is not immensely useful for residential heating. When
we most need it, in winter the sun is less effective and
there are fewer daylight hours.

Solar Technology

A number of technologies have been developed to make use of
solar radiation. Some of these make direct use of solar
energy for lighting and heating etc., while others produce
electricity. They are:

1. Solar thermal energy collection systems which produce
electricity through mirrors and a number of tubes which are
filled with fluid.

2. Solar thermal collectors which produce heat.

3. Photovoltaic panels which produce electricity using
sunlight. However, the current they generate is D.C. and
would need to be converted to A.C. for residential use. Just
heating one home would require a very big large area so
solar panels are not often used for domestic heating.

4. Solar hot water panels which are often employed in
residential situations to heat water.

Solar Panel Efficiency

Although solar panels are often used throughout the year
they are only efficient in direct sunshine. In the shade or
under cloudy conditions they produce very little power. It
is the light that produces electricity not the heat which
actually interferes with it. This means solar panels in very
hot climates are less efficient than those in sunny but cold
climates. If the panel's temperature is above 50 degree
centigrade its productivity will decrease.

Most energy is generated when solar panels are directly
pointed towards the sun. So just how much power is produced
also depends upon the time of day since the sun's angle
differs. Usually the best choice is to incline the panel
although on shady days, horizontal mounted panels are
better.

Although the popularity of home solar energy has been
decreasing since the 1970s, billions of dollars have been
spent on developing Photovoltaic systems in America and
Japan. Lately, Germany has also joined in the research so
costs are falling. Also, in some countries you can recoup
some of your expenses by selling excess energy back to the
electricity companies.

Before your buy be better informed about
(Solar Energy For Residential Use)
solar power energy. Discover the disadvantages and
(http://bestsolarheating.info/energy/advantages-of-solar-energy.html
) advantages of solar energy and how good it is for things
such as lighting and heat.