Residential Solar Power - Get Energy From the Sun and Reduce Your Energy Bills!

Residential solar power can be generated by converting solar radiation into electricity. This can in turn by converted to other forms of energy to serve your household needs. As solar power is a type of renewable energy, it is clean and environmentally friendly. More than that, solar energy is available in abundance and will continue to be for another few million years.

Solar radiation can either be converted into electricity or it can be used to heat up air and water. Heat that's absorbed into air can be used to warm your room. Water heated by solar radiation can be used for a hot shower or to fill up your pool. When solar energy is converted to electricity using solar panels, there is no limit to what you can do with it. This is the most common way of tapping solar power for residential use.

A solar (photovoltaic) panel typically consists of sections of inter-connected semi-conductor cells. A cluster of such panels, called an array, adds up the individual power production to form higher energy.

Photovoltaic panels have to be placed in a location exposed to direct sunlight. Very often, your roof is the ideal place for solar panels to rest on. There, panels are kept out of sight. And they are not sheltered by vegetation.

The light collected by photovoltaic panels is transformed into electrical energy with the help of PV cells. Direct current (DC) is generated, which are then converted into AC current with the help of an inverter. When sufficient electricity is generated from the sun, they are fed into the mains to form a grid-tied system.

Homeowners with property in remote locations may often want their solar power generators to be off-grid. As such, they will need a storage bank to store electricity they can tap on during the night.

In recent years, more and more homeowners have turned to solar energy to bring down their ever-increasing electricity bills. A major factor that prevents more homeowners to adopt solar power is its cost. While it's true that photovoltaic panels now cost only a tenth of what is used to, a full setup still sets you back by at least twenty to thirty thousand dollars.

Your dependence on fossil fuel can be reduced if cheaper home solar panels are available. Fortunately, manufacturers also make photovoltaic modules for sale to the public. You can put these together to build your own residential solar power panels at low cost and generate electricity for free! However, there are many potholes on the road to success. Having an expert to guide you along reduce your learning curve and saves you from costly mistakes. Alternatively, books written by experts help you avoid many frustrations too.

John Greenspan is an expert in homemade solar panels and has build several solar power generators in his spare time. Are you interested in building DIY Solar panels? Pick up your FREE "How To Build Solar Panels" eBook at => http://www.diysolarpanelsworld.com

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