The sun is the ultimate source of sustainable energy. Unlike fossil fuels, it won’t be running out anytime soon and there are no greenhouse gas emissions released into the atmosphere.
Because the sun provides more energy than we’ll ever need, electricity from solar power is a vital energy source in the move to clean energy production. Choosing to install solar panels in your own home will not only benefit you and your energy bills but also the environment.
Solar power is the key to a clean energy future
Having a Solar Power system offers several environmental benefits; this is because each panel is built and used with the intention of substituting it for fossil fuel. This will reduce the amount of pollutants in the environment as well as reduce the cost of your energy bills in the long run.
Fortunately for the environment, solar energy is starting to become a much more popular energy source around the world.
Many businesses and homeowners are considering switching to solar as their source of energy because they see it as a great alternative to the less sustainable sources of energy generation. Solar electricity can entirely take over from your other sources of energy or be used alongside existing sources.
The installation of solar energy is the cleanest and greenest source of renewable energy-generated electricity available. It can help power your home, business or community building. You can even use the excess energy generated for a multitude of different things such as heating water or selling it back to the grid to make a profit for yourself and spread sustainability.
As solar power begins to gain widespread popularity, the question everyone is asking is “How Do Solar Panels Work?”
It might seem daunting and complicated, but we promise you that it’s not. A solar panel works by absorbing sunlight through solar cells, which creates something called a direct current. The direct current then travels from the panels through an inverter, which converts the energy into usable electricity as it reaches the breaker panel of your home.
It’s almost like having your own personal power plant on your roof with an endless supply of clean energy. The best bit? You don’t even need direct sunlight or consistently sunny days. We promise it’ll even work in rainy Ireland.
- The energy from sunlight is absorbed by the Solar Panels
The sun is like a natural nuclear reactor, it’s always releasing energy. The energy released by the sun hits the photovoltaic cells (PV cells), which creates an electrical field and produces direct current (DC).
It sounds really complicated, yet essentially what this means is that when energy released by the sun hits your panels, it creates a current. A direct current is the same as any other current of electricity, it just flows in one constant direction. Which is great, because we wouldn’t want to be trying to send it back to the sun.
- Inverters convert direct current into usable electricity
Typically solar panel systems have a single inverter for the entire system or a microinverter connected to every panel. Either way, the purpose of the inverter is to convert direct currents (DC) into alternative currents (AC), which is what makes electricity usable inside your home.
The inverter is able to do this conversion by very quickly changing the direction of DC input back and forth. In fact, the input will reverse through the circuit nearly 60 times each second.
- Electricity produced by solar panels is used in your home
Electricity from the panels then powers your home and appliances just like any other supply of electricity you might currently be relying on. Every time you turn on your kettle to make a cup of tea, the solar panels have done the hard work of turning the sun’s energy into electricity.
You don’t need to worry about solar panels not producing enough electricity either. If, for whatever reason, the solar panels you installed didn’t produce enough power to meet your electricity needs, you’ll still be able to source electricity from the grid automatically. Just like you currently do.
Even more interestingly, if you have the opposite problem and your panels are making more energy than you could possibly use, you have some interesting options for that too. You can sell back some excess power to the grid, you can convert the excess energy to heat your hot water (although you will need a converter for this) or you can even use it to power an electric vehicle.
The possibilities are almost limitless and we haven’t even scratched the surface yet!
Finding the Right Solar Panels for Your House
Before installing Solar Panels, there are several things you must consider. That’s why it’s always a good idea to get some advice from the experts.
Check out the Solar Panel NI website and get in touch with our advisors who can easily come up with the right solutions for your energy needs.
Let’s work together to create a more sustainable future.
