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Facts about Solar Power

By: Tarra Sampson


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Facts on solar energy help people understand the efficiency of solar power for heating homes, charging batteries and other appliances. It is almost impossible to make a valid choice for home energy systems unless we know about the available options. The applications of solar energy are multiple around the house, although most people have only heard of water heating with photovoltaic cells. But did you know that you can heat your swimming pool, power attic fans, computers and small appliances with photo-voltaic cells?

One of the rather common facts about solar energy is that it charges batteries and can be used for indoor and outdoor lighting systems. The demand for solar panels is presently higher than the offer, although production has increased over the last years. The explanation is simple: not all climates and geographic areas are suitable for the use of photo-voltaic panels. And even if solar energy is captured in colder areas, the process is more difficult and there may not be enough power for all the applications.

Water heating consumes most power of all, this is among the most practical facts about solar energy you should know of. It takes around 30% of the total energy to heat water. As for the different parts of the solar system, it includes panels with photovoltaic cells, a support structure, a battery, an inverter and a charge controller. Since the costs of a fully operational solar system can range around $10,000, the incentives provided by the government may be really convincing.

If you are interested in more statistical data and facts about solar energy, you will find out that for warm regions, a 1 kilowatt home solar system can generate approximately 1,600 kilowatt hours in a year. In cooler climates with about 2 hours of sunshine per day, the number of produced kilowatt hours ranges at about 750 yearly. Even for average systems, the coal consume and the level of CO2 emissions is drastically lowered.

The average home solar system should include between ten and twelve solar panels, facing north so that they receive maximum sunlight exposure. Very long warranties, this is one other advantage of solar panels. Yet, the system as such has a lower warranty span of about 5 years. The energy storage capacity and features vary according to the model of the panels. Sunlight can be absorbed, reflected or insulated by the collecting photovoltaic cells and then transferred and stored by the batteries.

Article Source: http://depositarticles.com/

TarraSampson is devoted to helping to save the environment and control pollution by using the renewable sources of energy. Check it out at Solar Power For Homes. Also check out a related blog post at Make Solar Power.

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