Solar Panels Home

Solar panels, also known as photovoltaic solar panels, generate clean and renewable electricity that can be used to power appliances in the home and replace mains electricity. Along with wind turbines solar power is the technology of choice available to the homeowner who wants to generate his own electricity.

Types of Solar Panels for the Home

There are two main types of solar panels home: solar electric panels that generate electicity, and solar heating panels that supply hot water heated by the sun. There is also a third type that can be described as solar air heating where air is directly heated by the sun in a solar panel

As new and more efficient solar panel designs are developed and the cost of solar panels falls the installation of solar power is becoming a much more viable alternative for homeowners and businesses. This is especially true where government subsidies are provided for the installation of solar panels. Competition is fierce amongst solar panel manufacturers with companies from China playing an increasing role.

Solar Panels Home Benefits

So are solar panels a realistic alternative for home energy supply? For two groups of buyers it is a definite yes. Firstly, for those who are environmentally aware and who want to reduce their fossil fuel consumption and their carbon footprint as much as possible. Secondly, for those who want security of supply i.e. their own independent source of power.

For people looking at the cost the decision is not so clear cut. There is the cost to buy solar panels, the cost of solar panel installation and the maintenance cost. The payback time to recoup the costs of a solar panel system can vary widely but fifteen years is a typical period. Solar hot water panels are much less expensive than pv panels and have a much shorter payback time. There are useful applications available on the web that will calculate the estimated payback time for the two types of panel according to the information you input.

To reduce the cost of installing a solar energy system many people are looking at DIY solar panels where the idea is to build their own solar panels using solar panel kits.

There are many factors you must take into consideration if you are considering solar panels for the home. The obvious one is how many hours of sunshine you get per day. Also, remember that in winter when your electricity demand may be high the sun is lower in the sky and the sun's rays falling on your solar panels will be weaker. Another important factor is the price and power output of panels from different solar panel manufacturers.

Also very important is the standard of the solar panel installation. With the increasing popularity of solar power comes a large increase in the number of companies hoping to profit from it and not all install to a high standard. A rushed job leading to poor installation will mean increased repair and maintenance costs that will soon eat into the savings you hope to make on your electricity bill. Take the time to check out a number of local installers and get references.

Solar panels are commonly seen as the large and rigid solar roof panels. Another use of this type of panels is in the form of solar pool panels but there are other types. There are other uses and types of panel: solar pool panels, RV solar panels, portable solar panels and flexible solar panels.

If you do your resesearch and plan carefully it is feasible for a household to obtain a high proportion of its electricity requirements from the use of solar panels, but unless you plan to use solar energy simply for environmental or security reasons you must carefully work out the costs and benefits. The truth is the costs involved in supplying a whole house with electricity from solar panels power will be high for the average home and such a solar panel system will take many years to pay for itself.