There are actually two types of solar power system.
One is connected to the national grid and the other one is a standalone system.
When solar power system is connected to the grid it means that all electricity which you do not use will go directly to the grid.
To put it in another way you are spinning your meter backwards.
The solar power system which is not connected to grid is very similar except that it has a battery bank for storing the electricity for later use.
In both cases there is an inverter which converts the direct current (DC)from the solar panels to alternating current (AC), which is what we normally use in our homes.
The inverter is connected to the grid through your electricity meter if you have a grid connection.
Both systems are easy to maintain and require little effort. If you do use a battery bank there is some checking needed for the batteries depending on what type of batteries you use.
The solar panels are very durable and they often come with a 20 years guarantee. In most cases they do last 30 years so after a few years you produce very cheap electricity and your costs will be very predictable.
solar panels are very scalable and you can easily add more panels and get more electricity if you need to.
A panel is simply a collection of solar cells.
Usually they are made of crystalline silicon, or a combination of silicon with another material. It can also be stacked layers of alloy materials.
The silicon is divided into tiny disks. They are less than a centimeter in thickness, and are then polished and fixed from any cutting damage.
Thin silver wires, are spread across each disk and they are laid out in a grid design on top of the panel.
Then it is covered with a thin layer of glass and a material added to the bottom of the panel with a type of cement cement to help prevent overheating.
The solar panels are mounted a little above a surface facing the sun, in order to allow cooling breezes to run under the panels.
The power from the sun is free and inexhaustible. This vast, clean energy resource represents a very strong alternative to the fossil fuels.
It would be a severe injustice to our children not to take advantage of such a widely available resource.
Rolf Finney
[nms:solar energy,5]
