Our sun is a source of renewable energy called solar energy. Solar cells are employed to turn this energy into electricity. Solar cell is also called photovoltaic cell or PV for short. Only a small amount of elecrticity is generated by one solar cell, so solar cells are organized and packaged into panels. Solar panels for business purposes and solar panels for homes are available.

As a rule, solar cells are made of crystalline silicon. When exposed to sun beams, wafer-based crystalline silicon cells make electricity. An average of 13% of solar power is converted to electrical energy. At present, 18% is achieved, but 30% is a targeted value by researchers.

If you plan to install a solar-powered system for your residence, solar panels for homes are the major hardware you should buy. Generally speaking, manufacturing methods and materials used vary for each type of panels one can find in the market, so you should understand the requirements of your system to be able to choose the right home solar panel.

One thing to consider is whether your system will be stand-alone or grid-tied. In addition to that consider your geographical location and pick the correct solar panel based on your area. If you reside in an area where much sunlight is available, choose the concentrating solar collectors. These types of panels are angled to absorb direct sunlight. Otherwise, pick the non-concentrating solar collectors, because they are able to absorb reflected sunlight as well.
Solar panels that can be installed on your residence are available in various power output ratings, from 60-190 watts. If you would like to have greater output than 190 watts, you will need to purchase more panels and set up an array of panels.

Depending on the brand, a solar panel is priced around $1,000. Mitsubishi, Sharp, Evergreen, Kyocera, Sanyo and Uni-Solar are popular brands. These products carry a 20-year warranty. In you can, find brands that have low manufacturing impact on environment.

You have to consider the efficiency of different brands as panels with higher efficiency will pay for themselves quicker. Efficiency of between 16 and 18% is already good, and expect around 10-year payback period. This will be reduced to four years when panels with 25% efficiency become available in the future.

With new panels costing around $1,000 a piece, the entire system for your residence can cost you up to $20,000, provided that a contractor does the installation for you. If you are able to do it yourself, the cost will be reduced to less than 50%. You can save even more if you get broken panels and repair them yourself.

The market trend for solar panels slants towards more affordable panels. Besides, both the federal and state governments offer incentives that would reduce the total cost of a solar energy system. With these factors in mind, many homeowners are thinking about installing home solar energy systems.

$20,000 for a system that could power a medium-size house is still ouside of the price range for the majority of homeowners. The solution then is to get a solar powered system that only partially covers the energy requirements. Solar panels for homes can be installed for $5,000 and are enough to take 1/3 of the energy requirements. The number of residences powered by solar panels for homes is expected to increase in the future, thus contributing to a greener planet.

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