What is Solar Power and how does is work?

How it works

There are several different systems which take advantage of the solar power generated from the Sun.

The photovoltaic effect is when photo cells convert sunlight directly into electricity - this has been used for sometime to power certain calculators, for example. Photovoltaic cells (PV's) are being used as roof tiles. They cover the roof of a house and take advantage of the light coming from the Sun. This is trapped by the cell and turned into electricity that can be used to charge modules (batteries), that you can then use to provide electricity for your home .

The cells can be used to provide electricity to power lights in your garden, or in your RV or on your boat. You can also get solar panels that will power your laptop on while traveling.  Anything that need electricity can be powered using solar power.

Another way to take advantage of the energy from the Sun, is to design buildings so they can collect the heat. They do this by designing the building sensibly and facing it in a way where it can use the Sun to the maximum benefit. Large glass windows help with this, especially during the winter when the Sun is very low. In the summer, balconies and trees protect the building from getting too much heat.

A reasonably simple method of using the benefits of the Sun is to heat water pipes. Painting the thin pipes black and putting them in a 'greenhouse' type insulator can heat the water supply for your home or pool and therefore reduce the cost of using electricity to heat it.

The Advantages

As well as the fact that energy from the Sun is readily available, there are many other benefits. By locating photovoltaic cells on top of houses, no extra land space is needed and they can also be situated in urban areas, where there is plenty of available space.

In addition they are very easy to install, and although there are some high costs involved, they replace the need for other materials, such as tiles, to be used.

The Costs

As with most renewable energy systems, there are initial costs which make setting up these projects, initially quite expensive. However, the savings on electricity bills in the long-term should make up for this and year on year, the costs are falling which will make it more widespread. The technology now needed is 90% cheaper than it was in the 1970s. Houses with solar roof tiles can in fact generate more electricity than is needed at certain times in the day, and can sell this back to local electricity companies. Remember they may be grants available from your local government to help with the costs.