Harvest Energy With Solar Power Panels
November 4th, 2008
One of the first images that come to mind when the topic of solar energy arises is the solar panel, typically portrayed as an oversized, reflective box parked on a rooftop waiting to catch the suns rays. This is changing rapidly as solar cell technology grows in leaps and bounds.
Of course as with anything involving the sun, there will be heat. Using solar power panels, this heat can be used to warm the water and the air in the ventilation systems using solar power panels. What people commonly call a solar panel is more properly called a PV or Photovoltaic panel. Solar cells line the panel and are made with silicon, or some other semi-conductive material, that produces electricity when the sun shines on it. After being collected in the cells, the electricity can flow directly to your home.
For many years solar power panels were restricted to large, boxy enclosures. Now, the development of solar cells has been opening up new ways of incorporating solar energy production for the home and at work. Solar cells may be integrated now into a large variety of building materials; such technology is generally known as Building Integrated Photovoltaics. Solar cells may now be incorporated into almost anything from roofing to the edges of glass window panes.
Solar cells integrated into your roofing material offer you the same protective properties as traditional asphalt shingles while collecting the suns energy at the same time. The same technology can also be applied to exterior walls, skylights, windows, awnings, walkway coverings, car ports, and it seems as though every day a new way to integrate solar power panels into everyday materials becomes available.
There are a variety of solar power panel assemblies that are mounted off of the building itself. The two most common are ground mounted or pole mounted fixtures. These features are valuable as they allow for optimal placement of the solar panels where they would receive the greatest exposure to the sun, thus allowing for greater flexibility in both building design and solar power system design. Although solar power panels will generate some power with indirect exposure to the suns rays, you will only generate the most efficient amount of solar power with direct exposure of the solar panel to full sunlight.
Ground mounted structures which are mounted typically to metal frames anchored into the ground with traditional construction methods, concrete footers etc. These frames can be built with motorized mounts for the solar power panels which would allow them to track or follow the sun throughout the day.
Pole-mounted structures, mounted to either the side or top of a metal pole, can also be built to have the solar panels move with or track the path of the sun to get the optimum amount of solar exposure during the course of the day.
Tags: Making Water Alternative Energy, Florida Alternative Energy, Alternative Energy Grant, Alternative Energy Systems, Alternative Energy Retailers, Alternative Energy Mutual Fund
Tags
Entry Filed under: Alternative Energy
Trackback this post