One Simple Thing You Need to Know About Collecting Solar Energy and Generating Free Electricity

Some large and famous corporations have joined the bandwagon of finding alternative sources of energy to power up their establishments. The internet giant Google has set up its own solar power system on the roof of its corporate headquarter, which can generate up to 1.6 megawatt of free electricity. While another giant, Wal Mart has launched its own solar power program and installed solar panels in several of its stores in California and Hawaii.

Furthermore, countries such as Japan, Germany, the United States, and Switzerland are giving government subsidies or tax breaks to individuals, groups and companies who advocate the use of solar energy and utilize it to generate electricity and heat. This is in an effort to promote solar power as a viable source of alternative energy.

But how exactly can we transform sun light into electricity that powers our homes, our cars and almost everything around us? This is possible through the use of solar cell.

What is solar cell? Solar cells, also known as photovoltaic (PV) cells, are those black squares that comprise a solar panel. They are responsible for collecting energy from sunlight or other natural light sources and converting this energy into an electrical power.

In the early years of its utilization, solar cells are less efficient. By that it means that they must be thick and large in order to gather more energy and generate a considerable amount of electricity. But as technology progresses, it's now possible to have smaller and thinner units with higher efficiency rate and even longer life span. Normally, these PV cells have 20 to 30 years lifetime. And because of this, the costs of solar panels have decreased dramatically, making it more accessible and available from home use. This means that you only need to pay a one-time installation cost but you'll be able to enjoy many years of free electricity.

Solar cells productions are gradually increasing and having an array of panels installed on the roof your house is considered more practical in the long runespecially if you live in a sunny region, than paying monthly electric bills. Depending on the size of your solar panels, they can power up your home by as much as 30% to 100% of your regular electric consumption. More advanced PV cells can even collect light even on gloomy and overcast weather. For this reason alone, many homeowners now want to build their own solar power systems at home.