Solar panels are one of the hottest talks in the roofing and tech industries at the moment. With talks of green energy and finding alternate solutions to generating electricity, solar panels are widely used now more than ever. If you are considering using solar panels to power your home, it is important that you have a little knowledge on how solar panels work.
In order to get solar powered electricity to your home, the amount of panels you need depends greatly on several factors. The size of your home, the climate you are in, the type of home you have to mention a few. But exactly how does solar panels transfer energy into electricity?
With solar power, these energy panels generate electricity by transfer of photons from the sun. When the sun puts off photons and hits the atoms inside of the panel, the atoms put off electrons. Really, solar panels never actually generate electricity, they only store it. An inverter is then used to create electrical current to be stored in batteries.
How Do Solar Panels Store Electricity If The Sky Is Cloudy?
A lot of people misunderstand how solar panels actually work. You may have heard that using solar panels may leave you without electricity when it is cloudy outside. We really do need to set the record straight. Clouds do not block the sun from putting off photons. Even if it is cloudy outside, the rays from the sun can still create the necessary reaction in your solar panels. Allowing you to generate and store electricity.
The easiest way to debunk this theory is by thinking about sunburns. If it is cloudy outside, that doesn’t mean that you still can’t get a sunburn. Just because you cannot see the light or heat from the sun, doesn’t mean that UV rays and photons are not being emitted.
Can Solar Panels Store Electricity And Be Used At Night?
Again, the fact that solar panels can not be used at night is a myth more than a fact. Since the function of solar panels is to transfer photons into electrons through photovoltaic cells that can be inverted from DC to AC current and stored in batteries, yes you can use the electricity at night.
Since the power is stored in a battery, you can use your stored energy at night to power your homes electrical needs regardless of it being dark.
Do You Lose Energy If You Don’t Use It?
You may be concerned that if you don’t use the energy stored by your solar panels, that you will waste the energy. This is another misconception. Typically when you have a professional set up your solar panels, they will set it up so that the load distributes across to a heat sink if in excess of the batteries capacity.
One of the best ways to not worry about wasted energy is to set up a smart system. A smart system can be set up so that if you are in surplus of energy, the smart system will turn on your
dishwasher or other appliances to utilize the abundance.
Final Thoughts
Solar panels are a great way to save money on electrical bills and reduce your carbon footprint. If you are considering going green or want to save a lot of money on expensive utility bills, you really should consider this alternative. Contact us to schedule an appointment if you are ready to take the next step.
