Something a lot of people don’t know when they first start getting into solar energy is that there are quite a lot of different types of solar panels and collectors out there. If you just go shopping and grab the cheapest one you can find, you might find it to be incompatible with your generator, or just not the type of panel you need in the first place.
If you’re looking into solar panels for home use, there are really only two types of panels you need to be looking at…
Solar Thermal Collectors, and…
Photovoltaic Solar Panels
The photovoltaic solar panels are the more common type, as these are the panels that convert the sun’s rays directly into electricity that you can safely use in the home. You can store this energy in a battery, or you can send it directly towards wherever you need electricity.
How do photovoltaic solar panels work? Well, a solar panel is made up of semi-conductive cells which absorb the sun’s light, in other words, they get really hot when the sun shines on them. This energy is converted into electricity by way of an electrically negative layer and an electrically positive layer, so the electrons in the silicon cells will pass from the top layer to the bottom layer. They pass through electrical contacts in the top layer, and are routed through a circuit, and voila, electrical power is created.
Of course, if you don’t know a lot about how electricity works, that may be a little confusing. Luckily, it’s a lot easier to explain solar thermal collectors.
A solar thermal collector is used to heat water. This can be used directly as, well, hot water, for showers and so on, or it can be used to heat your home, it can be used for steam power, and so on. A solar thermal collector panel is hooked up to a water reservoir, which pumps water through the panel in tightly coiled plastic tubing. When the water is hot enough, it’s returned to the reservoir. When the reservoir cools down, it pumps the water back into the tubing. Simple, right?
You might wonder how that can help you to save when it comes to electricity. Well, while a solar thermal collector doesn’t actually produce electricity, and it won’t power your computer or anything, it does save you money when it comes to hot water, whether your heater is gas or electric. It’s just another way of using the power of the sun to replace traditional energy sources.
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