Solar Power; Find Out How It Works For Your Needs
Today, it is possible that solar power will be on the tip of everyone's tongues, because face it, with global warming and the higher costs of energy that are affecting us, it is bound to create more concern and thus give rise to a need to find a suitable as well as effective source of energy. There no doubts that solar power is in fact the new alternative whose popularity is rising as it involves cutting costs and also protecting the environment as well.
Understand How Traditional Solar Power Is Generated
Though, we may have heard of solar power, there won't be many that are actually aware of how it works and thus require needing to be educated about this new form of energy. To begin with, the numbers of different type of solar power are many though it may be enough to merely understand how the traditional solar power works when using panels which are just like those that are placed on rooftops, or even on the side of homes, or even those that are used to heat swimming pools. In fact, in this regard, you can choose between photovoltaic module solar panels and solar thermal collectors.
The first type or photovoltaic panels find use in the generation of electricity, while the second type is best used to generate heat with which to warm water or even air. However, the two types of panels are more or less the same in their appearance and can even are installed adjacent to one another in order to maximize the use of solar energy.
The photovoltaic modules that are used in solar power are very conducive for generating electricity that is achieved through conversion of solar heat into energy, and such panels are made up of cells that are arranged on a grid that is flat, and which contains glass so that the panel are not damaged by the environment. To transfer energy amongst the cells, use is made of strings or ribbons and once the cells are able to capture sunlight, they will then begin converting the solar heat and turn it into solar energy that can be used to create electricity.
On the other hand solar power that is derived from use of solar thermal collectors are more versatile and are often used in businesses as well as homes and are able to be used directly on water tanks and thus heats up swimming pools without any other process. They work much like photovoltaic panels though minus the need to convert thermal energy into electric energy, and they only need to store the sun's heat which can then be transferred wherever heating is required, and are often found used in solar energy applications that are rather simple, and good examples of them are calculators as well as wrist watches and even for the pumping of and aerating of water.
