What is home solar energy?

As energy prices continue to mount and our dependence on fossil fuels continues to grow, more people are starting to see the benefits of solar energy to both their individual homes and their businesses. More people are starting to take action and are starting to install solar home systems themselves. It is a trend that will continue to grow and expand.

U.S. residential solar energy installation cost has decreased by more than 70 percent over the last decade. In just the last few years, the commercial residential sector saw a five percent drop in overall cost. There is no question that solar energy has evolved from an expensive cleantech commodity into a practical home upgrade which can produce serious home electricity saving advantages for most homeowners at virtually any income level. In fact, there are many families and individuals who could easily make a living installing and maintaining solar panels.

The ability to use residential solar systems to create free electricity rather than have it generated through a utility company makes the home solar system very "green". The term green is used to denote that the product or material being utilized is sustainable and environmentally friendly. The use of photovoltaic solar panels in building a home renewable energy system makes the system friendly both to the environment and to the typical household user. However, unlike wind turbines or geothermal systems, there is no need to pay a power company for the use of its renewable energy resources.

The major advantage of the residential home solar power plant is that it can be installed virtually anywhere without regard to whether it is in a sunny or not region of the country. The use of passive solar panels allows the home owner to be both energy independent and energy conscious. Photovoltaic solar panels are able to absorb the maximum amount of sunlight possible while still permitting the sun's rays to stream through the photovoltaic panel and into the actual beam of the solar panels. This efficient design means that the amount of electricity required by an individual home user is directly proportional to the amount of sunlight falling on the home. As long as there is sunlight, then the home solar power plant is operating at full capacity and will generate electricity for the home.

When using solar panels in off-grid applications, such as for appliances, hot water systems and electric generating systems, the efficiency of the process increases significantly. In this type of application, where the home solar system operates without the help of any kind of energy source, it is important to have the solar panels perfectly aligned to the array in order to harness the most amount of available light. The use of off-grid photovoltaic solar installations allows for the use of photovoltaic panels, even when there is no sunshine. However, even in this situation, many energy companies have been known to offer incentives to encourage home owners to install solar panels on their homes. Off-grid photovoltaic solar installations require no electricity generated by fossil fuel generators; they are completely self-sufficient. This is why solar panels have become so popular with both homeowners and major energy companies.