If you are you looking to reduce your electricity bills and make your house environmentally friendly at the same time, a solar roof could be the perfect solution.
Credit: KindredSun
Every year millions of kilowatts of solar energy that could be used as electricity are wasted. If utilized properly, solar energy could drastically cut fossil fuel emissions and environmental damage. The environmental benefits of using solar energy are detailed in the Environmental page.
Depending on your house’s location and energy needs, utilizing solar energy could save hundreds of dollars on electricity bills each year. The ideal solar house is in a region that gets plenty of sunlight throughout the year and is facing the sun. For a more detailed cost analysis, see the Cost page.
The Product Comparison section of this website introduces a few of the hundreds of household solar energy solutions. The section covers both solar roofs and solar powered water heaters.
The following section describes the technology behind solar energy. Solar Your Home also provides information on the Cost and Environmental advantages of switching to solar power, as well as a comparison of Products on the market.
How it Works
Solar powered products use a collection of photovalactic cells comprised mainly of silicon, a semi-conductor. When photons, or light particles, from the sun come in contact with these photovalactic cells, the atoms lose electrons and energy begins to flow (LiveScience.) In order to make this energy usable, the photovalactic cells must establish a magnetic field to push the electrons out of the silicon and into the metal conductive plates. This is achieved by including materials of varying charges (positive and negative) to the cells. The metal plates then collect these electrons and transfer them to wires and into alternating currency electricity that can be used to power various types of household appliances.
How Solar Cells Work
Credit: NASA
The Product Comparison page details how different products use solar energy as a source of electricity.