Solar power panels (arrays of photvoltaic cells) make use of renewable energy from the sun, and are a clean and environmentally sound means of collecting solar energy. Thousands of homes around the country are being powered with clean electricity generated by solar energy. Besides the roof systems, there are cost-effective solar projects for getting your hot water, heating your pool and warming your home.

Major projects are becoming more common because the materials needed to make renewable energy systems have become more widely available over the past couple of years, and companies are positioned to more quickly recoup their costs with help from state and federal tax incentives. Some of the world's leading energy experts are saying that government clean energy policies this decade could set the stage for long-term benefits that will be felt throughout the world.

With new uses for solar power arising every day, we work hard to make it easy for you to find a professional in your area.

Photovoltaic (solar cell) systems convert solar energy directly into electricity. A solar cell consists of semiconducting material that absorbs the sunlight. The solar energy knocks electrons loose from their atoms, allowing the electrons to flow through the material to produce electricity. Solar cells are typically combined into modules that hold about 40 cells. About 10 of these modules are mounted in solar arrays. Solar arrays can be used to generate electricity for a single building or, in large numbers, for a power plant. A power plant can also use a concentrating solar power system, which uses the sun's heat to generate electricity. The sunlight is collected and focused with mirrors to create a high-intensity heat source. This heat source produces steam or mechanical power to run a generator that creates electricity.

Solar water heating systems for buildings have two main parts: a solar collector and a storage tank. Typically, a flat-plate collector—a thin, flat, rectangular box with a transparent cover—is mounted on the roof, facing the sun collecting the solar energy. The sun heats an absorber plate in the collector, which, in turn, heats the fluid running through tubes within the solar collector. To move the heated fluid between the collector and the storage tank, a system either uses a pump or gravity, as water has a tendency to naturally circulate as it is heated. Systems that use fluids other than water in the collector's tubes usually heat the water by passing it through a coil of tubing in the tank.

A solar collector is not always needed when using sunlight to heat a building. Some buildings can be designed for passive solar heating. These buildings usually have large, south-facing windows. Many of the passive solar heating design features also provide day lighting. Day lighting is simply the use of natural sunlight to brighten up a building's interior.

Solar power is obtainable for everyone. Whether your solar power setup is small or your is on a massive scale, you too can reap the benefits of solar energy and solar power.