Understanding Solar

Solar energy is used in a wide aspect today ranging from homemade solar panels to commercial solar plants. It is important to understand the need and benefits of solar energy. Whether you use solar energy for your domestic use by building your own solar panels or you make business out of it: there are a few basics that you need to know.

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Analyze the power requirements of your PV system. Have a concrete requirement of solar energy generation expected by you.
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Make sure you choose the right solar modules for your photovoltaic system. It is important to fulfill your solar energy requirement through a wise alignment of photovoltaic cells.
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Discuss with your solar panel contractors in detail about your exact needs and wants. Tell them what your requirement is and your budget too.
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Go through the diy solar panels guidebook which will help you understand better and will give you an insight of everything in advance.
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Electricity through solar energy can be quite complicated but there is absolutely nothing to worry about. Just take it systematically with the diy solar panels guide.
Firstly what is an atom? It is simply a mixture of protons, neutrons and electrons. Protons and neutrons within the nucleus of the element and electrons in the surrounding. Electrons carry a negative charge, protons a positive charge and neutrons being neutral. Certain elements have a strong hold of their electrons and some have a weak hold. The element with a stronger hold is called the insulator and the element with the weaker hold is called the conductor. These are the basics needed to understand solar energy too.

Electricity is just the up and down movement of electrons from one atom to another. For this you require an element that has a weak hold of its electrons, i.e., a conductor.

In order to ensure the constant flow of electrons from one atom to another you require a path and this path is called the circuit. Hence, a circuit is a continuous structure of a conductor. Therefore, the electrons flow through the circuit with no interference. If any part of the circuit is damaged, the flow of electrons is stopped right there.

The flow of electron through a regular path or the circuit is called current. Current is measured in terms of amperes. At any given point of time the number of electrons flowing through any point in the circuit is the same. It is even and there is no loss of electrons within the circuit. Just having the electrons flowing through the circuit does not give you electricity. You need a form of pressure to create electricity which is done by a term called voltage. Voltage is measures in terms of volts. In a photovoltaic solar system the photovoltaic cells replace voltage as the source of pressure that converts the current into electricity.

The movement of electrons within the circuit sometimes gives way to friction. This needs to be avoided in order to have a steady flow of current inside the circuit. This friction is also called as resistance and resistance is measured in terms of Ohms.

What is power? It is simple the amount of work done within a given period. The end result of current and voltage is power. Power is measured in terms of watts. Therefore, when you decide to setup a homemade solar panel or a commercial solar plant, your primary objective should be the power output you desire. Further, energy is the total power used in a stipulated time period. Energy is measured in terms of Kilowatts-hour.

You know have the basic understanding of what solar energy is and the entire process behind the generation of solar energy!