In the past few years a growing demand for renewable energy has led to an increase of requests for solar power. This blog should help everyone understand how we can use solar power in your home.

Solar photovoltaics (PVs) are what converts the energy from the sun into electricity in your home. Installations can be mounted in the ground or added on the roof or walls.

Worldwide the production of photovoltaic is growing. Some say it is doubling every two years and that it's the world's fastest growing energy technology. This is important because it is leading to a decrease in cost. Its popularity has also led to the creation of state incentives and electric company electricity buy-back programs. Wouldn't it be nice to get a check from the electric company instead of sending them one? It's possible.

Photovoltaic cells turn the sunlight into electricity by using photons of light to turn electrons into electricity. This electricity can be used as power for just about anything from equipment to batteries. It was the space program who first used photovoltaics to power satellites and spacecraft, but today we see it increasingly for grid connected power generation.

In order to protect the cells, they are typically tightly packed behind a glass sheet. Cells are connected together to form photovoltaic modules, or solar panels. For a house these modules are arranged as arrays usually on the roof.

What is commonly called building integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) is increasingly incorporated into buildings as a primary or secondary source of power. This is one of the reasons that technology is advancing and production is increasing as much as it is. We usually see BIPV uses by incorporating arrays into the roof, but you can also use them on the walls of a building. I've even seen roof tiles with integrated PV cells in them which disguises their presence. If you are thinking of remodeling, you should also know that arrays can be retrofitted into existing homes.

Depending on your location, your panels will either store electricity in a battery or feed directly into the grid. Feeding into the grid requires regulatory and commercial preparation, including net metering and agreements with your local electric company.

Let us know if you have any other questions.