DALLAS LANGLEY

If you put a solar system in place and it takes you 5 years to fund it, you can say you have a stable electric bill for the next 20 years next. A solar system will pay you back. After the initial costs of the process, you certainly will lower your bills and your carbon impact.

If you feel solar is expensive today, think again. Think of what your fuel will be in years to come.
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Systems generating electric current from energy in the sun's rays are referred to as photovoltaic (PV with regard to short) or sun electric. They are sometimes bewildered with solar thermal systems as they look similar and are often mounted on roofs with homes, sometimes even integrated together into what is definetly a single array.

Solar Systems

Some sort of PV system creates electricity which are often used by the electric loads on your property. SUN systems can create electricity as a result of the photovoltaic effect. When the sun strikes the silicon SUN cells, electrons are excited and be able to get on the move. The wiring in the PV array corrals these electrons and marches these phones the inverter, where the combined current is converted to AC and sent to the appliances in your house or back to the strength grid. PV modules are generally flat, glass-encased panels that often have a shiny bluish and black appearance. Typical PV systems blend 10 to 50 of these modules into an selection.

Sun Thermal

Some sort of solar thermal system uses energy in the sun to heat water used in a home or share, or for heating the home itself.

Solar thermal collectors look much like PV modules - they are both flat panels estimated at 3' by 5' in dimensions. Solar thermal collectors should not have the shiny appearance associated with PV modules, which is one way to tell them apart. Another telltale sign could be the presence of plumbing, rather then wiring (which you usually can't see from the ground anyway), leading in the panels.

A solar thermal system is a closed-loop system where a liquid which include glycol circulates through the collector on the roof. Since it does, sunshine is beating down to the collector and warming your liquid flowing through it. This heated liquid then travels to your home's hot water unit and transfers its heat energy to your water in the unit. It's basically heating this type of water for free, rather than investing in electricity or gas to heat up the water. (Rather then your water heater, that heated liquid could be used similarly to heat your swimming pool.)

Both solar thermal and PV are excellent method of harnessing some of that free power in the sun, and both are eligible for generous rebates.
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Solar power has always been a minor power source in comparison to mighty oil. As oil prices rise and conflicts occur in oil nations, perhaps the issue needs to be revisited.

Sun vs. Engine oil

The industrial revolution was built relating to the back of oil and coal. There is no denying that solar played no part whatsoever. This is certainly particularly true since solar cells were not invented before 1950s! solar power vs. electricity.