For homeowners today,there are two types of solar panels,These are solar electric (Otherwise known as photovoltaic) Solar electric panels work with the sun's light. Solar electric panels create electricity from the sun's light that can be used to power your appliances-lights,fridge,etc. This type of solar panel work off of photovoltaic principles inherent in most semiconductors. In photovoltaic energy transfer, sunlight strikes the surface of a crystallized semiconductor. The one used in commercially sold panels is silicon. When the light strikes the crystal, it causes the crystal to emit an electric current. The crystals are backed by wiring to channel the current, and a series of panels can be set up as an array to further boost the amount of current they produce.

And there are solar hot water panels,Solar hot water panels use the sun's heat to heat the water for your shower,kitchen,etc.

Example of roof structure mounting.

Regardless of what type of panel you decide to go with, odds are you will want to hook your solar array into the existing power grid. This is because grid-tie systems will enable you to still receive power should your panels malfunction. Even more importantly however, recent legislation has mandated that in many areas, the power company must buy excess power that you generate. That means that you could potentially be receiving a check from the power company, rather than writing one. Total technology has the only booklet telling you how to connect to the grid.

Grid-tie systems are interconnected to the utility network. Wired with a synchronizing inverter, grid-tie systems feed surplus electricity back into the local utility. The utility acts as an infinite storage system, eliminating the need for batteries. Grid-tie systems are aligned with many government-sponsored incentives.

Roof mounted system in Arizona

Below is a list of the basic components in a solar system.

Solar panels -These come in different shapes and sizes(see chapter"types of solar panels")but they all do the same thing-turn sunlight into DC electricity.

Inverter-The inverter turns DC electricity from your solar panels into AC electricity.
Dc stands for Direct Current electricity.Grid power and your house appliance run on AC electricity.

So once the solar panels have made DC electricity this needs to be turned in AC with an inverter.There are many types of inverters.However,if you have a grid-tied system,you will need to have a true-sine wave inverter.

CHARGE CONTROLLER-This is only needed if you have batteries.A charge controller regulates the voltage and current coming from the solar panels going to the battery.They also stop your batteries from getting overcharged and a reverse flow from your batteries to your solar panels during the night.

NET METERING -This is an electric meter that can spin backwards.This allows you to sell power back to the grid.Sometimes power companies require you to install a separate meter for your solar power system.This is because some meters are unable to run backwards.This is what your meter will do when you are producing more solar energy than you are using.

CIRCUIT BREAKER/DISCONNECT-This is a safety feature-it is used to disconnect your solar panels from your house electrical system and the power grid.This is necessary for maintenance work-both on your home and on the main power grid.For instance,when there is a power outage,you need to be able stop the solar power from flowing into the main power grid for the safety of the maintenance team.

NB.Off grid houses can be wired for DC power.This eliminates the need for an inverter(except for some appliances that aren't made to work with DC power.There aren't many DC sound systems for example.)The Advantage with keeping your power DC is that you won't lose power through converting it to AC.Typically,converting DC to AC will mean 6% power loss.

Solar electric panels are sized in kW.A 1kw system will output approximately 1kw per hour on a sunny day.

Due to small losses in power from the inverter and other inefficiencies,a 1kw system will put out about 0.7kw per hour.There is no exact correlation between the size of the system and the payback time.If you have a larger system it will be more expensive.However.it will also supply you with more electricity,thus saving you more off your power bill. Therefore, a smaller solar system and a larger system will have approximately the same payback time. However,once it is paid off,your larger solar panel system will save you more money. This means it has a greater return on investment. The amount of power you use effects the size and cost of your solar system. For example,if you use 200KW a month,a 4KW system will take care of most of your needs,depending on where you live. If you live in California,you have on average 5.5 usable sunshine hours a day. Usable sunshine is measured by kW/M2 per day. This is called solar insulation. To find how much solar insulation you have,you can check a solar insulation map on internet.) So your 4kw system will make more power if you live in California. If you live in New York, you have on average 4.25 usable sunshine hours per day. Total Technology Corp is the only provider to assist you with focused panels. Focused panels turn with the arc of the sun to provide the best usage of the available sun.

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