Barret Gibson 

Millions of California homeowners have solar systems on their roofs, but far fewer can clearly answer the question: what is the process of solar power? Understanding how sunlight becomes usable electricity, and what happens to that electricity once it is produced, helps homeowners make smarter decisions about system design, troubleshooting, and upgrades. Here is a clear, step-by-step explanation of how the entire process works from sunlight to your light switch.

The process begins when photons, tiny packets of energy within sunlight, strike the surface of a solar panel. Each panel is made up of many individual photovoltaic (PV) cells, most commonly manufactured from silicon. Silicon has a unique property: when struck by photons, its electrons are knocked loose from their atoms, beginning to flow as an electrical current.

Each PV cell contains two layers of silicon with different electrical charges — one positive and one negative. This junction creates an internal electric field. When the freed electrons flow across this junction under the influence of the field, they produce direct current (DC) electricity. Individual cells produce small amounts of current, but when dozens of cells are connected within a single panel, and multiple panels are connected in an array, the combined output becomes substantial.

The answer to what is the process of solar power? necessarily includes the inverter, because your home does not run on DC electricity. Virtually all household appliances, lighting, and electronics operate on alternating current (AC). The solar inverter is the device that takes the DC electricity from your panels and converts it into the AC electricity your home uses. This conversion happens continuously and automatically whenever your system is producing power.

Once converted to AC electricity, the power flows from the inverter into your home's electrical panel, where it is distributed to circuits throughout the house. Your appliances, lighting, heating and cooling systems, and electronics draw from this supply just as they would from grid electricity. The key difference is that during peak sun hours, you are drawing from free electricity generated on your own roof.

With energy efficiency and sustainable living trends growing in importance, an investment in a home solar energy system is shaping up to be a wildly beneficial tool for boosting property value. Financial benefits of solar systems. Aside from the benefits of saving the environment, solar systems are great for your pocketbook, and homeowners who have them are often able to attract buyers in the market to sell.

If there is one main advantage in installing a residential photovoltaic system, it would be the energy savings it provides. Generating power from sunlight saves homeowners money by reducing their reliance on traditional fuel sources. With ongoing savings in utility bills, that’s a very attractive proposition to buyers and will set a solar-equipped home apart in a competitive market.

Studies have consistently proven that solar properties sell quicker and for more money than their non-solar counterparts. Home buyers appreciate the long-term cost and energy savings that solar adds to a home, raising the resale value and marketability.

More homeowners across the United States
are now joining this growing trend toward cleaner, renewable power sources. Of
these, the solar power home system emerged as a
viable and futuristic solution. With the future savings, advances in energy
independence, and focus on a more environmentally friendly lifestyle, it is
easy to see why we’re seeing so many people getting behind solar power.

The first and foremost advantage of having
a solar power home system is reduced monthly electricity charges. Homeowners
can reduce a large portion of the energy utilized with solar, savings that
accumulate over time as utility prices rise.

In states such as California, where
electricity is among the most expensive in the nation, the financial gains of
owning a home solar panel system can be especially large. Not only do families
escape volatile utility rates with solar, but they also enable themselves to
save through net-metering, where homeowners sell excess power back to the grid
in return for credits.

Power interruptions and energy short-falls
are now more frequent as demand is on the rise in conjunction with an aging
infrastructure.” Installing a solar power home system gives families more
control over their electricity, particularly when combined with battery
storage.

Converting to operate the solar panel system for a house is one of the best decisions one could make to improve his or their future experimentally and financially. Solar energy is a very effective energy source that can help one minimize the use of conventional energy sources that are costly to purchase.

Another benefit that you can get upon putting up a solar panel system in your house is a possible reduction of electricity costs. On the same note, the more you invest in producing your power, the more you will minimize the power that you have to buy from the grid. Depending on the region and electricity usage, an installed solar panel system can efficiently supply most of the electrical energy requirements and, in some cases, provide an excess that would be sold to power companies.

Solar panel systems have been installed to improve the value of the dwelling. People are beginning to look at the aspects of a home, such as energy usage, and a solar panel system is a selling point. It is one of the strategic investments that yield recurrent operational cost savings, hence giving your home a competitive edge in the housing market.

The installation of a solar panel system in your house helps decrease carbon emissions. This contributes towards minimizing the use of fossil-based energy; hence, it is clean energy from the sun. By choosing to go solar, you are actually being strategic because you will be part of the solution in an effort to make a positive change to our hurting environment.