Solar power is the energy that’s derived from the sun using photovoltaic (PV) cells to collect energy from the world’s most powerful light source. Solar energy has surprisingly been around for three decades or so but has only really gained significant traction over the past decade or so. The technology has actually existed since the 1800s but it has taken more than a century to advance the technology far enough along for effective and efficient use of solar energy.

Solar energy for home use is getting more and more popular in America since it’s cost-efficient, is an abundant resource, and it’s renewable. The cost to go solar initially is a significant investment in hardware and installation, but in under 10 years, many homeowners have already paid off those costs thanks to completely removing the expense of their electricity bills or vastly reducing them. Trillions of watts of solar power are continuously reaching the Earth’s surface – some 10,000 times the amount of the world’s total annual usage, now let that sink in for a minute – it’s remarkable! As long as the sun keeps burning bright and strong, and we see no reason why it won’t for centuries to come, solar energy is here to stay for the long-term.

Before discussing the purchase of a solar system from solar energy companies, you first should understand some basic terminology as it relates to solar and energy in general. A solar PV panel is a rectangular-shaped panel you see on the roofs of homes and in fields too if you’ve driven by solar farms. Solar cells are found in panels and are key components towards ultimately producing electricity to power your home. DC power is direct current, this is the raw energy that solar panels produce, whereas AC power is alternating current – this is the actual electricity that homes use. DC power is converted to AC power using an inverter so the solar energy can be successfully distributed to homes for consumption. W stands for a watt which is a unit of power for electricity, a KW is a kilowatt or 1,000 watts. kWh is how much power is used over time – if you glance over your electricity bills you have likely noticed kWh as that’s what utility companies use to determine how much to charge their customers.

There are many other things to understand about solar energy and the technology surrounding the application of it, but the information above should give you an overview and inspire you to learn more.

Stay tuned for more valuable solar energy insights upcoming here on our blog, and if you need help or have any questions be sure to contact us – we would love to hear from you.

If you’re interested in the prospects of buying a solar system for your home or are intrigued about solar sales jobs, then learn more about Powur here.