Solar Panels – What are they and how do they work?
Posted on September 14th, 2014
Solar panels take advantage of a powerful yet free energy source – the sun. It is thought that in a single hour the sun transmits more energy to the earth’s surface than the world uses in a year.
Solar PV or solar electricity uses the energy from the sun to produce electricity, which you can then use in your home and/or export onto the grid.
Solar panels are made of a thin layer of semi-conducting material between a sheet of glass and a polymer resin. When exposed to daylight, the semi-conducting material becomes ‘energised’ and this produces electricity. The more panels you can fit on your roof the more electricity you will produce.
Solar PV panels are worth considering if you have a mainly south-facing roof with little or no shade. Although a south-facing roof would yield the best power output, a south-west or south-east-facing roof should also be fine. How much energy you could produce with solar panels, and therefore how much money you could make, will depend on the tilt angle of your roof and its orientation. Maximum power output from solar panels will be achieved from a south-facing roof with a tilt angle of 30 degrees and no shade.
