Solar solutions

By Margaret Scott

There is arguably no better renewable resource than the sun. Well, maybe the wind. Anyway, energy from the sun is a nonetheless an excellent, clean resource that can be reliably harnessed. This energy can be used in conjunction with an existing electrical system or help to sustain a house or any building independently “off the grid.”

While the details of the technology are complicated, the basics are relatively easy to understand. Solar panels, the icons of solar conversion, are durable, waterproof panels of solar cells. Solar cells are capable of transforming photons—particles of solar energy—into electricity.

Solar cells are not only employed in converting solar energy through panels, but also many other household devices, such as outdoor lights, fountains or chargers. The following websites offer an excellent variety of information about panel installation as well as an array of more conventional products that are self-powered with solar technology. While some of the sites are strictly informational with regard to the solar products themselves, most offer additional background information about the technology and its practical uses. Additionally, as the sites are aiming to sell household panel systems, many offer free “evaluation kits” or “cost evaluation calculators” to aid the homeowner in his or her research. Ultimately, the websites confirm that solar technology is clean, renewable, and efficiently installed and maintained on a household to household basis. Plus, it keeps getting better and better.

▪ Solarhome.org
▪ Mr. Solar
▪ Solar Depot
▪ Solar Panel Store
▪ Solar Electric Supply