A Solar Panel, is a set of electrically connected Photovoltaic cells. It typically contains several sets of solar cells connected in series. This allows each low voltage cell to contribute and be combined to provide a usable amount of higher voltage from the panel

Simply stated, a Solar Panel is what you use to convert light from the sun in to electricity you can use.

Different Sizes	Roof Mounted	Ground Mounted	Pole Mounted

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How is a Solar Panel Made ?

A panel is created by electrically connecting many solar cells, and then housing the assembly in a safe, functional and durable enclosure.

One method of creating a solar panel is accomplished by following roughly these steps:

The solar cells are Cleaned
Several solar cells are Electrically Connected in Series
They are then Placed together in a frame
They are then Electrically Connected to the Frame
Protective glass is applied
Protective coatings are applied
All components are bonded together
The completed panel is tested
How It's Made - Solar Panels Video

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What is a Photovoltaic Cell or Solar Cell?

Photo = Light and Voltaic = Electricity

In a Solar Cell, electricity is generated by the photovoltaic effect.This is the process where voltage is created in a semiconductor, such as silicon, when light is absorbed.

A Photovoltaic Cell, frequently called a Solar Cell, is typically a relatively flat and layered device, this consists of a semi conducting material sandwiched between electrical conductors.

In simple terms, a Solar Cell is the part of a Solar Panel that converts the light from the sun in to electricity.

Multi Crystalline	String Ribbon	Mono-Crystalline

Here are some ways that solar cells are made:

Screen Printing Technique to Make Solar Cell

USA Solar Cell Manufacturers
BP Solar Monocrystalline and multicrystalline silicon 630 Solarex Court Frederick, Maryland 21703, USA Tel: 1 301 698 4200 Fax: 1 410 981 0278	Energy Conversion Devices Inc (ECD Ovonics) Amorphous silicon thin film 2956 Waterview Drive Rochester Hills, MI 48309, USA Tel: 1 248 293 0440 Fax: 1 313 844 1214
Energy Photovoltaics Inc (EPV) Amorphous silicon and copper indium diselenide thin film 276 Bakers Basin Road Lawrenceville, NJ 08648, USA Tel: 1 609 587 3000 Fax: 1 609 587 5355	First Solar First Solar, Inc. 28101 Cedar Park Blvd Perrysburg, Ohio 43551 USA Tel: 1 419.662.8500 Fax: 1 602 414 9400
GE Energy (Solar Division) Monocrystalline silicon 231 Lake Drive, Newark, Delaware, USA Tel: 1 302 451 7500 Fax: 1 302 451 7501	Iowa Thin Film Technologies Amorphous silicon thin film on plastic substrate 2337 230th Street, Boone, Iowa 50036, USA Tel: 1 515 292 7606 Fax: 1 515 292 1922
Kyocera Solar Inc., (US Division) Multicrystalline silicon 7812 East Acoma Scottsdale, Arizona 85260 Tel: 1 480 948 8003 Fax: 1 480 483 6431	Solar Power Industries Monocrystalline silicon 13 Airport Road Belle Vernon, PA 15012, USA Tel: 1 724 379 2001 Fax: 1 724 379 4028
Solec International Inc Multicrystalline silicon 970 East 236th Street, Carson, California USA 90745 Tel: 1 310 834 5800 Fax: 1 310 834 0728	SunPower Corporation Monocrystalline silicon 3939 N. 1st Street, San Jose, California 95134, USA Tel: 1 (408) 240-5500
TerraSolar Inc Amorphous silicon thin film 44 Court Street, Tower B, Brooklyn, New York, 11201, USA Tel: 1 718 422 0100 Fax: 1 718 422 0300

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What is Solar Thermal ?

Solar thermal is the process of harnessing sun light for "thermal energy" or heat. It is commonly used by households and industry to supplment tradtion water and space heating. By utilizing the "power"of the sun, many people dramtically reduce their utility bills, and end up living and working with a much greener foot print. more...

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What is Solar Heating ?

Solar heating takes advantage of solar thermal systems to take the heat from sun light, store it in a thermal mass like hot water in a tank, and then release it it to your living space using methods like radiant floor heating. It is a great way to dramatically reduce your heating bills, and provides a clean simple ... always available ... method of staying warm.

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How can you make electricity from the Sun ?

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How can you save money with the Sun ?

As our energy prices rise ever higher, people are having to consider alternative methods of energy production, including the use of solar power, solar electric strategies, and use of photo voltaic solutions. There are many reasons why using solar power can be an improvement over traditional energy use, including more ...

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Is Solar Power really green ?

Absolutely. Period. :-)

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Can I really use Solar to make my household hot water hot ?

Yes, you can. Because of their many benefits, solar thermal hot water products are becoming very popular. Besides being extremely efficient and effective, using solar hot water also gives you the satisfaction of being a globally conscious homeowner. An even bigger bonus is that it also cuts out a significant portion of your utility bills. more...

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Is Solar really free ?

The sun is free to all! :-) But, unfortunately, the cost of products and services to utilize its freely available energy ... is not.

Solar Hot Water systems, and Solar Heating Systems typically pay for them selves in just a few years. And provide many years after that of nearly free energy.

Solar Power or Photovoltaic systems currently are a long term item, where investments normally take many years to pay back.

There are a few service providers that are starting to provide turnkey 'lease style' Solar electric systems. In these programs, you can have a system installed for free, and enjoy reduced utility bill immediately. This gives you the net effect of being free, as long as you don't mind the long term commitments to the service provider.

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Who do I contact ?

There are many knowledgeable service providers in our Virginia communities. You may want to locate an installer near you, and talk about what you can do to improve your home and lifestyle through greener living. Start here

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Solar Products

Solar Electric products include photovoltaic panels or solar modules, D/C to A/C inverters, deep cycle batteries, battery charge controllers, specialized roof, ground, rv and pole mounting hardware, various electrical wiring, combiner boxes, disconnect switches and breakers . Start here

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Solar Kits

Solar kits come in several types to fit many different needs. Here are the basic types:

Grid Tied - You connect to your electric service to reduce your bill. These are great ways to add a lower cost system to your house and begin reducing your carbon foot print. These systems do require approval from your electric utility, and the installation must meet County and Code standards. These systems do not work when the electric grid is down. So, if the power goes out for your neighbors, so does yours. Most electric utility companies will either pay you for the electricity you generate, or they will reduce your bill by the amount you generate ( called net metering ).
Grid Tied with Battery Backup - You connect to your electric service to reduce your bill and have emergency backup power. These systems have all the monthly cost savings benefits of the regular Grid Tie systems, but they include the extra advantage of providing you with power when you main electric utility service fails. . These systems do require approval from your electric utility, and the installation must meet County and Code standards.
Off-Grid Residential - You do not connect to your electric service, but instead, use your generated power directly. These systems are great for homes that do not already have electric utility service. They also work great for people who would like to add backup power for what ever their needs may be. When installed in homes that already have electric power, these systems do not use the existing wiring, instead you would wire special stand alone circuits to power just the things you want.
Off-Grid Cabin or Shed - You generate power for a location that does not have electric service. These type of systems are designed to meet the needs of small spaces that are isolated from any electric utility service. If you have a weekend cabin that currently does not have any power, then these are the perfect systems for you. Equally good targets for these small systems, is for your un powered shed.
RV - You generate power to be used by your recreational vehicle. Solar power systems are perfect compliments to any RV.
Self Contained - Portable power generation. Perfect for remote sites that need to run un-attended. Also perfect for sporting event fields, constructions sites, repeater stations and any other small but important isolated purpose.
Home Fun or Experimental - Learn about how it works, and share the fun with your family and friends. These type of kits are a wonderful way to explore the science behind solar power. They also provide you with the opportunity to spend quality time with with children ... just watch their faces glow with excitement as you explore methods to help yourselves and the planet! And ... lets not forget ... the just plain fun of bragging about your really cool toys with friends and neighbors!

Most complete off-grid solar packages, or kits, contain these parts or functions:

Solar Panels - Generates the electricity
Charge Controller - Uses the electricity to charge batteries
Batteries - stores the electricity so you can use it at night, and when its cloudy
Inverters - turns the battery power in to A/C power that you can use.
Wires, Breakers, Fuses ... etc ... - how it is all tied together.

Here are a few kits as examples:

Type	$	$$	$$$
Grid Tied	240 watts	585 watts	1.3 kilo watts
Grid-Tied with Battery Backup			672 watts
Off-Grid Residential		672 watts	2.68 kilo watts
Off-Grid Cabin or Shed	170 watts	220 watts	440 watts
RV	10 watts	50 watts	120 watts
Self Contained	5 watts	50 watts	600 watts
Special	20 watts	520 watts pool pumping

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Solar Panels

When buying Solar panels, there are several things that you should keep in mind:

The very first thing to do is to do a needs analysis, so that you can be sure you get what makes sense for your project.
Try to purchase all of your panels so that they are alike. It is very important that when you tie your panels together, that they are matched electrically, to provide the same peak voltage and amperage.
If you are not going to buy all of the panels you want, all at the same time ... be sure to check to see if the manufacturer is still producing the panels you choose! The solar panel market is still growing, and manufacturers are likely to change models over longer periods of time. Be sure to ask the people you are purchasing from, if they expect your model to be still available when you expect to purchase the last one for your project.
Consider the size of the Solar modules, to make sure that when you get all of them together, that you will have enough space!
You should not expect the full rated power from the Solar Panels! Many things reduce the probability that you will get full power from your panels. Things like, pointing angle, shading, cloudy days, hot summary days and other factors can reduce the amount of power coming from your panel.
Be sure that you have done a site analysis to determine the best place to put your panels. Make sure that the place you choose will be big enough for your panels, be close to your wiring location, is the best place to get sun for the longest possible time during a day .... and all year long.

Here are some examples of various rigid solar panels that range in peak power production from 1 watt up to 224 watts.

1 watt	5 watt	10 watt	20 watt
30 watt	40 watt	50 watt	60 watt
75 watt	80 watt	85 watt	100 watt
110 watt	120 watt	130 watt	165 watt
175 watt	180 watt	200 watt	224 watt

Here are some examples of rollable solar panels

4.5 watt

9 watt

18 watt

Here are some examples of foldable solar panels

6.5 watt

25 watt

48 watt

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Solar Cells

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Solar Cell Materials

Some of the main materials used to create Solar ( Photovoltaic ) Cells include:

Silicon

Amorphous Silicon

CIGS-CIS : Copper Indium Gallium Selenide

Cadmium Telluride

Copper-Cuprous Oxide

Selenium

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Solar Benefits

Using solar power has a number of benefits for individuals and their families - not to mention everyone else on the planet - over both the short and long term.

Taking advantage of the clean energy that the sun already provides, which already enables all life on Earth to survive and thrive, to provide the power that we need to run modern-day conveniences such as electric power, hot water, and heating, allows families and individuals to have a positive influence on, and relationship with, the world around them by reducing their carbon footprint, reducing their need for fossil-fuel produced energy, and helping solar energy specialists continue to develop this important power source. more...

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Solar Thermal

There are many ways to use Solar Thermal energy, but the two most popular are for heating water, and space heating.

Solar heated water:

As the most dependable source of energy on the planet, the sun provides an excellent home energy solution. Many households are now using solar thermal panels to heat their homes’ water supplies, finding that solar power is an efficient, reliable way to use the sun’s powerful energy to reduce both heating bills and environmental damage more...

Solar space heating:

When providing heat though the floor, it starts to warm your feet first, and gently warms the rest of you as it rises. This can be more efficient since the majority of the heat starts where you are, instead of blowing and circulating at higher levels. Solar thermal based radiant floor heating is a wonderful way to reduce your heating bills, and improve your living space significantly. more...

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Solar Electric

Solar power generation is not as complex as it may seem. Connecting solar modules to a charge controller to a battery bank to an inverter. Sound complicated? Not really. Read more...

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Solar Projects

If you want to try something relatively cheap, easy and fun with kids, friends, or just your self ... then consider building your own solar cooker, or solar hot water heater. These projects can usually be built with 'stuff' you have laying around, and the results can be surprisingly rewarding! Above all, have fun!

If you want to explore the vast array of solar project options, then, here is a wonderful site that includes many projects. It includes both inexpensive and simple things you can do with your family, and also more elaborate and potentially powerfully rewarding projects. Visit builditsolar here.

Here are some examples from their site: