Solar Power Family

Solar panels for homes have taken on a distinctively new look in the last five years. As you can see from the image at the right, you can now buy solar panels for homes that actually are designed as shingles that can be laid on the roof just like regular shingles.

The entire idea behind solar panels for home use is to take the tremendous energy from the sun and convert it into a form that we can use – usually electrical energy. We can then use the generated electricity to run our home appliances, heat our homes, power our lights, and run anything else that requires power.

New Solar Panel Styles

Ten years ago, in order for home solar panels to be effective, it was required that they be placed in a region of the country that has lots of sun. And also it was required that they only be placed on the side of the home that received the most sunlight. That’s because even though the sun generates unbelievable amounts of radiant solar energy, the solar panels of the time were only able to convert a small fraction of that energy to electrical energy.

In recent years, however, the technology has become much more efficient. It has improved to such a degree that they can extract much more energy from the same amount of sun than can the older solar panels from years ago. During this period as contractors have become much more familiar with solar panel technology, the installation costs for solar panels for homes have decreased significantly also.

Why Demand For Residential Solar Panels Increasing

As consumers discover the new look solar panels for homes, the demand has been picking up. One reason for the increasing demand is that more and more local governments currently provide tax breaks for solar panels for homes. But, the other reason, of course, is that once the solar panels are installed, they can significantly decrease your monthly electrical and gas bills. And a third reason is that the cost of solar panels for homes have been coming down every year.

Not only that, but the power companies in some communities will actually allow you to sell excess energy that your solar panels generate to the utility companies.

Home solar panels and solar roof panels can be especially good for off grid areas such as in rural areas where it is either impossible or prohibitively expensive for the local utility company to service.

Solar panels for the home are good for the environment as well. Although, certain political forces are in almost complete denial about the existences or causes of global warming, climate scientists have no doubt whatsoever. But, hardly anyone can deny that using solar power has a beneficial effect on the environment. The sun is a great source of renewable energy. And much like wind power, solar power systems produce almost no pollutants, and allow you to significantly reduce your negative environmental impacts on the planet.