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Solar Panels
Solar panels come in two types: photovoltaic and thermal. Photovoltaic are the black solar panels with solar cells. Thermal panels have pipes that run water, antifreeze, or oil. The thermal type is a type you can build at home. The photovoltaic type is the most popular.
Photovoltaic
Silicon wafers create electrical current. There are two key questions to ask. 1- What is the conversion rate of each solar cell? 2- How many years will pass before I will gain back my original investment?
Conversion Rate
The conversion rate varies a lot. Some panels are as low as 4% while others claim to be around 20%.
The conversion rate will dramatically improve with the momentum that is gaining in nanotechnology. Some firms claim that conversion rates will double in the near future.
There are different kinds of photovoltaic cells. Some cells have higher conversion rates than others.
Multicrystalline photovoltaics make the most sense for most people. However, if you have a shady environment you my choose amorphous. In is important to note that the older single crystal photovoltaic have the best conversion rates. They are not used the most because of higher production cost.
Payback
I know you love the environment, but when will I get paid back. Most of us aren’t willing to lose money for the environment.
The payback is determined by the cost that your utility company charges and the expected output from your solar array. You should check your power bill and compare that with the cost of the panels you are looking to purchase.
Most homes use around 1500 killowatts per month. To buy enough panels for this output, you will need to spend around 15k. If your power bill is 100 per month, than you can see it will take you about two years to make it worth your investment. This is much better than the twenty years it used to take.
There will most likely be an alternative energy boom in the next few years.
Two great sites that tell about solar panels are solarhome and Solar Panels.
The largest and one of the best manufacturers of solar panels, based in the United States and the world, is First Solar.
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