When searching for home solar panels, there are numerous offerings available in a wide variety of types, styles, and price ranges. The well-informed online shopper will spend some time researching the various possibilities in order to choose the very best ones for the home installation.

First, it is helpful to understand a little bit about how solar panels work. The technical term for the panels is photovoltaics. Sunlight is made up of energy particles called photons and photons are what are harnessed to turn sunlight into electricity. Solar energy is a clean and renewable energy source. Solar panels are particularly valuable as a way to provide power to rural and remote locations like a mountain cabin where the cost of tying into a commercial power provider could be very expensive or they can be used for something as small as solar lighting fixtures for your home garden that do not require the installation of wiring..

While most consider solar panels to be a recent invention, solar power actually has a 100-year plus history. An American named Russel Ohl who worked for Bell Laboratories was the first to get a patent for a silicon solar cell way back in 1941. Commercially, solar panels were first used in spacecraft and satellites. A little known fact is that in the 1970’s, solar panel use really took off as they were an important part of the “new” technology known as the handheld calculator.

There are many benefits to using solar panels to provide electricity for home use. As mentioned previously, the most obvious residential use is for areas that are referred to as “off-grid.” “Off-grid” living is a term used to describe having a home or cabin in a remote area that is not served by a commercial utility company, referred to as the utility grid. It is often cost-prohibitive to have commercial electric service run to remote locations.

In these days of interest in greener living, solar power is a preferred option for many because it is considered a clean source of energy. It is renewable energy too, as long as the sun continues to warm the earth. If properly installed and maintained, home solar panels can provide a reliable power source for up to 30 years.

Another attractive benefit of using solar to provide electricity for the home is economic. Instead of paying on a monthly basis for power, the solar homeowner has the initial material and installation costs, but then the electricity is “free.” In fact, owners of solar power system that are tied to a commercial electric grid can actually sell any excess electricity generated back to the electric company. Think for a moment about the sheer fun of being paid by a company that previously was a monthly source of outgo, not income.

The average U.S. residential dwelling has sufficient roof space to accommodate the solar panels needed to power it. A device called an inverter is used to take the current generated by solar panels, called direct current (DC) and converts it into alternating current (AC) which is what is used in the United States.

There are a couple of different options for the home solar panel installation. The first is called a grid-tie system. These systems are the type that permits the sale of excess power back to a utility company. They are designed to operate without batteries and if properly sized, they accumulate energy “credits” during the sunlight hours that are in turn used for the power needed at night when solar power is not an option. There are grid-tie solar system packages available that include the solar panels and well as the other materials needed to provide residential electric power. Depending upon the amount of solar hours available and the amount of kilowatt hours needed to power the home, these systems can be purchased in the range of $8000 to $45,000. This does not include installation costs.

The second option is the “off-grid” option, perfect for lakeside cabins and other remote or rural homes. Again, pre-packaged systems are available; these systems do use batteries for operation and it is important to select a safe and established source for this purchase. There is far less cost with these systems however, they do not typically provide nearly the amount of kilowatt power that grid-tie systems do. These can be purchased from as little as $800 to $10,000.

Finally, for those who are not quite ready to convert completely too solar power but would like to have a backup power source for home use, there are portable emergency generators that are solar powered. These units also use batteries and often are mounted on wheels, a nice feature in an emergency. Many can actually be used indoors. Most provide enough power to operate household appliances like a refrigerator, freezer, and the like. These are a valuable investment for homes in remote areas served by electric companies, but subject to weather-related outages.

There are a wide variety of home solar panel options and a great deal of information online to help the homeowner select the best choice for their personal needs. Clean and green, solar power is a great option for today’s homeowner.