Why Go Green?

Solar power is simply usable energy generated from the sun in the form of either electric or thermal energy. Solar energy is captured in a variety of ways, with the most common being a solar photovoltaic system, or PV system, that converts the sun’s rays into usable electricity. Aside from using photovoltaics to generate electricity, solar thermal energy, or concentrating solar power (CSP), is commonly used to heat indoor spaces or fluids. Residential and commercial property owners can install solar hot water systems and design their buildings with passive solar heating in mind to fully take advantage of the sun's energy with solar technology.

Solar panels are installed at three main scales: residential, commercial, and utility. Homeowners can take advantage of residential-scale solar, typically in the form of rooftop solar or in ground-mounted solar installed in open land. Generally, residential solar systems are between 5 and 20 kilowatts (kW), depending on the size of the home.

Commercial solar energy projects are typically installed at a greater scale than residential solar. While individual installations can vary greatly in size and cost, commercial-scale solar arrays serve a consistent purpose: to provide on-site solar power to businesses and nonprofits. Finally, utility-scale solar projects are typically large-scale solar power plants that are several megawatts (MW) in size —utility-scale solar installations provide solar energy to a large number of utility customers.

For some solar shoppers who may not be able to install solar on their property due to cost or other factors, community solar is a viable solar option that more directly connects utility-scale solar energy projects to residential consumers. As such, community solar farms are typically built in central locations as opposed to on any single property. Subscribers (homeowners, renters, businesses, or non-profits) can join a community solar project to receive many of the benefits of solar power without installing solar panels on their property.

A solar panel (also known as a solar module) consists of a layer of silicon cells, a metal frame, a glass casing unit, and wiring to transfer electric current from the silicon. Silicon (atomic #14 on the periodic table) is a nonmetal with conductive properties that allow it to absorb and convert sunlight into usable electricity. When light hits a silicon cell, the light causes electrons in the silicon to be set in motion, initiating a flow of electric current. This is known as the “photovoltaic effect,” and it describes the general functionality of solar panel technology.

The science of generating electricity with solar panels boils down to this photovoltaic effect. It was first discovered in 1839 by Edmond Becquerel and can be thought of as a property of specific materials (known as semiconductors) that allows them to create an electric current when they are exposed to sunlight.

The photovoltaic process works through the following broad steps:

1. The silicon photovoltaic solar cell absorbs solar radiation
2. When the sun’s rays interact with the silicon cell, electrons begin to move, creating a flow of electric current
3. Wires capture and feed this direct current (DC) electricity to a solar inverter to be converted to alternating current (AC) electricity

Solar energy is a clean, inexpensive, renewable power source that is harnessable nearly everywhere in the world — any point where sunlight hits the surface of the earth is a potential location to generate solar power. And since solar energy comes from the sun, it represents a limitless source of power. Renewable energy technologies generate electricity from resources that are infinite.

Compare producing electricity with renewable resources to fossil fuels: it took hundreds of thousands of years for oil, gas and coal to form. So, every time one of those resources is burned to create electricity (and emissions!), that finite resource is moved marginally closer to depletion. Using a renewable resource — such as wind, solar and hydropower — to generate electricity does not deplete that resource. There will always be consistent sunlight shining on Earth's surface, and after turning sunlight into electricity, there is still an infinite amount of sunlight to turn into electricity in the future. That is what makes solar power, by nature, renewable energy.

When it comes to installing solar panels and switching to a more eco-friendly energy source, there’s not a one-size-fits-all approach. There are several questions you should ask to help determine if your home or business is a good candidate for solar:

• How much electricity do you consume and how much does electricity cost in your area? The more electricity you use, and the more you pay for it, the more you’ll save by going solar.
• Do you own your home? If you live in a multi-family home or rent the property, it will be much more difficult to install solar than if you own a single-family home.
• Is your roof good for solar? The ideal roof for solar would be one that’s pretty spacious, is in good condition, isn’t too complex, is southern-facing, and receives plenty of direct sunlight. If not, you should consider if you have land space for a ground-mounted system.