What can solar energy be used for?

Solar energy is a grossly misunderstood energy source, and should be more recognised and every new house built should have solar panels incorporated in the roof. As has been said it is expensive to install in older houses, but hey .... free energy! In the UK if you have solar panels any surplus energy (that you don't use) can be fed back into the National Grid and you will be paid for this! Generally speaking the panels are placed on the roof of a house, but it's not absolutely necessary - they can be at ground level, but of course you want them exposed to as much sunlight as possible, so usually the roof is the best place. The power from the solar panels is stored in large batteries from which you run your power, and provided there is reasonable sunshine it should be continual. There is also a certain amount of energy on a cloudy day too.

Solar panels can be used to generate electricity for basically for anything that requires electricity to run. But solar panels only create DC (direct current). Most appliances only can run on AC (alternating current). What those mean is, in DC , the current or "amps" are always the same non stop. In AC, the current for example, switches from 1 amp to zero to -1amp to 0 and 1 amp so fast, only a special tool can read it. To switch from DC to AC, an inverter is used. An inverter can changed the DV voltage to AC voltage to be used all through the house. Solar panels can be placed anywhere. But its always a good idea to place it facing south. The sun is not perfectly centered, its always facing towards the south at around 76 deg in the summer and 30 deg in the winter. and the higher you can put it, the less likely it will be caught in any shade from any trees. or structures Solar panels are not very popular now because they are expensive to make and using fossil fuels like oil and coal are must cheaper now. Another reason there not popular is because they are not efficient at all. They are still a new tech coming back from old ideas. The best solar panel ive heard of only gives 15 to 25% efficiency and there power is instant. Here is a short and too the point way solar panels give off electricity. 1. the sun has particles called Photons and there are billions of there hitting the earth faster then the blink of an eye. 2. the photons hits a solar panels (which are made from a material called silicon and a mixture of other kinds of metals) and excite the electrons in the atoms of silicon. 3. the electrons detach from the negative part of the solar panel and get attracted to the metal contacts on the positive side of the solar panel 4. The electrons ride on the metal contacts of the solar panels, causing current, they hit the wires and go to the load ( for example, a toaster) 5. the load turns on, the electrons ride down the wires and come back into the solar panel and the cycle begins again. ALL OF THIS IS HAPPENING AT THE BLINK OF AN EYE! I hope this helps you in answering any of your questions you may have :)

Well solar panels can be used to supply energy for almost anything 1 as of right now. It is not that popular for several reasons but it is slowly gaining traction a. it is still expensive, but about half the cost of solar panels 15 years ago b. they can not be used everywhere since some major cities have a lot of smog or are cloudy, thus lessoning the ability for them to be practical. c. obviously do not supply much energy at night, but this can be negated with rechargable battery units that charge from the solar panels, but they are also relatively expensive 2. solar energy is very efective in areas that receive a lot of direct sunlight all year round. 3. it depends on the amount and quality of the solar panels as well as the energy consumption of whatever is being powered. example, 50 average sized solar panels might power a newer more energy efficient 37 inch television all day long. while you might need 75 to run a 37inch tv from 1995

Solar energy is taken in through solar panels. Solar panels are usually installes on the roof of a building , since that is where the sun hits the most. The energy from the sun can be used for almost anything in your house. Popularity is growing among solar energy, Presently, solar panels are not that powerful, since you need alot of solar panels to capture alot of sun.

solar energy can be used to assist your central heating and tap water , it is growing in popularity but initially expensive to install effectively could so they say save you a third of your energy bills , no limit to the power just depends on how many panels you can afford and lastly it will last till the sun don't shine , about another twenty million years , so long term you can really save on your household energy , can't you ??

recharging batteries.