Want to know more?? Then why not visit our website www.tecg.co.uk. Powering your home with solar energy is the best thing you can do for yourself financially and ethically and also for the planet we live on. It is common knowledge that solar power is energy from the sun converted into energy that we can use in our daily lives. As we run out of fossil fuels and start to worry about the effect this will have on our children, it has become even more urgent that we find an alternative source of energy. The use of solar power is nothing new; it has been used for thousands of years and was first explored by the Ancient Greeks, Romans and Native Americans. The process of energy conversion can sometimes seem confusing and hard to understand. This has contributed to the sometimes slow uptake of solar technology in the home. Well, it's time some of the misunderstandings about the way it works were cleared up. Here is a more in-depth account of what actually goes on behind the scenes with solar energy generation. Solar energy is converted into usable energy in two ways: The Photovoltaic Process What is it? The first way focuses on the photovoltaic process which converts energy from the sun into electrical energy. The photovoltaic process is in places no one expects to see it, even in the humble calculator. The solar cell in this case is made from copper oxide, a great energy storing metal. Energy from the sun contains electrons and protons which life on earth would be nothing without. How does it happen? Solar photovoltaic cells inside solar panels capture and convert the electrons from the solar energy and also particles of heat energy in the air when it is not sunny. Because electrons move extremely quickly they can be collected quickly and converted. Any protons in the mix get quickly removed as they could interfere with the process. This works because the solar panels utilise nanotechnology in the conversion process. The panels are coated with silicon which aids this process. The current of energy hits the solar pv panels and is converted straight away into electrical energy which flows through the system as a DC current. DC electricity is not suitable to power the home so needs to be converted. With this in mind, the current hits an inverter after it has been converted which converts it into the alternating current (A/C) used in households across the country. This electrical current flows through the meter in the mains consumer unit which then connects directly with the home's electrical system, as you can see this process is very simple and does not require expensive rewiring of your current electrical system. Solar Thermal The second method of conversion is called Solar Thermal and it collects the heat from the sun and uses it to heat swimming pools and other things. Solar panels make this process much faster. This is a much simpler process than the photovoltaic process and can be as simple as putting something inside a greenhouse to warm it up. To find out more about solar power and what it can do for your household visit www.tecg.co.uk

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