| According to the Department of Energy, an American | | | | there, electrons are broken off and allowed to move |
| family spends an average of $1,400 a year on lighting | | | | freely. The cells then move the loose electrons into a |
| heat. And that price is only increasing. The cost of | | | | certain direction to create a current - placing metal on |
| energy has become so ridiculous that the alternative | | | | the top and bottom of this stream allows practical |
| sources are beginning to compete with oil and coal | | | | use of the current in our homes, calculators, and |
| for the first time since the 1970s. Wind, hydro, and | | | | wherever else is plugged in to accept energy from |
| geothermal power are examples of alternative | | | | the panels. Panels used for private homes and |
| energy, but the most popular option is solar energy. | | | | businesses work using the same process, only on a |
| Each day, the sun gives off around 1,000 watts of | | | | much larger scale. This is a very simple explanation - |
| energy per square meter. It is the number one | | | | there is a lot more to the process - but it's useful to |
| source of natural light and heat; nearly all living | | | | know the basic mechanics. |
| organisms rely on it to provide life, yet it's still taken | | | | Besides saving money, there are numerous other |
| us a long time to consider it as a prominent source | | | | benefits to installing cells in your home. Solar energy is |
| of energy. When the sun's rays are converted into | | | | environmentally responsible; by not supporting coal |
| usable energy we could light/heat all of our | | | | fossil/kerosene-burning energies, we contribute to |
| businesses and houses for the cost of the | | | | improving the air-quality. Power plants are major |
| equipment. | | | | polluters and one of the major causes for diminishing |
| But what is solar power exactly? Many of us know | | | | our ozone layer. Generating solar energy also reduces |
| that it comes from the sun, but how can we | | | | the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. |
| translate that into powering our appliances? | | | | Carbon dioxide is the leading cause of global warming |
| We utilize solar energy with the help of solar cells. | | | | and massive amounts of it are released into the air |
| Remember using solar powered calculators in school? | | | | every time from power plants that generate and |
| Those calculators had a small solar panel, usually | | | | distribute conventional electricity. |
| above the display screen, which was responsible for | | | | Collecting and generating energy from the sun also |
| powering the machine without the help of batteries. | | | | reduces the risk of fires. Every type of generator, |
| Basically, the solar cells used for these calculators are | | | | lamp, or diesel fuel has the potential of failing, which |
| called photovoltaic (PV) cells, which convert sunlight | | | | could prove fatal and destructive. Energy from the |
| into electricity. Photovoltaic cells are made from | | | | sun doesn't involve any such risks. |
| semiconductor-material (silicon) which absorb sunlight | | | | Solar panels are the safe, money-efficient energy |
| and transfer it to the actual semiconductors. Once | | | | option for the forward-thinking consumer. |