What is Solar Power?

If there’s one thing we know at Dan the Solar Man, it’s solar power, however we’re aware that you might not. We’re hoping that the information on this page can give you a good insight into the world’s most sustainable energy sources.

To give you the simplest answer; solar power is when you harvest sunlight, into electricity through a solar system.

Converting sunlight into electricity in four easy steps

1. 

   Solar Energy Diagram

   Solar PV (photovoltaics) panels capture the energy from the sun rays.

2. The DC (direct current) collected by the panels travels to the inverter where it is then transformed to AC (alternating current) electricity.
3. The AC electricity then gets sent to your power box which then powers your house.
4. The leftover electricity then gets sent to the power grid.

Your home solar system consists of two main parts:

Solar Panels 

• Solar Photovoltaics (PV) or as they’re more commonly known, solar panels are both a complex yet an easy gadget to understand.
• Each panel has individual cells (made out of crystals), these cells harvest the sunlight which then sends the electrons (inside the cells) into motion, thus creating DC electricity.
• The DC electricity is then captured on the internal wires inside the panels which then all travels in one direction towards the inverter system.
• On cloudy days the panels will still convert sunlight into electricity, however it does it at a slower rate as the clouds block the intense rays.
• When it comes to maximising sun exposure, the placement of your solar panels is extremely important. This is why we design the placement of your panels around the size and shape of your roof to increase their sun time.

Inverters 

• The main job an inverter has is converting DC electricity that your solar panels produce, into AC electricity (the electrical current that powers your home).
• String inverters are a stand alone inverter, meaning you only need one of them for your solar system.
• With a string inverter, if for any reason it stops working, they can easily be replaced without impacting the panels on your roof.

Environmental impact and the benefits of solar

• Dan and his team care about the environment and so should you. Which is why we are trying to make the solar systems we provide as sustainable as possible, therefore the products we use are highly important in assisting with that.
• Once your solar systems have been manufactured and installed, they produce zero waste as they never require any maintenance.
• Solar systems produce zero emissions because they don’t require resources like fuel, all they need is sunshine.
• By using power harvested from the sun, it means you’re cutting back on your individual use of fossil fuels. This will give you a reduced carbon footprint and ‘energy independence’.
• Unlike wind energy systems (wind turbines), solar systems do not produce any noise pollution whatsoever, allowing you the benefit of clean power with no compromise to a quiet lifestyle.
• All solar panels sold in Australia are built to withstand even the toughest weather conditions we face in this beautiful country, this allows you the comfort of knowing that your systems should last you their entire lifespan.
• Installing a solar system to your home will actually help the Australian economy as it creates jobs here in Australia and slows our dependency on other countries resources like gas, oil and fuel.

“But how do they save me money on my electricity bill?” 

This might be the question you’re asking yourself, and we’re here to tell you how these nifty systems can do just that.

• For starters, solar systems now are a fraction of the price they were 10 years ago so you won’t need to save up for an overly long period of time in order to afford your own system.
• The extra electricity your panels generate that your home doesn’t need, gets put back into the grid which your power provider will pay you for.
• This means if you’re generating more power than you’re using, you shouldn’t be paying as much for your bill. Cutting the cost to almost half (providing you’re managing your electricity usage well)
• The overall cost of electricity is rising every year, having your own solar system installed means you won’t feel the effects of this as much.
• The credit you make on your power bill from your solar system is also tax free (that is, if you chose to withdraw your credit from your account).

Still wanna know more about solar energy? 

Apply for a free quote! Our team will be more than happy to discuss the life changing benefits of solar panels.