Home Solar Panels: What To Consider Before You Buy
Solar panels can help to reduce or eliminate electricity costs in your home, and they're a clean way of producing energy, meaning that there is no pollution created during the energy production process. Electricity itself may seem like a clean energy source since there is no smoke or fumes or other pollutants created when you plug an appliance into a wall, but remember that the plants that create electricity often create emissions and fumes during the production process.
Before choosing solar panels for your home, note a few factors to keep in mind so you know you get the right type and that they're installed properly:
1. Power storage
People often wonder how solar panels work during nighttime or when there isn't much sun. The answer is that they come with a battery, which stores the power created when the sun is out. You'll need to consider the size of the battery when purchasing panels as this will tell you how much power will be available to you when the panels are not collecting energy from sunlight.
Panels will provide a certain amount of power in terms of watts, but the battery size will tell you how much of that power will be available at night, on overcast days, and so on. Check the energy the battery provides so you have sufficient power storage.
2. Conversion efficiency
You may see this phrase when shopping for solar panels. This refers to how much energy is produced from the sunlight to which the solar panel is exposed. A panel with a lower conversion rating will actually not produce much energy, versus one with a higher rating, which will produce or convert more energy from the same amount of exposure. Those with a higher conversation rating are often more expensive. However, they may also be worth the investment, if it means that you get more power from these panels versus any other.
3. Budget
Your budget can be a concern when choosing solar panels, but keep in mind that buying a kit, which has a panel, mounting brackets, and all the wiring you need, might be more expensive than just a panel itself but it can also mean a successful installation and a panel that actually works as it should. Without the right wiring, your home might not be getting all the power it could from the panel and without the right mounting brackets, you might install the panel too close to your home so that air doesn't circulate and in turn, it suffers more wear and tear than it should.
If you have more questions, contact a company like A.J. Palmer Electrical to learn more.