Top Solar Panels Ireland  Panels convert clean renewable sunlight into electricity, making them a great choice for powering homes and businesses. They’re also used to distill water in regions with limited clean water supplies and power satellites in outer space.

A solar panel’s secret sauce is a semiconductor material that generates electrons when exposed to sunlight. It’s this process, called the photovoltaic effect, that turns sunlight into solar electric energy that can power our devices and reduce our electricity bills.

When sunlight hits a solar panel, it may reflect off the surface or pass through it and be absorbed by the semiconductor material. The absorbed electrons are knocked out of their atomic orbits and released into the cell, where they’re pulled by the electric field generated by the semiconductor and turned into a direct current (DC) that can be used to power our devices or stored in batteries for use at night.

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A single solar panel can produce relatively low levels of electricity, so multiple panels are grouped together into solar modules that are connected in series to achieve a desired output voltage. Modules can be mounted on fixed roof mounts, or they can be tracked to follow the sun as it moves across the sky during the day (single- or dual-axis trackers) and during the changing seasons (a PV tracking system).

If you’re interested in switching to solar, research multiple contractors just as you would for a new car or TV, says Vikram Aggarwal, CEO of the online solar marketplace EnergySage. Check each company’s customer reviews, certifications and Better Business Bureau profile, as well as installation costs to find the best deal. Depending on your location, you may be eligible for additional benefits like cash back or property tax exemptions, waived fees and expedited permits.