Although technological developments have improved our lives greatly they have also generated the need for more power supply. Most of us use many electrically-powered appliances in our homes as well as our workplaces. No matter what happens, the demand of power supply is bound to go higher. To meet up the power requirements alternate sources of energy are being used. Solar energy has been the leading player as far as alternate sources of energy are concerned. Solar panels and solar heaters are two of the most usually found solar energy devices.

A solar panel is a device that absorbs sun’s heat and transforms it into functional electricity. These panels are made up of numerous silicon chips called cells that are put together within a frame. The conversion rate of each cell is somewhat limited when measured in total wattage output. Each cell produces an amount of electricity equivalent to 1 to 2 Watts. And so a very large number of solar cells are needed to be integrated into each solar panel. The electricity produced by these solar panels is stored in batteries, to be used as and when required. The output is in the form of DC (Direct Current), hence DC powered appliances are required to use the electricity produced by solar panels. Yet, if you want to operate any AC (Alternate Current) powered device you can attach an inverter to the storage battery to convert DC to AC.

An additional very popular solar device is solar heater. This device is composed of solar thermal collectors, a water storage tank, interconnecting pipes and a fluid system to move the heat from the collector to the tank. A solar heater deals with the direct heating of liquids by the sun however no electricity is directly generated. The amount of heat delivered by a solar water heating system depends mainly on the amount of heat delivered by the sun at a specific place. In tropical places the heat delivered can be fairly high, while it can be much lower in temperate areas where the days are shorter in winter.

Both these solar devices not only help you to save money on your electricity bills, but it will also help the environment and make your home greener.