Have you thought about taking the step and installing solar panels in your home? More and more people are betting on the consumption of renewable energy how is the solar energy for save on the electricity bill. And there are also more and more opportunities to do so, which makes the transition easier.
Solar panel installations allow you to be energetically independent if you want or be partially so. But this is not what we will talk about today, but about the different types of facilities so that you have a reference of what type of solar panel is the most convenient or suitable for you.
When you contact energy companies and/or companies specializing in the installation of solar panels, they will offer you the best plans for your home. However, it is always important to have a little notion about the types of solar panels for the home that exist in order not to get lost in the explanations, do not you agree? That is why today we are talking about photovoltaic solar panels, thermal solar panels and hybrid systems.
Photovoltaic solar panel
Photovoltaic solar panels transform energy from the sun into electricity, becoming a very interesting clean alternative from which to obtain the electricity we consume at home. This happens when the photons of light hit the silicon of the photovoltaic cells with which they are manufactured. In doing so, electrons are released from the silicon and, as a consequence, an electrical current.
Photovoltaic energy is used in homes individuals and neighborhood communities mainly to generate electricity. And it is especially useful in rural areas where the electricity grid does not reach. It supplies great needs and although it requires a higher investment than the thermal one, it has a higher performance and a longer useful life.
Today there is aid to install solar panels in homes and communities so that the investment can be softened. In addition, there are panels of different qualities that could help you adjust the budget. Panels monocrystalline photovoltaics They have the best performance and a useful life of up to 30 years, being the most appropriate and used in homes. However, if your budget is tight, you could consider replacing these with polycrystalline photovoltaic panels, panels with lower performance but cheaper.
thermal solar panel
Also called solar collectors, they convert solar energy into thermal energy, or in other words, into a heat source. The heat is generated through the radiation captured by the solar panels. Through these circulates a transfer fluid that, when hot, is transferred to a tank or accumulator through a pump. This is how energy is stored in the form of hot water to be used later for different purposes:
- Heat the sanitary water.
- Heat swimming pools.
- Underfloor heating or radiators.
Solar thermal energy has some advantages over photovoltaic: make better use of space, its installation is simpler and it makes it possible to store energy to cover excess demand. However, the performance of this energy can be very low during the winter.
Hybrid system
And why not combine the best of photovoltaic and thermal technology? Hybrid systems do so by being able to produce electricity and heat simultaneously. In addition, it has the advantage of reducing the space required by making double the use of light energy per surface unit.
With such characteristics they become great allies of spaces in which the energy demand is high but the site available for installation small. Provided, of course, that the investment is not an obstacle to it.
In the long term, the most interesting thing is, without a doubt, to contribute through this hybrid system, but it is important to consider all the options, the yields and the savings possibilities With each one of them. And do it with different companies to achieve the best balance in terms of the cost of the installation and its performance.