Solar Roof Panels

Standard solar roof panels use several different principals to help cut rising utility costs. The most common type of solar panel uses a liquid medium that is circulated through the panels, where the fluid absorbs the sun’s energy.  The liquid is pumped into other parts of the system, where it can then be used.  This liquid is usually water, and in some commercial units and home systems it is pumped to a forced water heating unit and used for all typical hot water applications.

These forced water heating units are great for heating the building, and solar heated water is great for home use, but new technologies are making solar roof panels that are focused on collecting solar energy for other uses.

If the consumer desires stored solar energy that can be used for general power use, then solar roof panels that use photovoltaic technologies are the way to go.  With the growth of photovoltaic technologies, solar roof panels do not have to be the big, bulky units that most people associate with solar panels.

New photovoltaic solar roof panels collect solar energy and then direct that energy to a power storage unit, which is essentially a large battery.  The power is then converted from DC to AC, which is then used to power the lights and appliances within the home.

New technologies have shrunk the necessary size of solar roof panels to the point that some of these panels now look like standard roof shingles or tiles that blend right in with the surrounding roof.