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Five Surprising Facts about Solar Panel Technology

Five Surprising Facts about Solar Panel Technology

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Panels paint a pretty picture and provide plenty. America has nearly 100 gigawatts of solar power capacity. That’s enough to power nearly 20 million American homes. 

Solar panel technology is becoming more efficient and popular every day. Yet solar panel facts are not well-known. 

How do solar panels work, and do they work when it is not sunny? What are the economics of solar panels? What are some solar panel benefits? 

Answer these questions and you can turn sunlight into electricity in your own backyard. Here are five important facts about solar panels.

1. Solar Panels Can Convert Moonlight Into Electricity

A common myth is that solar panels stop working at night. It is true that they are less effective at night, and many people power their panels down. 

But solar panels can use any kind of light to produce electricity. The Moon reflects a small amount of sunlight down toward the ground. Your panels can take this light and produce some power, though you cannot run your entire house on it.

2. Solar Panel Technology Pays for Itself

When you rely on electricity from your panels, you are not using energy from your utility company. The savings you make can total thousands of dollars a year. You can also send excess electricity to the grid and receive credits back.

Different types of solar panels cost different amounts of money. Yet all panels reach a return on investment within a few years. Contact a company like Blue Raven to understand what your exact return on investment will be.

3. You Don’t Have to Repair Your Panels

Panels may seem fragile. Yet they can take direct hits from trees and other pieces of debris and continue to operate. Well-secured panels can survive hurricane-force winds without flying off. 

You do not have to spend time cleaning your panels. You can allow the rain to wash dust and twigs away.

4. Albert Einstein Helped With Solar Panel Science

Albert Einstein published a paper in 1905 examining the photoelectric effect. This occurs when light particles strike a material. Electrons in the material emit, spreading outward and creating energy. 

The photoelectric effect is how solar panels operate. Sunlight strikes substances in the panels, flinging electrons out and generating an electric current. Einstein won the Nobel Prize in 1921 for his work on the photoelectric effect.

5. Planes Can Use Solar Power

When people think of solar panels, they think of large objects on houses. Yet solar panels can be used everywhere. 

Companies like the Solar Impulse Foundation are designing planes with solar panels attached to them. The planes will produce solar electricity while idling at airports and then use the electricity to operate. These planes are still being tested, but they may come onto the marketplace in a few years.

Five Important Facts About Solar Panels

Solar panel technology can work wonders. Solar panels are so efficient that they can convert moonlight into electricity. The panels will pay for themselves because you do not have to pay money for power. 

Solar panel maintenance is extremely easy, as you do not have to clean your panels. The history of panels is long, extending to Albert Einstein’s work in the 1900s. 

Most solar panels help with residences. But vehicles are beginning to use them, including airplanes. 

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