Solar electric panels are the basic unit needed to power the solar energy generation system. Connected to a solar generator, these panels collect the sunlight that will be converted into electrical current that will be used to provide power to the household. These residential solar panels are built into small arrays that are either placed on the roof of the structure, or somewhere nearby that will receive maximum sun exposure. Unlike larger commercial arrangements, these panel arrays are fixed and cannot swivel to track the movement of the sun in the sky.

Solar electric panels collect the sunlight that is considered to be DC current and through the solar generator, transforms it into the AC that runs household systems and appliances. AC current is also what electrical devices need to run in North America, so any device needing power to run or recharge may make use of this solar power electricity. Through the use of the net metering system, a special meter is integrated into the system that can accurately measure the amount of wattage the consumer needs to buy off the utility grid during times the solar generation system cannot function (like at night or times when the sky is too overcast to provide sunlight). At other times when the generator produces more than is needed by the home, this overage can be sold back to the utility for the use of other power consumers.

Boots on the Roof, a leading Renewable energy training institute, is enrolling students into its Solar PV Training classes. For more information on qualifications, Training Dates and Locations, click here.

Residential solar energy is an emerging technology that will ultimately prove to be a factor that determines the future value of a property. New technology that consumers can take advantage of includes solar generation to produce electricity to run the home and a solar water heater to provide hot water for washing and other household needs.

Solar water heaters, known also under the name of solar domestic hot water system could prove to provide a method that is cost effective in providing hot water in a home. They are able to be of use in almost any climate. The sunshine they use for a fuel source is free.

The systems that solar water heaters use include components like solar collectors and storage tanks. The two kinds of solar water heaters are active, which needs controls and circulating pumps, and passive which does not. The majority of solar water heaters have to have storage tanks with good insulation. Storage tanks for solar use have another inlet and outlet valve that is connected in and out of the collector. For systems that have two tanks, solar water heaters preheat the water prior to entering a standard water heater. For systems that have only one tank, the back-up water heater is paired with solar storage in the one tank.

A solar power home most likely will take advantage of one of three kinds of solar collectors. These are:

1. Glazed or unglazed flat-plate collectors
2. Integral collector-storage systems (also called batch systems or ICS)
3. Evacuated-tube solar collectors

Boots on the Roof, a leading Renewable energy training institute, is enrolling students into its Solar PV Training classes. For more information on qualifications, Training Dates and Locations, click here.

A FOX news interview with Renewable Ventures CEO Matt Cheney on funding for solar energy.

Boots on the Roof, a leading Renewable energy training institute, is enrolling students into its Solar Energy Training classes. For more information on qualifications, Training Dates and Locations, click here.

To best understand how solar energy can help the modern consumer save money and make responsible choices for a source of power that is truly renewable, a few basic concepts need to be understood when it comes to using a solar heating system.

PV solar panels (PV is short for photovoltaic) are collectors that capture solar radiation or radiant heat from sunlight and convert it to useable energy in the form of electrical current that then can be used to power appliances or other devices within the home or building. Most PV solar panels are connected in arrays that can be either mounted on the roof of a structure, or other places where it will receive the maximum exposure to the sun’s rays. The solar array may then be attached to the electrical system of the house by a cable.

If the house or building is close enough to a utility power grid, it can be added in through a net metering system. This net meter is able to run forwards and backwards so that the consumer can draw wattage from the grid if it is too dark or overcast to generate power. Any overage in wattage generated may be sold back to the grid to be used by other customers.

If a house is not close enough to a utility grid to conveniently hook on, a system of storage batteries can be installed which can store enough electrical current to take care of any power needs until such time as the PV solar panels can capture sunlight again and recharge the batteries. When connected to solar heating systems, photovoltaic solar panels can heat a house or provide hot water.

Boots on the Roof, a leading Renewable energy training institute, is enrolling students into its Solar PV Training classes. For more information on qualifications, Training Dates and Locations, click here.

Check out this freeway sound barrier in Melbourne that doubles as a solar power station!

Boots on the Roof, a leading Renewable energy training institute, is enrolling students into its Solar PV Training classes. For more information on qualifications, Training Dates and Locations, click here.

Solar photovoltaic training is becoming a more valuable commodity, especially in rural areas throughout the world.  There, being connected to a utility’s power grid may not be feasible due to the cost, or not possible due to distance from the utility grid necessary to run connecting lines.

Training in solar energy will come into play especially in the area of solar install training. The solar technician will be able to design a system that generates enough electrical power to meet the needs of the homeowner. This new technology will bring electricity to houses that in the past have had to go without because they were too remote from any power grid system to be able to take advantage of it.

Training in  solar energy will also bring the availability of hot water to places where the only way to get it was to heat it over wood fires or use fossil fuels like coal or bottled propane gas. By using a tank-less solar hot water system powered by solar energy, people in remote areas can now enjoy the benefits of a nearly unlimited supply of hot water that will not affect the environment negatively. A solar system will also allow the use of technology like a computer where this was not possible before. One important example of this is the installation of small solar systems that power remote monitoring sensors for things like pipelines, earthquake activity or phone availability for emergencies.

It is clear that training on solar energy will provide a job path that will be very much in demand in the future as the need for renewable energy mushrooms. Even if the economy continues to decline, this is one career that will show steady growth in light of the ever-increasing need for qualified workers.

Boots on the Roof, a leading Renewable energy training institute, is enrolling students into its Solar PV Training classes. For more information on qualifications, Training Dates and Locations, click here.

As the field of alternative energy sources grows due to increasing demand for renewable energy not dependent on imported fossil fuels, the need for those trained in solar electric is becoming more important than ever. These people are the ones who design and install smaller, solar energy systems used to generate electricity in individual homes and businesses.

Basic solar training classes cover what a photovoltaic (PV) cell really is and how it works. Advanced solar training classes teach things like fundamentals of designing and installing solar power generation and solar hot water systems. This provides the springboard for an entry level position with a dealer or installer or other company in the photovoltaic industry. Students learn the criteria necessary for practical system design, guidelines for installation, safety issues and how to best handle them, maintenance of the different systems and components, and legal issues that might surround the use and installation of solar-based systems.

Training in solar can open up a wide range of opportunities. Solar electric training or solar training classes in fields like residential plumbing will be an asset to any contractor looking to build green or provide green options to those looking to remodel older properties.

Boots on the Roof, a leading Renewable energy training institute, is enrolling students into its Solar PV Training classes. For more information on qualifications, Training Dates and Locations, click here.

The U.S. House of Representatives has recently signed into law legislation that can only be described as historic legislation and will finally take significant steps toward moving the U.S. over to a clean energy economy. President Obama, along with the U.S. Energy Secretary, made an announcement on June 29 that they intend to get behind aggressive ways to increase efficient energy production and save U.S. energy consumers a potential amount estimated to be in the billions of dollars on a yearly basis. Their announcement highlights how clean, renewable energy not only makes sense on an environmental front, but it also makes sense in an uncertain economic climate by creating a whole new class of jobs and saving money for the American energy consumer. The Recovery Act encourages Americans to add renewable solar and wind technology to their homes in an effort to reduce dependency on foreign fossil-based fuels.

The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy is rich in solar power info and can answer questions like what makes up a solar power system, what the parts do, how to determine if a solar energy system is economical for a homeowner, how to maintain and repair them. They can even help a potential buyer determine whether it is more economical to be on or off a local utility power grid.

The office also keeps track of what governmental incentives and rebates are available to anyone considering installing a solar power system in their home or business. One of the top points of the new energy legislation is making investments in energy efficient technology a priority of the Recovery Act.

Boots on the Roof, a leading Renewable energy training institute, is enrolling students into its Solar Energy Training classes. For more information on qualifications, Training Dates and Locations, click here.

Solar hot water training will be useful for someone who is looking to install a solar-based system which will either provide ambient heating for the house or to provide hot water for things like showers or doing the laundry.

A solar hot water system can come in one of several forms. One particular style consists of a tankless hot water system that runs off the electricity generated by solar panels installed on the structure. Whenever hot water is needed, just the hot water that will be used is heated, offering a savings in energy costs to the homeowner because water does not need to be kept heated and circulated in a tank as is done with the older water tank technology.

The other system has specialty plumbing which runs under solar panels and is heated by the radiant heat that is collected by the solar panels. When it also is part of a system that provides heat to the structure, it runs through piping placed in the floors or walls, sending the cooled water back up to be reheated when the sun strikes the solar panels again. This particular configuration might require specialized solar panels installation training to insure that the panels and plumbing cause no damage to the structure in the event of a malfunction.

Even solar hot water systems that are gas fired might have to have electrical circuitry installed to fire the starter or ignition system, so it is still quite possible to gain a saving in energy costs by making use of the electrical energy generated by solar panels, rather than having to buy power from the local utility grid.

Ideally, solar hot water training or solar panels installation training will help someone who is already in the contracting business to integrate this new, green technology into new construction. In addition, the contractor can make this technology available to those who are looking to do remodeling and who want to upgrade from older, less energy-efficient systems. Through these solar training classes, the resulting replacement of the old technology will prove to be a savings both in reduced power usage by the consumer, and will draw less on vanishing resources like the coal now used to generate a significant portion of the electricity consumed today.

Boots on the Roof, a leading Renewable energy training institute, is enrolling students into its Solar Thermal Training classes. For more information on qualifications, Training Dates and Locations, click here.

Van Jones talks about the future of a green economy and how the jobs could help bring people out of poverty.

Boots on the Roof, a leading Renewable energy training institute, is enrolling students into its Solar PV Training classes. For more information on qualifications, Training Dates and Locations, click here.