Solar panels convert the sunlight into electricity and that electricity gets connected to your home so you can use it.
Solar panels are nothing less than a miracle. They convert sunlight that hits them into electricity. The more individual solar modules you install on your roof, the more electricity you produce. all that electricity gets combined into electric cables that run from your roof to your electric service panel of your home.
How Does Solar Work?
Solar technology is pretty simple when you break it down. Check out the image below. Number one shows the solar panels on your roof. The panels are made of silicon (which is basically sand) compressed into cells which are able to convert the sun’s rays into electricity. That electricity comes through the panels as DC current. Read more about solar panels here.
Next, number two shows the wires running from the panels to the inverter. Each panel has small boxes called microinverters on the back, which run electricity through the wires to the inverter box attached to the outside wall. At the inverter box, the DC current is converted to AC current that your home can use. Read more about the benefits of microinverters here.
Number three shows your main electric service panel. Solar electricity from the inverter flows through this service panel into your home, or out to the grid.
Number four is the net meter. When you install a solar system on your home, the utility company will come and change out your regular meter for a net meter, which can measure the power flowing into your home as well as out to the grid. This allows you to participate in net metering and earn 1-to-1 credit on your electric bill for the extra power you generate. Read more about net metering here.
Will my appliances in my home work with the solar panels?
Your appliances and other items in your home use electricity. They use electricity from the grid, supplied by your local utility company. Once you add solar panels to your home, your appliances will first use the electricity generated by your solar panels. If your solar panels produce more than