Solar Panels

The price tag on a new residential solar panel system may give you sticker shock.  The average Australian home requires an initial investment of about $15,000 or more to supply adequate electricity to meet at...

In the past decade, solar panel efficiency and energy production potential have increased by about 40% on average. With photovoltaic (PV) modules — like solar panels and shingles — efficiency measures how much electricity can...

Harnessing the power of the sun to produce electricity is a smart and sustainable way to power your home.  Installing a residential solar panel system can significantly reduce—or eliminate—your electricity bills and ensure your family’s...

With the shift towards sustainable energy now a global imperative, terms once reserved for textbooks have infiltrated everyday discussions.  One such term is the "photovoltaic effect."  Photovoltaic is often shortened to PV — as in PV...

Silicon isn’t the only semiconductive material used to make solar cells. But it is the most commonly used by far. Over 90% of solar panels sold today rely on silicon wafer-based cells. Silicon is also used in...

Virtually everyone knows what a solar panel does. Far fewer people know how solar panels generate electricity. It’s not magic… But it’s pretty close. Photovoltaic (PV) cells are an essential component of all currently available solar panels and...

Many people have misconceptions about how solar panels work. For example, solar energy systems that generate electricity rely on sunlight — not heat.  In fact, solar panels are actually less efficient in extremely high temperatures than...

‘Efficient’ and ‘efficiency’ are such commonly used words that it can be easy to misunderstand their meaning when applied to specific resources and devices, such as fuel and solar panels.  Cambridge defines ‘efficient’ in two...