If current trends continue, world electricity consumption will more than double by the middle of this century and more than triple by 2100. The reserves of fossil fuels are obviously finite. At some point they will fall short of demand. These facts coupled with erosion of our energy security and rising electricity rates explain increasing interest in solar energy. We know we can rely on it because it is something that will always be there. Many homeowners are considering using sunlight in order to save money on their monthly utility bills and to help the environment. Unfortunately, there is a lot of misunderstanding and hype concerning solar energy.

Particularly, the way the advertised capacity of commercial photovoltaic (PV) systems is specified may be misleading to the consumers. For example, one may not realize that a nameplate rating of such a system does not represent the wattage it would typically produce in your home. It is just a potential DC power the PV array can generate at some ideal sunlight and weather conditions called Standard Test Conditions (STC). In reality, your solar panels will operate at STC very rarely. In addition to this, the actual AC output of the entire system will be 10 to 20% lower than its DC rating due to power losses in the inverter and wiring. In practice, a 5-kilowatt model may probably generate for your home about 20 kilowatt-hours of electricity over an entire day, which is less than 830 watt averaged over a 24-hour period. In addition to this, the manufacturers often use terminology that is confusing to most who do not have a technical background. As a result, making a decision on buying a solar powered system and selecting the right one can be challenging.

Many consumers are under the impression that for a couple hundred dollars they can install a small panel that will provide all or most of energy for their home and even sell an excess of electricity back to the utility. The sunlight of course is free and abundant, but the equipment needed to capture its energy and convert it into a usable form is not. Today's average cost of a photovoltaic installation is about $7,000 per kilowatt capacity (before rebates and credits). Although there are programs with free installation, this cost of course does not go away. It is just spread over time and may be partially paid by the taxpayers. So, just because something looks appealing or is advertised as a solution for all your needs, it does not mean that it is necessarily right for your application. In order to make an informed decision about investing in solar energy for your home, you need to know how it works, exactly how many kilowatt-hours it can produce in your installation and how long it is expected to take to pay back its initial cost.

If you search the web for these subjects, you'll find literally millions of results. Why did I decide to make another website about photovoltaic technology? I feel although most of solar energy facts and figures you need are already available on the web, they are so scattered that it is not always easy to quickly find what you are looking for. With this in mind, this site is designed as a concise guide for anyone who wants quick practical solar energy facts. These data can be classified into two types: the scientific facts about solar energy and the facts about the devices that capture sunlight and convert it into usable energy forms. This information is intended to give you realistic expectations of what you are buying and how the system will perform in your home.

SOLAR ENERGY FACTS Near the equator the sunlight intensity at bright noon is about 1000W per square meter. Outside of equator it drops depending on many factors. Find out how much sunlight you get in your geographical area, how much solar electricity you can generate per square meter, and other facts about solar energy.	SOLAR POWER PANELS The incoming sunlight radiation can be converted into electricity by photovoltaic (PV) cells. Each cell can generate less than 0.7 volt. To get higher voltages the cells are connected into panels (modules). Discover how PV modules are made, how they work, and most important, what you need to know about their advertised characteristics.	PHOTOVOLTAIC SYSTEM WIRING A typical PV module for residential use is rated under 300 watt. To produce a desire net power level a number of modules have to be electrically interconnected. This page provides formulas and diagrams for series and parallel connections as well as NEC® 2011 requirements for code-compliant PV system wiring.
SOLAR PANEL ENERGY EFFICIENCY For a given location and a given setup, the amount of solar power that will be generated depends on how much electricity your PV cells can produce from the incoming sunlight. Learn true facts about solar energy panel efficiency and see the rating chart of the top models.	PV PANELS INSTALLATION To install a PV system in your home you may need to obtain appropriate permits and pass the inspections after the work is done. See the list of main standards and codes that may be applicable to your setup and get tips for solar power panel installation.	SOLAR PANEL CALCULATOR The required size of PV array for your home depends on many factors, such as your geographical location and orientation of your roof. See how to size your system and calculate how many modules do you need in order to power your home.

REFERENCES AND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
Solar energy facts: outlook and research.
Photovoltaic technology white paper: status and trends.