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How do solar panels work?
Solar energy is one of the most important renewable energy sources. With solar panels you can also save on your energy bill and increase the value of your home. So it's not surprising that about 1.5 million households have solar panels on their roofs. Are you also ready to make the power shift to solar energy?
How do solar panels work?
Solar panels consist of solar cells. These solar cells convert solar energy into electricity. As soon as the sunlight hits the solar cells, electrical voltage is generated in the form of direct current. The inverter then converts direct current into alternating current, so that you can use the power at home or sell it to the grid.
What are solar panels?
Solar panels - also called photovoltaic panels - are dark panels that convert solar energy into electricity. With the help of the sun you can generate energy for use in your home. A very sustainable solution!
Solar panels can be placed on the roof of your home, but also on garages or outbuildings. Do you have a lot of land? Then you can also consider placing the solar panels on the ground. We look with you to determine the correct direction for the solar panels, so that they can absorb as much sunlight as possible during the day.
Solar panels: advantages and disadvantages
Solar energy is one of the most environmentally friendly energy sources. And the sun is an infinite resource. If you choose solar panels, you are automatically committed to the environment and the climate. Every time the sun shines, you will produce green electricity. And in this way you help to reduce the consumption of fossil fuels and the emission of greenhouse gases.
Of course, energy is needed for the production of solar panels. But even if we take that into account, the payback time for energy from solar cells is only 2.5 years. This means that after 2.5 years your solar panels have produced the amount of power that was needed for their production. And the average lifespan of solar panels is 25 to 30 years!
Solar panels are a one-time investment. Because the purchase costs of solar panels are high, this is the most frequently mentioned reason not to choose solar panels. Yet the investment is low in relation to the expected savings that you make with solar panels. The payback period is on average between 6 and 12 years, depending on your installation and the amount of electricity you generate.
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Solar panels also increase the value of your home. More and more people value an environmentally friendly home. By generating your own energy, you also become less dependent on energy producers and their prices.
Do you not want to make a large investment in one go, but do you want to switch to solar panels? You can pay for your solar panels per month via a sustainability loan. Read more about a sustainability loan.
Are you curious how many years it will take before you have earned back your solar system? Request a quote for free en get the advice of our Svea experts.
How much electricity do solar panels produce?
How much solar energy your solar panels produce per year is influenced by a number of different factors. First and foremost, there are the different seasons, which create different conditions. In the summer we usually have a surplus of solar energy, while in the winter we have to make up for it with other electricity, simply because there are fewer hours of sunshine. But it is possible to make estimates of the expected power of your solar panels based on their efficiency and the amount of electricity produced (kWh) per installed kW.
When it comes to the measure of kWh per installed kW, we usually say that an installed kW produces about 800-1,100 kWh per year. If your solar panels have a peak power of 2000 Wp, they can therefore produce about 1,600-2,200 kWh of solar energy per year.
In addition to the solar hours, efficiency and the amount of kWh per installed kW, there are other factors that influence the amount of electricity that the solar cells produce. Namely:
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Shade on your solar panels due to the environment, such as trees, buildings, etc.
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Wind direction your solar panels are pointing at
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Inclination of the solar panels
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Temperature
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Snow on the solar panels
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Dirt on the solar panels
In other words: how much your solar panels produce depends on specific circumstances. In our solar calculator you can see how much electricity panels on your roof can produce.
What does an inverter do?
The inverter is the part of the solar system that converts direct current produced by the solar cells into alternating current. You can then use the alternating current in your home or sell it to the grid. You also use your inverter to know how much energy you generate, consume and sell to the grid.
At Sunexperts we recommend an inverter that best suits your circumstances. We start from your energy consumption and the number of panels.