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Solar Panels

Solar panels come in two basic forms, those that are used to generate electricity directly with photovoltaic charges, and those that are used to reflect and focus the sunlight causing a large increase in temperature which can be used for cooking, heating and even for generating electricity as well.

Photovoltaic solar panels are the most popular panels at the consumer level because they are very easy to maintain and are very reliable. They are getting increasingly efficient and affordable though they are still an expensive investment. They produce instant DC power when the sun strikes them and can be converted to AC power with an adaptor or have excess power stored in batteries for future use.

Solar panels used to focus the sun to create heat can be configured in a number of different ways. They can be angled on the ground and directed up to a huge tower with molten salt at the top or they can be troughs that can vary in length from hundreds of feet to just larger than a turkey. Heat is converted into electricity by boiling water.

 

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