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The main component of any residential solar power system is the solar panels. They are at the heart of any solar power system and actually convert the sunlight to electricity. Many of these residential solar panels look alike, but there are a lot of differences and there are many things that need to be considered before you choose which panel to use for your home. A great set of plans for building your own solar panel is Green DIY Energy Review.

All modern solar panels are much better than older panels in both construction and efficiency. Because of these advances, any homeowner will be better off with newer panels than they would have been even a few years ago. While it is true that all of the newer panels are much better than in the past, there are a lot of differences between different models of solar panels so selecting a panel should be done based on both your budget and how much electricity you want to produce.

The voltage requirement of the system you are building is the first thing to consider. Residential solar panels have several standard voltage levels and you need to choose with one to use for your system. The decision about voltage will dictate which panels you select and also which power inverter you use. While more expensive, higher voltage panels have some advantages like less power loss in long wire runs. Residential solar panels usually have output voltages of 12, 24 or 48 volts and there are some that are even higher. It is usually best to select panels with the highest voltage level that your budget will allow.

Voltage will also dictate which solar charge controller you choose.

Another difference between different types of panels is efficiency. Even panels that look the same can have almost 10% higher or lower efficiency than similar models. This is a giant difference in the amount of electricity that will be generated with a given level of sunlight. The higher efficiency panels will produce a great deal more energy over the life of the panel. Because of this, you will need less space for panels and you will need to spend less money because you will need fewer panels. You should generally choose panels with the highest efficiency rating you can afford. If you spend a little more money now and get a better quality panel, you will get that difference back many, many times over the life of the solar panel.

Some of the newer specialty solar panels should also be considered. One type of newer panel combines both electric and thermal solar into a single panel. These can be used for both electricity and hot water. These panels will make the most efficient use of available space on your roof and provide double the benefit.

Solar panels that include a micro inverter are another newer development. A micro inverter is a power inverter that is build into the solar panel. It is sized to work with just the amount of electricity the panel outputs. A power inverter is the component that converts the Direct Current (DC) from the solar panels or batteries into the Alternating Current (AC) that comes out of the power outlets in your house. Typically a single, large power inverter is fed electricity from all of the panels or batteries and does the power conversion for the entire system. A micro inverter in individual solar panels means that you can build your system incrementally instead of having to buy a big power inverter right away. With a micro inverter you can get the benefits of AC power at each step as you build up the system. One final benefit of micro inverters is the electricity coming from the panels will be at a higher voltage and will be AC which will reduce power loss in the longer runs of wire. If you’re interested in micro inverters, there is an in-depth article at Solar Micro Inverter.

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