Electricity

• By transforming sunlight into electricity through the silicon in solar panels, solar electric systems can provide non-polluting, sustainable power to homes and businesses. Solar electric systems can be independent of the public grid by using batteries, or they can feed their power directly into the power lines and help to provide public electricity. The manufacture of the solar panels requires a certain amount of power; this burden is known as "embodied energy," and is an important and neglected consideration in calculations of the overall efficiency of any power-generating system.
  
  

Heat

• Solar power can be used to heat homes through both passive and active solar heating systems. A passive solar system is accomplished simply by insulating a home and installing large south-facing windows. The heat of the sun then enters the home through the windows and is kept inside through effective insulation. An active solar heating system utilizes rooftop panels with water or an antifreeze solution circulating through them. The liquid solution carries heat from the panels to a concret slab on the floor, and the heat is then disseminated through the interior of the building.
  
  

Benefits

• The primary benefit of generating electricity using sunlight is that it cuts down on the pollution and emissions that are caused by more conventional forms of power generation. A large percentage of the electricity used in the United States is created in coal burning electricity plants, and coal is a major contributor to the greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change. Independent solar systems also encourage the idea of community based utilities, and draw individuals into learning more about how power is generated, where it comes from and how it is used. Passive solar heating is beneficial because it helps to heat a home using virtually no resources other than insulation, glass for the windows, and sunshine.
  
  

Conservation

• Modern society has been on an energy binge since the Industrial Revolution of the 1800s, and many people now view incredibly high levels of energy use as perfectly normal. A power system operated on solar energy would not generate as much power as today's standard power plants, which are dependent upon oil, coal, nuclear, and water. As a result, a society using electricity produced from solar power plants would become more aware of the social impacts of their actions.