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The solar panels are the most important part of any home solar power system. They do the actual conversion of sunlight to electricity and are at the heart of the solar system that provides energy to your house. The homeowner should think about a number of things before choosing a type of solar panel for his or her house as there are many differences between solar panels even though they may look alike. If you’re interested in building your own solar panel, take a look at Green DIY Energy Review.

Newer solar panels are better than older models in efficiency and construction. It doesn’t matter what style of panel you are looking for, you will be better off with modern panels than you would have been even a few years ago. Even though modern panels are generally better than older panels, care should still be taken when selecting a solar panel to use as there are many differences between panels. Selection should be done based on how much electricity you wish to produce and your budget.

First of all, you need to consider how much output voltage the system you are building needs. You need to choose the voltage level among several standard voltages available for residential solar panels. The decision about voltage will dictate which panels you select and also which power inverter you use. There are advantages to using higher voltage panels like less power loss in the long runs of wire, however higher voltage panels are also more expensive. Home solar panels will usually output power at 12, 24 or 48 volts, though there are some panels that are even higher. It is generally best to select panels with the highest voltage level that your budget will allow.

Voltage level will also affect which solar charge controller you choose.

Another difference between different types of panels is efficiency. There can be as much as 10% difference in conversion efficiency between different panels, even though the panels may look the same. From a given level of sunlight, 10% higher efficiency will mean a huge difference in the amount of electricity produced. Over the life of the panel, this difference in electricity generated will be really big. 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 check the efficiency rating of any panels you are considering and generally go with the highest efficiency rating that you can afford. Getting a better quality panel now, even if you have to spend more money, will pay you back many times over during the lifespan of the panel.

One more thing to consider is some of the newer specialty residential solar panels being produced now. There are some panels that combine solar electric panels with solar thermal panels in one package. This type of panel can be used for both hot water and electricity.This kind of panel can produce both electricity and hot water at the same time. These panels will make the most efficient use of available space on your roof and provide double the benefit.

Another newer development is panels that include a micro inverter. A micro inverter is a power inverter that is built into the solar panel itself rather than being separate. A power inverter converts the DC electricity from a solar panel or battery into the AC power that your appliances need. 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. Instead of spending money on a big power inverter right away, you can build up your system slowly. This means you can build your solar system up little-by-little, but still get the benefit of AC power from the system at every step. The AC electricity will also be at a higher voltage and have less loss in the long runs of wire. For a free in-depth look at micro inverters, take a look at Solar Micro Inverter.