Unfortunately, the U.S. government actually spends a lot of money on paying off the energy consumed by these hot water heaters, about $13 billion every year, possibly making it the single biggest energy consumer in your home or work place. Solar energy systems used on hot water heaters can actually help you save a considerable percentage on your utility bills, over 85% of the total electric water heating cost of your home.

Helping the Environment Solar energy is non-polluting. This means that you can save the ecosystem and keep greenhouse gases from forming. You can expect a cooler and cleaner surrounding by investing in solar powered devices. Compared to oil, oil burning will release carbon dioxide plus other greenhouse gases into the air.

The meter will move backward if more energy is produced than needed and the meter will move forward when extra power is required from the utility company. The two are only even when additional energy is paid for from the utility company. The surplus will go straight back to net metering. The smaller version can power a water heater in the house.

And since this particular form of alternative energy is becoming more and more viable, new and better applications for its technology are now being developed for the future. Though the future for solar energy appears to be clear and better, a lot of people are still speculative about what the future really holds for solar energy.

The device is based on the discovery of Alexandre-Edmond Becquerel who realized that a number of materials let go of electrons when these hit rays of photos straight from light, causing an electrical current. The first solar cells were made by Charles Fritts during the 1880s. Even though the prototype selenium cells converted below 1% of incident light into electricity, James Clerk Maxwell and Ernst Werner von Siemens realized the importance of the finding.

Unfortunatley, among the solar energy systems that are in the market, photovoltaic panels are considered to be one of the more expensive ones, if not the most expensive in the solar energy market today. Solar Thermal Systems Solar thermal systems, on the other hand, simply generate heat, and are well-suited for boilers, furnaces and water heaters, as this type of system allows you to make heat using direct solar energy at a much lower cost as compared to using conventional energy and electricity.