With a rapidly-growing demand for cleaner sources of energy, many forms of renewable energy are becoming more and more common. Photovoltaic (PV)solar panels are the most popular type of solar panel.

Solar power offers a number of advantages, and although it is expensive to buy new PV panels, it is also possible to build your own ( although they may not be as efficient as the production ).

In the long term, one advantage about solar power is that any excess electricity generated can be sold to the national grid. So, not only are you helping to save the environment but you're also earning some money as well.

The space race in the 1950's and 1960's saw the development of solar panels to power spacecraft systems in orbit. Like Teflon, the technology began to filter through into civilian use. Today's solar cell technology is efficient enough to provide most of the energy for a home.

The production of photovoltaic solar panels has increased by fifty percent every two years since 2002. This makes it the fastest growing technology of renewable energy in the world. It is expected that by the end of 2010, the global amount of megawatts generated by solar power could be as much as twenty thousand.

So how do photovoltaic solar panels work? Basically, they generate electrical power through the use of solar cells which are stored in photovoltaic modules. These modules are connected in groups to a number of solar photovoltaic arrays which ultimately convert the light from the Sun into electrical power.

Whenever possible, the panels are installed facing south, to get the most sunlight. Mechanical tracking systems can also used to follow the direction of the Sun.

Simply put, the photons coming from the sunlight cause the electrons to have a higher degree of energy. The electrons in turn create electricity.

To store power, pumps are often used - circulating water in the cells. The water goes into a storage tank where the power is stored, ready for use. Sometimes, the use of gravity is employed if it will just the same store the heated water in to the tank.

Alternatively, the electricity generated can be stored in batteries. Car or carvan batteries are usually used.

Photovoltaic solar panels are increasing in popularity more than any other kind of technology in the area.Increasingly, many homeowners are balancing the initial high cost of PV panels against the benefits to the environment. The large greenhouse gas emissions from the burning of fossil fuels contribute to global warming. Add to that, the fact that homes with solar panels are usually more valuable, and the case for domestic solar energy becomes more attractive.

Not only are they popular just for enthusiasts wanting to install solar panels in their homes, but there are also a number of power stations which create dozens of megawatts of power. The largest of these is in Spain which produces a massively impressive and sixty megawatts of power.

With the increasing necessity for renewable energy, it is refreshing to know that there are at last some increasingly reliable technologies that can really supply us with a greener world while still being able to allow us to live with the modern conveniences that we have become accustomed to.