Even though people generally think of solar power panels as some sort of oversized reflective box that catches the sun’s rays, that perception is changing quickly as the technology for solar cells is progressing.

As with anything related to the sun there is going to be heat involved, this heat can also be collected and used to heat both your water and incoming air for your ventilation systems using solar power panels. Commonly known as a photovoltaic panel, or PV panel, solar power panels are lined with a semi-conductive material, typically silicon based that produces electricity when sunlight passes through it. This lining is called the solar cell. The electricity then travels through the conductive material into the electrical system that powers your home or business.

Traditionally solar power panels or PV panels were limited to large square or rectangular shaped enclosures. In recent years the process of manufacturing solar cells has developed significantly and has opened the doors to massive changes in the way you can integrate solar power panels into your home of business. Solar cells can now be found in a huge variety of building materials. This technology is commonly referred to as Building Integrated Photovoltaics or BIPV. Solar cells can now be incorporated into everything from roofing material to the edges of the panes of glass in your windows.

Solar power panels can be incorporated into skylights, windows, exterior walls, awnings and almost anywhere that has a direct line-of-sight path to the sun. As new advances in solar power panel technology come on to the market, solar power cells can be made a part of any roof for both collecting energy and providing the traditional insulation and protection one can get from traditional roofing materials.

Many kinds of solar power panel assemblies are mounted off the building itself. The two most popular kinds are pole-mounted or ground mounted fixtures both of which allow placement of solar panels where they will get maximum sun exposure, thus giving greater flexibility in both solar system and building design. Solar panels generate some power with only indirect exposure to sunlight, but you’ll generate the most amount of solar power only if there is direct exposure of solar panels to the sun’s full rays.

When solar power panels are ground-mounted, they are attached to metal frames, often with motorized mounts. These mounts allow the panels to move so they can follow the path of the sun as it travels throughout the day. While the frames are often made our of standard construction materials, they could possibly be constructed out of any other more green materials.

Pole-mounted structures, mounted to either the side or top of a metal pole, can also be built to have the solar panels move with or track the path of the sun to get the optimum amount of solar exposure during the course of the day.