There has been a lot of talk lately about renewable energy sources, but not everyone actually knows what they are or how they work. Solar Energy is certainly one of those types of renewable energy that has a little mystery surrounding it. So, What is Solar Energy?

It is actually the energy that is created from the sun. Specifically, the light and the heat from the sun are the primary components of Solar Energy. The truth is that this type of technology has been around since the ancient ages, but as the years have passed, our technology has continued to improve. Sadly, the other brutal truth is that to this day we are only utilizing a small fraction of the power that is available from Solar Energy.

There are basically two different types of technologies that can harness Solar Energy: Passive Solar and Active Solar. They are called this due to how the sun's rays are captured and processed. Passive solar capture is basically where you allow the sun's rays to simply do their job. Often you will choose to have a building positioned so that it is in the line of the sun's rays. From there, the sun's rays will hit the building, which is made of energy efficient materials so that the sun will positively affect the building. However, active solar collection is the complete opposite of this. With active solar, you will use solar panels or solar thermal collectors to harness the power in the sun's rays. These active solar technologies will convert this energy into electricity that you can then use to power your home.

Often you will see solar panels in big groups in very sunny places where business are trying to harness that power. However, the truth is that you do not have to be a big business to get that solar power. You also do not have to live in a place where the sun never stops shining to take advantage of it. In fact, anyone can start to take advantage of Solar Energy. Perhaps the easiest and best way to do this it to install solar panels onto your property. There is a misconception that solar panels are incredibly expensive. The truth is that for under $200 you can build your own solar panel. From there you will be able to supplement your homes electricity with the electricity that you are creating on your own. This will effectively start to reduce your energy costs.

Additionally, if you happen to be one of the lucky ones that live in a perpetually sunny place you may be able to create quite a bit of Solar Energy. If you can start creating so much energy that you start to have a surplus, you can actually start to make some money. In many cases, your power company will want to buy that extra energy from you. There is a great probability that your $200 investment could result in the elimination of your electric bill as well as a new source of income. What could be better than that?