Solar energy is an emerging technology across the United States and in other countries but still provides only a fraction of the nation’s power.

Glassy panels that absorb radiation from the sun send energy through wires to provide electricity to homeowners or energy to the utility grid.

For the most part, solar energy is produced either by large, industrial-scale solar farms or by individual homes that draw energy from sun-soaking panels on roofs or in yards. Homeowners who produce more solar energy than they need feed the energy back to the utility for general distribution.

Relatively few homeowners or business people are believed to rely exclusively on solar power because it doesn’t work at night or during extended rainy periods. That’s one of the big criticisms of solar.

So most folks, unwilling to try and live “off the grid,” use solar power in combination with traditional power from the local utility company. Using less traditional power often lowers the overall amount a person pays the electric company each month.

Sammy Fretwell