Photovoltaics employ solar panels to create energy. Solar power remains a rapidly growing field in the renewable energy sector. It has the potential to completely power our world and drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Aside from large-scale solar plants, photovoltaics can also be found in a variety of places from calculators and watches to electric planes and the space station. The lack of moving parts makes them valuable in portable devices and in areas without other sources of power. And because the only source of fuel required is sunlight, they can produce power continuously for years without maintenance. Thanks to the falling cost of installation and the potential savings on utility bills, many homeowners are now choosing to install rooftop panels on their own homes.

As the cost per watt of solar power continues to plummet, new solar technologies are emerging. Therefore, the second generation of solar panels, known as thin-film PV, consist of extremely thin panels only a few micrometers thick. These panels are much more versatile and have found their way into Tesla’s solar roof tiles, among other things. They are less efficient than first-generation panels, but much cheaper, simply due to the fact that they require less material to manufacture.

Most noteworthy, third-generation high-intensity solar cells are also in development and promise to be even thinner and extremely efficient. Perovskite PV cells and Organic and Polymer Photovoltaic (OPV) cells are some of the newest third generation solar technologies and use materials other than crystalline silicon.

Photovoltaics remains a quickly growing field that has the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This technology provides energy independence, while powering the world reliably and efficiently.

In the past several years, the technology behind our lights has grown tremendously. Although incandescent bulbs were the standard for a number of years, more energy efficient alternatives like Compact Fluorescents (CFL) and Light Emitting Diodes (LED) have become more readily available, affordable and very popular. Because people have been looking for ways to reduce their electrical bills, and lower their overall impact on the environment, LED lighting has become a particularly popular alternative as it has become easier to find. This has resulted in LED lighting companies to manufacture and distribute more LED lights than in the past.

Should You Switch?

The reasons to switch to LEDs are numerous for both homeowners and small businesses. One of the biggest draws to LED lights is its lifespan. Most LED lights will burn for somewhere around 100,000 hours. This translates into roughly 11 years. Whenever you are dealing with this type of lifespan, you will probably end up calling an electrician in Los Angeles to come change out the light fixture before you ever have to change the bulb. LEDs not only last longer, but they also use much less electricity than both incandescent and CFL bulbs. They also produce less heat, resulting in a long-lasting, low-energy, low temperature operation.

Are They Expensive?

One of the few negatives that LED bulbs have is that they have a higher up-front cost than many other options. Although they boast the longer life span, reduced energy consumption and low heat, LED lighting is still more expensive than CFL and Incandescent bulbs. For this reason, many people choose other types of bulbs over them.  Those that go with the LEDs typically find out that they will pay for themselves through reduced energy usage. As always, don’t hesitate to contact The Electric Connection with any questions about LEDs, light fixtures or any other electrical topics. We’re always glad to help.

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Have you ever been busy in one part of your house and really needed to get talk to someone at your front door, in the kitchen or out in the garage? If that sounds like something that happens to you often, an intercom system may be the perfect solution. This is a project an electrician in Glendale can easily tackle for you, saving you the time and hassle of doing it yourself. Learn more about what intercom installation entails and give Electric Connection a call today.

First, when installing an intercom system, you must figure out what rooms in your home you may want to connect to the system. Generally, you will have a speaker at the front door and a place in your home you spend a significant amount of time—perhaps the kitchen. However, you may want additional receivers in the bedrooms or basement.

Each receiver you install will require both wiring and construction work to enable it to work correctly and look good. The most difficult part for many is installing it into the wiring of the home. This will involve working with the circuits and tapping into the wiring already in your walls. The construction aspect is tricky too—unless you know how to work with drywall, plaster or whatever substance of which the wall is constructed.

Finally, there are many different types of intercom systems, from basic to systems complex enough for large corporations. If you are unsure which one will work best for you, this is another reason to work with Electric Connection, the electrician Glendale residents trust. Give us a call today and we will be happy to discuss your needs for an intercom system today. Our team of experts can get started and have your home and family more connected than ever before.