The benefits of having solar panels installed in your home is well known, but few people understand the way that solar panels work. It won’t make much difference to your daily life to understand photovoltaic cells, but inquiring minds will benefit from this brief discussion. Before you invest in a solar installation, take some time to understand them.

At they’re most basic, photovoltaic cells convert the energy of ultraviolet light into electricity. The sunlight hits the atoms of a semiconductor, most often silicon mixed with a very small amount of phosphorus. The phosphorus is included in the pure silicon crystal because it has an “extra” electron. When hit by sunlight, this electron is “knocked” loose. Should it find an atom lacking an electron, it would come to rest there, but the tight, perfect crystal lattice prevents that. The electron, known as a “free carrier,” continues wandering.

All the electrons excited by sunlight in a solar panel would move around aimlessy if we didn’t provide them any direction. Placing a conductor at either end of a panel allows us to dictate the direction of the electrons away from the panel and towards the batteries that are the next step in the solar installation.

Of course, this is a great reduction of the actual process of converting solar energy into electricity. The reality involves a greater understanding of physics and chemistry. Over the years, science and industry has harnessed the power of this simple interaction between a few molecules and sunlight to greater degrees, until today, when we have a finely tuned grasp on the process. Indeed, solar panels are far more efficient today than they ever have been in the past.

And that is just one of the reasons that today is the perfect time to invest in a solar installation for your home. If you’re eager to understand the power of investing in home solar, give us a call today and let us explore the options with you.

Decorating your home for the holidays is a time-honored tradition that many in the DMV area take part in each year. However, it’s important to be as safe as possible when putting up lights both inside and outside your home! When you string up lights in and around your home, you’re increasing your chances of an electrical malfunction. Make sure you follow these tips before and during your lighting setup!

If you have any questions, contact the electrical experts at Kolb Electric today!

Your lights—both interior and exterior—require some careful inspection prior to hooking them up. One of the most common causes of fires around the holidays are faulty string lightings. In order to avoid any potential electrical fires, it’s important to:

Need an electrician fast? Contact Kolb Electric today! We offer 24-hour service for your DMV home.

As you can see, no matter which type of scenario that lighting comes up in; it matters. Whether you run an office or a huge industrial sized factory; the quality of your lighting is highly important.

We are going to list the most important points that qualifies “good” industrial lighting systems, what to watch out for, as well as what to be on the look out for when it comes to your commercial lighting purchases.

Quality of light being produced. The quality of light that your lighting system will make or break your lighting system investment. If you cheap out initially and go with cheaper light sources such as HPS, you will regret it in the long run. Not only does LED typically offer a better CRI score, but it has many other benefits such as…

Do you want rebates for your lighting investment? If so; buy DLC qualified.

Conclusion