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Solar energy for home houses is nothing new.  It has just been banished to the background in lieu of rising cost of real estate ; newer more complicated building materials, design and the limitation of resources. 

Since man started building houses, daylight played a major influence in the design.  In fact, even in the more complicated urban planning methodology of the Ancient Chinese and Greeks, the orientation of the buildings is as much as possible directed at where it could capture the most daylight. 

The ancients may not be as intellectually sophisticated then to use catch phrases as passive solar and thermal mass but when they build, they were building in compact proportion, employing overhangs, manufacturing insulations and building in manners that direct the airflow within the structure and manufacturing well lit, well ventilated spaces using the relative position of the sun to the orientation of their structures. 

Recently, as the conventional sources of energy became costlier, homeowners were once again turning to the sun for energy needs. 

Since the 1950’s, harnessing the sun’s rays has been developing and today the solar cell technology has achieved very efficient levels that modern ( so-called green house ) designs apply the sun’s power to provide energy for the home. 

While solar energy is free, the device that will convert it to run our appliances isn’t.  To provide solar energy for the home, solar cells called photovoltaic made of semi-conducting materials, are grouped into modules.  These solar panels are mounted on rooftops, yards or open spaces where it can capture the maximum amount of daylight. 

Whenever possible, the panels will be installed facing south to get the maximum out of the sunlight but tracking systems are also used to follow the direction of the sun.  The solar panels collect the energy from the sunlight.  The process basically is that when the panels are exposed to sunlight, the electrons are separated form the atoms.  This movement of the electrons creates electricity. 

To store power, pumps are sometimes used - circulating water in the cells.  The water goes into a storage tank where the power is stored, ready for use.  Infrequently, the employment of gravity is used if it’ll just the same store the heated water in to the tank. 

In spite of all the development in solar energy though, the employment of this technology isn’t really enough to provide power to the entire house.  The best technique so far can only meet about eighty percent of a homes power desires.  The employment of solar energy for the home will still need the utilization of the standard power distribution technique. 

Powering the homes by solar means will still, for some time be enlarged by a local power distribution agency.  To several, this is a good starting point.  House owners that feel that the high cost of powering their houses through solar power, is justified compared to the price that is now being paid for traditional electrification strategy where horrendous amounts of CO2 are being dumped into the atmosphere simply to generate a pitiful quantity of electricity. 

However, due partly to the increasing costs of energy, the technology for solar energy has been undergoing rapid phases of development.  Experts are confident that within five years, powering the home through the solar methodology will be made widely available for those that like it as its sole energy source.