As solar panel technology advances, the image people have of solar technology will change as well. The old images of large, boxy solar panels sitting on rooftop hoping to catch some part of the sun’s rays are slowing fading as people see the newer, smaller and smarter solar power panel advances emerge.

Of course as with anything involving the sun, there will be heat. Using solar power panels, this heat can be used to warm the water and the air in the ventilation systems using solar power panels. What people commonly call a solar panel is more properly called a PV or Photovoltaic panel. Solar cells line the panel and are made with silicon, or some other semi-conductive material, that produces electricity when the sun shines on it. After being collected in the cells, the electricity can flow directly to your home.

For many years solar power panels were restricted to large, boxy enclosures. Now, the development of solar cells has been opening up new ways of incorporating solar energy production for the home and at work. Solar cells may be integrated now into a large variety of building materials; such technology is generally known as Building Integrated Photovoltaics. Solar cells may now be incorporated into almost anything from roofing to the edges of glass window panes.

Solar power panels can be incorporated into skylights, windows, exterior walls, awnings and almost anywhere that has a direct line-of-sight path to the sun. As new advances in solar power panel technology come on to the market, solar power cells can be made a part of any roof for both collecting energy and providing the traditional insulation and protection one can get from traditional roofing materials.

Many kinds of solar power panel assemblies are mounted off the building itself. The two most popular kinds are pole-mounted or ground mounted fixtures both of which allow placement of solar panels where they will get maximum sun exposure, thus giving greater flexibility in both solar system and building design. Solar panels generate some power with only indirect exposure to sunlight, but you’ll generate the most amount of solar power only if there is direct exposure of solar panels to the sun’s full rays.

Ground-mounted structures are typically mounted to metal frames that are anchored into the ground via traditional construction methods. These frames may be built with motorized mounts for solar power panels, which let them track or follow the course of the sun during the daylight hours.

Pole mounted structures which are mounted either to the top or side of a metal pole can be constructed to allow the solar panels to track the sun’s path to receive the maximum amount of solar exposure throughout the day.