Outdoor home solar panels photovoltaic panels

Solar panels are used to power everything from calculators to sports stadiums to satellites — and they can just as easily be used to power a home. You don't need to be a rocket scientist – or anything close to it – to get solar panels for your home.

The best solar panels for you are going to be the ones that fit your energy goals and budget. There are also many factors you'll have to consider before moving forward with your installation, including the size of your roof and the energy consumption of your home.

Installers of Panasonic solar panels can be found around the US. Canadian Solar makes one of the most efficient solar panels on the market. While its suite of panels doesn't quite match the leaders here in terms of performance and warranty, they're not much behind. If your installer offers Canadian Solar panels, you're getting quality panels.

The lifecycle carbon emissions of solar panels is about 12 times less than natural gas and 20 times less than coal. Going solar is one of the most powerful things homeowners can do to lower their carbon footprint, clean up local air pollution, and contribute to the clean energy transition.

There are a handful of reasons to get solar panels for your home, but the biggest one is energy cost savings. Home solar is simply much cheaper than paying for grid electricity, and can lead to tens – sometimes hundreds – of thousands in savings over the warranty period of the panels.

When sunlight hits the panels, it creates an electric current that is first used to power electrical systems in your home. If your panels are producing more electricity than your home is using, the excess is stored in a battery and/or pushed onto the local energy grid to power your neighbors' homes.