Solar troughs are the most common and visible. CSPs or concentrating solar power systems make use of mirrors, lenses and track systems to focus on a wide area of sunlight into a small beam. The concentrated heat is used as a source of heat for a conventional power plant. The wide range of concentrating technologies is now available. Letting the Solar Panels Work Solar panels can gather clean renewable energy in sunlight form that will be converted into electricity. The average home has adequate roof area to let solar panels gather enough sun to be converted into DC current or AC current. Solar panel arrays can be sized to meet big requirements. The bigger arrays can create more than 2 kilowatts or 2.6 hp of power. The solar array can be installed in various ways. Horizontal arrays can be installed in the form of a free canopy. Vertical arrays can be in the form of integrated sails or free standing to get the wind energy. Adjustable solar arrays can be tilted around the travel axis to boost power when the sun is low and to the side. The fluid is heated in solar collectors, then pumped to a storage tank. This is also known as a closed-loop system. The Third Type Active solar pool heating involves the use of pumps to properly circulate the water in the pool via solar collectors to heat and then return to the pool. The pool becomes a storage medium for heated water so you do not need any more water storage tanks. The rays that deliver the energy of the sun give both heat and power that can effectively be gathered and changed to other types of energy, such as electricity. Solar steam generators use solar power generation use the power of the sun to heat water and create steam to let electrical turbines work. Another popular method of solar power generation is through the use of photovoltaic devices. The Benefits If you choose to use solar panels, you can produce electricity that can power various applications. Off-grid living means residing in a location where the main electric utility grid does not service your home or office. There are remote cabins and homes that can benefit from solar power systems.