Energy radiating directly from the sun has always been available to us.

How do solar cells convert sunlight into electricity? These photovoltaic (PV) cells are made up of special materials, particularly the element silicon, which allows them to absorb light. Silicon is known as a semiconductor due to its absorptive and insulative properties.

In solar cells, silicon is placed under non-reflective glass to collect photons (units of electromagnetic energy) from the sun. The PV cells have one or more electric fields that essentially force the electrons harnessed by the absorption of sunlight to move in a certain direction. This movement of electrons, called a current, is further guided by metal contacts on the PV cell.

Individual solar cells are packaged into solar panels that can be mounted on your roof or on the ground to take advantage of the free energy landing there every day.

Photovoltaic systems can either be standalone or grid connected. In a grid-connected system, the PV cells produce power in parallel with the electrical utility (i.e. your local power company), which uses a utility grid to connect and distribute power to its users.

After installation, solar panels absorb the sun's rays, even on cloudy days, and convert sunlight into usable electrical energy. Next, an inverter converts the DC current from the solar panels to AC current for use throughout your home. Your solar system is connected to the utility grid through a standard utility meter that tracks your net power use while taking into account the electricity production from your solar system.

During sunny days when your solar system generates more power than your home needs, your electric meter actually reverses direction and spins backwards as you lend that energy to the utility grid. When the sun goes down, you effectively retrieve that energy when you need it. This process is called net metering.How powerful is solar energy? When you consider that enough sunlight falls on the earth's surface each minute to meet the world's energy demands for an entire year, it's clear that sunlight represents a great alternative energy opportunity.

Today, solar power is considered the most abundant, reliable, clean source of all known energy sources, and we've only just begun to tap its potential.

Utah Solar & Alternative Energy is proud to be a factory trained and authorized SunPower dealer. SunPower solar technology was developed by Dr. Richard Swanson and his students while he was professor of electrical engineering at Stanford University. Financial support for Dr. Swanson's early research was provided in part by the U.S. Department of Energy and the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI). In 1985, Dr. Swanson founded SunPower Corporation to commercialize high-efficiency photovoltaic cell technology.

The SunPower Advantage

SunPower designs, manufactures, and delivers the highest-performance solar electric technology worldwide. SunPower high-efficiency solar cells generate up to 50 percent more power than conventional cells.Our high-performance solar panels, roof tiles, and tracking systems deliver significantly more energy than conventional systems. And, our panels have an attractive, all-black appearance.

Intelligent Engineering - More Power to You

Unlike conventional solar cells, our innovative technology positions the electrical contacts on the back of the cell leaving the entire front surface available to absorb and convert sunlight to power. This design results in a far more efficient solar cell.

Elegant Design - Inside and Out

Solar products should blend harmoniously into your environment, not stand out from it. Solar is a significant investment that should add to, rather than detract from the appearance of your home. To help achieve this, SunPower panels are uniformly smooth, dark, and free of metal gridlines that create unsightly reflective patterns.

Higher Energy Delivery

SunPower cell and panel technology combines superior light capture, enhanced temperature performance, and no low-light induced degradation in order to deliver more energy per rated watt than conventional solar technology.  That means more solar electricity from your SunPower solar system.

Finest Quality Construction To Outlast and Outperform

We use only premium materials in all of our SunPower products to ensure year after year of maintenance-free high-quality performance. By utilizing advanced technology and adhering to the most stringent safety requirements for high-voltage operation, our solar cells, solar panels and inverters are built to last.

The result–SunPower customers benefit from lower electric bills, higher carbon emissions savings, and a superior appearance. That is Smarter Solar.

What happens after the solar evaluation?
After your solar evaluation, you’ll receive a proposal for a new SunPower System. If you decide to sign the contract, your SunPower Dealer will prepare your house to go solar.

How do SunPower panels perform?
With SunPower, 300 square-feet of roof space can generate more than 4.5 kilowatts of DC power. By comparison, conventional panels deliver roughly 3.3 kilowatts of DC power in the same space. In other words, SunPower provides more power with less roof space.

How does solar power work?

1. SunPower solar cells convert sunlight into electricity. They do so up to 50% more efficiently than conventional cells. SunPower solar panels contain no moving parts, are highly durable, and produce energy even on cloudy days.
2. The SunPower inverter converts DC power from the solar panels into AC power for household use.
3. Your electric meter spins backward when solar production exceeds household use, crediting surplus energy against your monthly bill. For financed systems, the savings may completely offset monthly payments.