The earliest application of solar cells considered to be very significant was being a back-up power source to the Vanguard satelilite back in 1958. The solar cells continued transmission for more than a year after the chemical battery exhaustion. The operation of solar cells during the mission was considered to be very successful and was duplicated in several American and Soviet satellites. Most homes in America actually have a hot water heater, which is probably why it accounts for about a quarter of the total energy consumption of a typical American home. Unfortunately, the U.S. government actually spends a lot of money on paying off the energy consumed by these hot water heaters, about $13 billion every year, possibly making it the single biggest energy consumer in your home or work place. Getting Electricity Solar panels are primarily installed on a flat surface such as the roof of the house. This ensures that the panels get and absorb enough sunlight to power the different items inside the home. As soon as the solar panels are activated, these will absorb the rays of the sun. The panels are made of semi-conductors like silicone. Certain solar energy systems provide you with different advantages and benefits depending on what you intend to use them on. Solar Energy Benefits One of the main advantages and benefits of using solar energy is that it uses one of the best sources for renewable and clean energy, which is the sun. The sun is known produce solar energy that is over 10,000 the energy that our planet could produce. Parabolic trough systems give the best land-use factor among all solar technologies. CSP plants use several thin strips of mirror instead of the usual parabolic mirrors to focus sunlight onto a couple of tubes using working fluid. This application provides the advantage that flat mirrors can be used. The trailer array is done by retrofitting present vehicles with little stability. Practical Use The first commercial electro-solar hybrid car, called the Venturi Astrolab was introduced in 2006. Some companies in May 2007 also worked to change a Toyota Prius to utilize solar cells to create up to 240 watts of electrical power under the sun.