The Full Stand-Alone The complete or full stand-alone system is very useful for complete independence from electric utility companies and fossil fuels. The benefit of the system is the capacity to provide power away from the utility, as well as creating a measure of self independence. The complete stand-alone home solar system will usually have a couple of inverters to supply the AC house current needed to power very big loads like air conditioners. The systems can be air-based or liquid-based. Liquid-based systems involve the use of large water tanks or thermal mass for the storage of heat. Distribution is managed through radiant slab systems, hot-water baseboards and central forced air systems. Air-based systems involve rock bins or thermal mass that hold the heated air for storing. Also, there are certain programs that allow solar energy systems user to sell back energy or electricity that they were not able to consume to the utility provider, giving you more ways to save money. Do Sunny Areas Have More Solar Energy Systems? Although the ideal location to place these solar energy power plants to harness sunlight would be in locations that have an ideally hot climate, some places which does not have that hot of a climate are known to have more solar panels than those which have hot climates. 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. Solar energy systems used on hot water heaters can actually help you save a considerable percentage on your utility bills, over 85% of the total electric water heating cost of your home. The primary principle that people need to know more about include solar home heating, which involves getting solar energy and transforming it into heat. You will better appreciate solar heating systems and solar energy as a whole by knowing how the process works. Here is some more info. About the Collectors A solar energy collector gets the radiant energy from the sun to be converted into heat. Active solar space heating can heat air inside the house by using pumps, blowers and fans that will distribute and gather heat. The systems can be either air-based or liquid-based. Air-based systems use rock bins or thermal mass, while liquid-based systems use thermal mass or water tanks. Active solar water heating can heat water in the home with the use of pumps.