Next Steps Take a battery box where you will put the generator in. The box may only cost around $10. It is ideal for covering the exposed terminals just in case you have kids inside the house. If you want to install the system in a cabin, pump shed or boat, you can skip this step. Purchase a 12 volt DC meter. The first solar cells were made by Charles Fritts during the 1880s. Even though the prototype selenium cells converted below 1% of incident light into electricity, James Clerk Maxwell and Ernst Werner von Siemens realized the importance of the finding. After the work of Russell Ohl during the 1940s, Calvin Fuller, Gerald Pearson and Daryl Chapin made the silicon solar cell in 1954. The devices are made to use photovoltaic cells or solar cells to transform solar energy into DC electricity. There are plenty of ways to collect solar energy such as through parabolic troughs, solar panels, solar dishes and solar power towers that have reflecting mirrors. A number of solar collectors are categorized as either concentrating or non-concentrating. It is a very economical way of getting energy needed for different household tools and devices such as lighting, power tools, appliances and other gadgets. You can save more in the next few decades by investing in solar power. You have to know the different types of setups and the things you need to consider before you choose to purchase and install. These high and dangerous levels of solar concentrations could easily ignite combustible materials, making it a possible hire hazard on any home. These are just some of the risks that solar energy could pose on you, so make sure that you do some researching first before deciding on whether you want to get and use solar energy technology for your home or not. 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.