When choosing an energy resource for the subject of this article, I bounced around many ideas. Then it occurred to me that I should write about what I will be living with in about a month. My mother just finished designing and building our earthbag, solar, off-grid home, a four-year effort. I will soon be living in a place powered by one of the most common alternative energy resources, solar power, so I should learn more about it. In our new house we have two self-contained plinths with six 170W panels on each plinth, making the Solar System 2040W or 2kW. According to Mr. Solar.com, “This type of energy production, known as the photovoltaic effect, is achieved by solar panels converting sunlight into energy. Solar panels are made of several individual solar cells, made up of layers of silicon, phosphorus (which provides the negative charge), and boron (which provides the positive charge). Solar panels absorb photons from sunlight and thus trigger an electric current that produces electrons. The resulting energy generated by photons striking the surface of the solar panel allows electrons to be knocked out of their atomic orbits and released into an electric field generated by the solar cells, which then attract these free electrons in a direct or directional current. This electricity is then routed to a mechanical room under our house to a charge controller, which regulates the amount of energy sent to our 24V batteries for storage. From these batteries, electricity is fed to an inverter, which then transforms the direct current into alternating or alternating current in order to use our modern electrical appliances and gadgets. There are two types of grid systems, which operate from solar panels, "off-grid" or "grid-tied". My mother chose a...... middle of paper...... and a monthly water refill. Solar energy is the cleanest and purest form of energy, enabling overall cleaner air in our environment. There are high hopes that more solar panels will be installed around the world. Solar power is a viable alternative energy, with solar panels becoming more affordable and designed more efficiently. It will be somewhat of a personal challenge for me to move into our mud house. By living with a 2 kW solar system, and not one that is too large, I will have to be more conscious of my energy consumption; I can't always dry my hair, I remember to turn off all the lights when I leave a room, and I put my electrical gadgets on a surge protector that I can turn off to avoid "trickle charges." It will be an adjustment for me to be conscious of what I consume, but I am proud of the fact that I am reducing my footprint on this precious planet..