Your Green Life: "Silicon Energy"

By KBJR News 1

April 11, 2013 Updated Apr 11, 2013 at 9:55 AM CDT

Mountain Iron, MN
Renewable energy comes in many forms. One that many people think of comes from our sun. But how does it work?

Erin Shea, a Sales Rep. at Silicon Energy tells me, "The silicon cells are semi–conductors and so basically they harvest the photons, the energy in the sunlight, and that energy excites electrons in this material and then the module is designed in such a way that those electrons can be swept through the wiring and come into our home and produce electricity."

But there is something that makes Silicon Energy's Modules special. The solar modules are locally made, sustainably made, and durable.

"We're rated to 125lbs/square foot, so it's meant to handle high wind, high snow load, really extreme environments." Says Shea.

New manufacturing techniques are now being applied to make solar power even more viable. Adding a new twist to an old sustainable technology.

Shea said, "Solar electricity technology has been around since the 1800's actually, so it's a technology we have known about for a really long time."

Suzanne Daniels, says that just working for this company has influenced her life at home, and her outlook for the future.

"It's inspiring to work here," Daniels said, "Looking down the road that this has to be, I believe that this has to be something that we need to do, we just can't depend on our oil forever and this is forever!"

The average home would need 20–30 modules to produce enough electricity for the entire household.

Meteorologist Adam Lorch
