As solar panel technology advances, the image people have of solar technology will change as well. The old images of large, boxy solar panels sitting on rooftop hoping to catch some part of the sun's rays are slowing fading as people see the newer, smaller and smarter solar power panel advances emerge.

The heat that is continuously created by the sun can be harnessed for use in heating both water systems and ventilation systems through a solar power panel, generally called a photovoltaic or PV panel. A solar power panel is lined with semi-conductive material, usually silicon-based, which generates electricity whenever light from the sun goes through it. The lining is known as the solar cell. The electricity travels via the semi-conductive material to the electrical system powering your house.

Originally, the solar panel or PV panels were restricted to big square or rectangular-shaped enclosures. Recently, the manufacturing process for solar cells has developed tremendously, opening new doors to significant changes in the way solar power panels can be integrated into your business or home. As solar cells become as a more practical alternative to energy problems, solar panels have become easier to install and can be made a part of roofing material or even parts of windows. Building Integrated Photovoltaics, or BIPV, is the emerging technology of integrating solar cells into all kinds of building materials, so that a building can be green from the ground up.

Solar cells that are integrated into roofing material will give the same protective qualities as traditional asphalt shingles, while simultaneously gathering energy from the sun. The same technology may also be used for exterior walls, windows, skylights, walkway coverings, awnings, and car ports, and it would appear that, every day, a new means of integrating solar power panels into regular building materials becomes available.

Many types of solar power panel assemblies can be installed on buildings directly. Ground mounted or pole mounted fixtures are the most widely used assemblies in this category. Being able to use the different methods of maximizing the sun's rays makes it easier to get the most out of these solar panels and easier to design a the layout. Indirect sun exposure will still allow solar panels to generate power, but direct sun exposure is the most efficient way to create the greatest amount of solar power.

When solar power panels are ground-mounted, they are attached to metal frames, often with motorized mounts. These mounts allow the panels to move so they can follow the path of the sun as it travels throughout the day. While the frames are often made our of standard construction materials, they could possibly be constructed out of any other more green materials.

Pole mounted solar power panels can be made to adjust themselves to the sun's path as well, This is important so a solar cell can capture as much sunlight as possible as the sun moves throughout the day. Solar cells mounted on poles are mounted on the side, top or front of the metal pole.