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How it works seems like a mystery to some, but we've all seen it used to power everyday things like calculators. It is also used to supply electricity to the appliances and lights we use in our homes.

Even utility companies use solar power to supplying hundreds of houses with megawatts of electricity.

If you decide to power your house with a solar electric system, you will receive FREE power from the sun, once your system is paid for.

Here are two of the most frequently asked questions for solar power how it works.

How is solar energy used?

1.) Solar energy works by converting the sun's rays into electricity with the use of solar panels to supply power to the appliances use in our homes.

2.) Solar energy works by converting the sun's rays into heat with the use of solar thermal collectors for warming water, i.e. for the swimming pool.

3.) Solar energy works by converting the sun's rays into hot air for heating buildings with the use of solar thermal collectors.

How do solar panels work?

1.) Rays of sunlight hit the solar panel (also know as a photovoltaic/ PV) and are absorbed by semi-conducting materials such as silicone.

2.) Electrons are knocked loose from their atoms, which allow them to flow through the material to produce electricity. This process whereby light (photo) is converted into electricity (voltage) is called the photovoltaic (PV) effect.

3.) An array of solar panels converts solar energy into DC (direct current) electricity.

4.) The DC electricity then enters an inverter.

5.) The inverter turns DC electricity into 120-volt AC (alternating current) electricity needed by home appliances.

6.) The AC power enters the utility panel in the house.

7.) The electricity (load) is then distributed to appliances or lights in the house.

8.) When more solar energy is generated that what you're using - it can be stored in a battery as DC electricity. The battery will continue to supply your home with electricity in the event of a power blackout or at nighttime.

9.) When the battery is full the excess electricity can be exported back into the utility grid, if your system is connected to it.

10.) Utility supplied electricity can also be drawn form the grid when not enough solar energy is produced and no excess energy is stored in the battery, i.e. at night or on cloudy days.

11.) The flow of electricity in and out of the utility grid is measured by a utility meter, which spins backwards (when you are producing more energy that you need) and forward (when you require additional electricity from the utility company). The two are offset ensuring that you only pay for the additional energy you use from the utility company. Any surplus energy is sold back to the utility company. This system is referred to as "net-metering".

For more information about Solar Energy visit Facts About Solar Energy today.

Healthy marriages require time, attention, energy, and vigilance. Its not realistic to think that you can have a super marriage without effort on your part.

It pays to be observant, to ask questions when you dont understand something, and to notice changes in behavior, tone of voice, and attitude. Communication experts have found that only seven percent of our communication is verbal, while the other ninety-three percent depends on body language and tone of voice. Thus, it only makes good sense to pay attention to much more than just the actual words a spouse says.

There are ten danger signals that can help you to head off trouble in your marriage before problems become more serious. Pay attention when:

1. Your spouse acts upset but says Nothings wrong when you ask, yet youre sure theres more to it. Trust your intuition about this. Females in particular are prone to say Nothing when asked Whats wrong? This often indicates that there is something they need to say, but they dont feel comfortable saying it. Work on creating a safe environment for the sharing of mutual concerns.

2. You ask your spouse about something and get a listless, barely audible Okay, thats fine, but the tone doesnt sound sincere. This response is similar to number one. Whats usually obvious from the tone of voice and other non-verbal communication is that most assuredly something is wrong. Everything is not fine. And if that something doesnt come out into the open where it can be resolved, it will pop up later and cause difficulties.

3. Your spouse is unusually anxious or agitated when you walk in unexpectedly while he or she is on the computer. It may just be a coincidence, but it could also be that your partner is involved in doing something that he or she doesnt want you to see. To know if its nothing or if something is brewing will take observation over a period of time. Becoming involved with someone online isnt harmless, as some spouses will claim. It robs a marriage of commitment and focused energy, plus it can lead to an affair in real time.

4. You observe that your spouse is being secretive about cell phone calls or text messages. Sometimes spouses will find a partner hiding in the closet or locked in the bathroom talking on the cell phone. This is certainly something to pay attention to, but dont jump to conclusions. Just observe for awhile. Sometime theres a rational explanation such as a spouse who is making secret calls to set up a surprise birthday party for the partner. But if thats not the case, the secret calls could be a signal that your marriage is in danger.

5. Your spouse has a significant change in moods, enjoyment of life, socialization patterns, or grooming/appearance. A spouse can become depressed and sometimes the partner doesnt put the clues together to realize whats happening. The spouse who is feeling depressed may experience changes in sleep patterns, eating, appearance, and hygiene. There may also be uncharacteristic isolation from friends and family, as well as crying spells or loss of interest in things that used to bring pleasure. If this happens, its time to consult with your spouses physician.

6. You realize that your spouse is developing a pattern of trying to avoid going to bed at the same time you do and sleeping in the same bed with you. Numerous wives have shared in counseling that they deliberately stay up later than their husbands to avoid sex. Or they say that a child wont go to sleep unless they lie down with them. Often, then, the parent ends up going to sleep in the childs room, giving the excuse that they didnt want to wake the partner or that they fell asleep without meaning to. The warning sign comes when this turns into a nightly pattern, not an occasional occurrence.

7. You realize that you dont know who your spouse really is any more. This is certainly a wake-up call that its time to make your marriage a top priority. Youll want to spend extra time together talking and sharing from the heart. One common lament marriage counselors hear is, He (or she) doesnt really know me. Im just a paycheck to her (or just someone who keeps the house clean and takes care of the kids). Take the time to find out what your spouse is really thinking and feeling.

8. Your relationship feels stale and dull. If this stage continues, both you and your spouse could be more susceptible to the lure of an affair. Deliberately schedule plans to do new things and go new places, and of course, look at how you could spice up your sex life with your partner. Do you need to trade off babysitting time with a friend so you can leave the kids and take a weekend trip with your spouse? Or let the friend keep the kids while you and your partner stay home alone?

9. You find yourself co-existing in the same house with your spouse but never really connecting. When this happens, its time to schedule a time each day to sit, talk, share feelings, hold hands, hug, and reconnect. You cant afford to lose your feeling of closeness and bonding with your partner. Cut back on extra activities and immediately make your marriage your priority. Without emotional intimacy, your marriage will lose its momentum and passion.

10. You realize your sense of fun and joy has been replaced by resignation and complacency. Its time to shake things up. Have you gotten in a rut? Turn things upside down and put some variety in your marriage. Maybe its time for those dance lessons your wife has been begging you to take with her. Or maybe its time to go on that camping trip your husband has been talking about for months. Whatever you do, dont just sit thereplan something fun!

Nancy J. Wasson, Ph.D., is co-author of the book Keep Your Marriage: What to Do When Your Spouse Says "I don't love you anymore!" This is available at http://www.KeepYourMarriage.com, where you can also sign up for the free weekly Keep Your Marriage Internet Magazine to get ideas and support for improving your marriage.

Have you ever dreamt about sailing away to adventure in your own sailboat and exploring the oceans of this beautiful planet of ours? The excitement, the freedom, the sheer joy of sailing and visiting the myriad exotic places along the way? hawaii, The Caribbean, san Blas Islands, south America, The Galapagos Islands, Marquesas, French Polynesia, Tonga, and on to New Zealand and australia. These are but a few and the list is endless.

Can you feel the excitement, following months of planning, of finally setting off on yur first pasage? The exultation of leaving port for the first time on the first leg of your adventure of a lifetime? Believe me it is a wonderful feeling setting off, knowing that you have months ahead of you to sail the oceans with absolutely no restrictions, free to sail where your fancy takes you. And, as you leave behind you, all those limitations of land living - work, the day to day affairs, traffic congestion, city living, pollution and more - a weight will lift away from you and it will be replaced, slowly at first, by a growing and wondeful sense of freedom. As you take the first drafts of fesh air deep into your lungs, filling them to the bottom, you will come to realise their is no substitute in this world for it.

If this is your dream, or you are already planning your adventure, or already doing it, then you will gain benefit from my '101 Dollar Saving tips for Sailors'. Most of us are on a budget and would like to save where we can. My '101 Dollar Saving tips for Sailors' could save you hundreds, even thousands of dollars during the duration of your voyage. Many of 'The Tips' are things you would never think about before setting sail, but have been gathered together during my four year voyage of sailing 'The Dream' to all the exotic destinations mentioned above.

I have two reasons for encouraging you to begin your odyssey, and the first is that so many folks spend their life dreaming about it but for a whole host of reasons, never get around to beginning. This is very sad - to miss out on one of the most wonderful life experience one could hope for just because they cannot pass that first mental hurdle - my job is to help you get over that.

Secondly, and this is tied into global Warming and Climate change. There may be a time coming in the future when a tip like this may be more restricted. We have little control over this in the short term, but we do know right now that we can set sail knowing the weather is still our friend, and are able to visit all of these wonderful destinations.

So now is the time to begin and start your planning - remember the great Nike tag line? 'Do it Now', don't put it off - you will never regret beginning and then you will wonder why you never started sooner.

vincent bossley is a publisher and lives on the Northern Beaches of Sydney, australia. He has is own website http://www.sailboat2adventure.com for cruising sailors, sailors planning their lifetime adventure, armchair sailors, virtual sailors and in fact anyone who has ever dreamed of sailing the oceans of this beautiful planet of ours. You can find him on http://www.sailboat2adventure.com