Can A Home Owner Afford A Residential Solar Power System?




Solar power is the conversion of sunlight into electrical energy, either directly with the help of Photovoltaic (PV) cells or indirectly utilizing concentrated solar power (CSP). Concentrated solar power systems make use of lenses or mirrors and tracking systems to focus a vast area of sunlight into a small powerful beam.

Solar panels comprising several Photovoltaic cells convert light into electricity due to the ‘photoelectric effect’. Solar energy is a free and renewable form of energy. It is worthwhile installing a solar energy system at residences in view of several advantages.

Those who have done a cost-benefit analysis of installing a home solar power system might immediately decide to switch over from a traditional energy source to a solar energy system for their homes. However, in order to fully appreciate its utility, advantages and costs, it is advisable to widen their knowledge on solar technology.

Solar power is useful for lighting, operating home appliances such as refrigerators, electric stoves for cooking food, water heaters and heating the area inside rooms and running air conditioners and various other equipment. The surplus energy available after meeting all household requirements is stored in special battery bank, which can be used during nights or during cloudy weather conditions.

Although it will obviously cost a fairly large amount to install a home solar system, after the initial investment and some maintenance expenses, there will be considerable savings on the monthly electricity bills.

Another advantage in having a home PV system at is that electricity companies will purchase any surplus power that is no longer required.

Those who have installed solar panels will soon be pleasantly surprised to find that the electricity consumption from traditional power source has drastically come down and consequently, a substantial drop in electricity bills. A solar panel is also very useful for growing plants in a ‘greenhouse’.

Greenhouse is built on the roof-top with transparent plastic or glass on which a solar panel directs the heat from the sun warming it up thereby, facilitating the growth of plants.

When talking about a home solar power system, a question that normally comes up is how much does it cost? The cost of a complete system varies depending upon its power generation capacity. It is, therefore, important to assess the requirements of electricity for his home, before making a decision to buy the system.

It would cost a minimum of $4000, if someone would like to have a home solar energy system installed at his residence by an expert in this field. In contrast, there are numerous websites that provide videos and instruction manuals so that you can build his own PV panels via Do It Yourself (DIY) approach for a budget of less than $200. You will need 8 – 12 panels in order to fulfill the energy requirement of a small house.

All materials and tools needed for the job are easily available in every local hardware store. If more number of solar panels is installed, there will be a lot of surplus energy that can be sold to power generating companies. In other words, installing a solar power system will not only help in saving substantial amount of money but also facilitate in generating additional income too.

The present state of economy is in a bad shape all over the world. In these difficult times and with ever increasing prices, people are finding very difficult to maintain their current lifestyle. Many people are not in a position to satisfy even minimum requirements of their families.

In such a scenario, a home solar power system will help people to afford certain items, which were not within their reach earlier. Moreover, people having an alternative energy system at home will be able to preserve environment and contribute their bit to a pollution- free environment.

Smart Approach To Lowering Home Power Usage With Solar System




This evident from the recent happenings that world economy is really in bad shape and is not doing that well. The recent recession, high unemployment, corporate organization closing down and increased in prices of essential commodities has really made life miserable.

These days’ people do not take it as a blessing if they are earning in dollars. Everybody in a household has a fixed obligation, which everybody has to fulfill every month. These obligations are regular expenses like kid’s tuition fee, electricity bills, food bills, house rent, taxes and much more, apart from this you need to save for medical and life insurance etc. Talk about a burden!

Everybody would like to save in these difficult times, and more so if it amounts to hundreds of dollars every month. This is quite possible if you install a solar power system to supplement your home electricity needs because you will save hundreds of dollars. You also get to use energy which is clean and is available in abundance and unending.

The electricity which is produced from other sources not only spoil the environment but this also cause depletion of the earth’s resources. It is an established fact that the Sun is the good source of energy which can be used to produce electricity. It is also termed as green energy which is renewable and does not cause any damage to Mother Nature.

Installing a solar power system and producing electricity at home is an excellent alternative to the conventional electricity from the power grid. People are often discouraged with the Photovoltaic (PV) system installation costs which are quite high, but with the advancement in technology, the initial cost has come down considerably.

Now every household can produce power using solar panels by spending few hundred dollars. This has been made possible due to economy of scale which has lowered the production cost of PV panels from around the world thus making it easier for anyone to generate electricity at home.

The number solar panel you may require depends upon your household electricity needs and consumption. If you have more appliances which use electricity, you will need more solar panels. The number of solar panels and batteries to store the electric charge is directly related to your total power needs.

This means adding more solar panels and battery storage, but if you see the benefits associated with it, you will not mind putting investment into the system. Don’t be surprise that you can save 80% of your electricity bills when the PV cells and solar equipment are all up and running.

If you are good with hand tools, there are a number of home Do It Yourself (DIY) solar power systems which you can install yourself following proper instructions. You have an option to buy readymade solar power system which would cost you anything from $7,000 to $15,000 or go for a DIY approach which will cost you only $3000 or less.

All the material required is easily available in the local hardware stores. You can get all the guidance required for the installation of solar power system on the internet.

Installing a PV system on your own can be fun, once you see that you are able to produce your own electricity, you will feel highly satisfied and contended. You have now ample power available which can run your electric gadgets without worrying about the energy bills any more.

Solar Energy Efficient Building Design A Century Ago

Though home solar power has been there for quite some time but so far it was used for different purposes. Due to invention of the conventional electricity about a century ago, the solar power system lost its popularity.

The conventional electricity became more popular and was used as the major source of energy in the homes. But now once the technology of solar power has advanced, the solar power once again has come to lime light.

It might be quite possible that our forefathers did not have the right word for energy production, but it has been proved beyond doubt that they used solar energy to the fullest advantage. The architecture of the buildings in those days were so much advanced that the use of overhangs and insulation and the position of the structure was directly facing the Sun.

Every care was taken not to block the airflow and the light and ensured that the entire structure is well ventilated. The people used to build their homes in such manner that their lives were closely predisposed by sunlight. It has been seen that the architecture lay outs of buildings in ancient Greece and China were directly facing towards the direction where sunlight was available in abundance.

Presently when the production cost of the conventional electricity is raising with the result our energy bills have also seen an increase. This is the reason that why most home owners are looking for alternative source like solar power in their homes.

The present day technology of solar cells is based on 1950 module, with the improvement of technology the production level and the modern design and styles have improved considerably.

Today we do not require large spaces to be utilized for the installation of solar panels as these panels are small and compact. The production of energy from the solar power is quite expensive as the equipment is made from the material which should be durable and these materials are rare.

The solar cells are bound in such a way to make solar panels. These panels are kept on the roof tops, backyards or any other open space where sunlight is available for most of the time during the day.

Normally solar panels are fixed facing south, so that it gets maximum sunlight, one can also fix a tracking system to track the direction of the Sun. These panels when exposed to sunlight, the electrons in the panels speed up which in turn generates electricity.

Home solar panels have pumps which store the excess energy so that the same can be used during evenings and nights. Normally it has been seen that the solar power meets the 80% demand of a household, people may still have to use conventional energy to fulfill the short fall of 20%.

But in any case meeting a demand of 80% seems quite substantial, imagine that you are saving 80% of your energy bills and also protected the environment. Presently with every passing day, the technology is being improved; soon our 100% requirements can be fulfilled by the solar power house.