Use of Solar Systems For Household Purposes
† Friday, July 16th, 2010Solar panels have become an excellent and an increasingly attractive renewable source of energy for homes and businesses. This could be attributed to three basic reasons; specifically, the growing costs of energy from conventional sources, the decreasing prices of improved solar panels for homes as well as incentives offered by governments that make green energy an attractive choice.
In America, more than 10,000 homes and businesses are powered entirely by solar panels. On top of that, 200,000 homes and businesses use solar panels to meet their energy requirements. That results in substantial savings on energy bills. Subsequently, the use of non-renewable resources like fossil fuels is decreased, which amounts to less environmental pollution.
The cost of installation for a home of a typical family can be $18-20 K if carried out by a professional installation company. These high costs prevent people from using solar panels. But anybody can save on installation costs via tax credits and state rebates. Also, if you do it yourself, the cost would only be about one-third before tax credits and rebates.
You can have a couple of choices: a stand-alone unit that requires battery to function properly or a grid-intertied unit.
A good upgrade to your home is to convert to grid-intertied solar panel system. As always, planning is the main prerequisite of successful conversion.
First, calculate the energy you will need based on past consumption. You should pick the right size of your solar panel system. An oversized unit will generate more power which you could sell to the power company, but you can only get credit and not cash for it.
After that, understand if your home is suitable for a solar system. The factors to be accounted for are as follows: available space, house orientation and climatic conditions. A good estimate of roof space is 80 to 100 sq. ft. per kilowatt. A building has to be oriented towards south for the solar energy system to be efficient, and there should be no objects that may get in the way of sunlight.
Though it is possible to mount the solar panels on poles, solar panel systems are usually mounted on the roof. With the help of steel bolts, the supports are attached to roof rafters. The panels are then installed on the supports.
Solar panel kits are readily available in the market. There are vendors that sell their panels on the web, but it is not advisable to purchase the kits from them unless you are an experienced DIY solar panel system builder.
Typical set of hardware you will need for a stand-alone grid-intertied system consists of: solar panel units, utility-interactive inverter, power meter, roof mounts, a couple of heavy duty safety switches, wirings and conduits. A DIY installation for a 1-kW system would cost a little above the $3,000 mark.
If you are not experienced in this area, you should choose a respectable supplier who is known for excellent service. It is sensible to look for DIY kits with accompanying installation manual with at least a good number of illustrations. The supplier should preferably have telephone contact, and better yet, could send an engineer in case you need consultation. Alternatively if you are lucky enough to have a friend or acquaintance who is experienced in installing home solar panels, then ask him to assist you in the procurement of the hardware as well as in the installation.
Many have shown that renewable energy can save one both money and the Mother Earth. With availability of improved, affordable solar panels for homes and businesses, solar energy is the best option for the majority of families, so start that home improvement project: install a home solar system.