Posts Tagged: Home Solar Power

Everyone has heard of solar power and knows how it has the potential, along with other green energy sources, to save the planet from death by pollution. Everyone agrees that this is a good thing and should receive all the support it needs. People think the government should do more to encourage solar power – everyone wants a solar powered car!

solar home energy system

But ask people what is their involvement in solar power on a personal level and the normal response is a blank stare or an “It’s not practical / doesn’t meet our needs / I’m waiting for the process to drop.” In other words, it seems that home solar energy system in the form of home solar power systems is something that is great in theory but is not of much immediate relevance.

A common argument made by solar power enthusiasts is that 20 days of sunshine has the same energy potential as all the fossil fuel on Earth. This may be true, but it is difficult to translate into individual experience!

home solar energy systems

solar power became popular in the early 1980s when the aftermath of the energy crisis, advancement in solar power technology and Federal tax cuts made it an attractive option. In 1984 over 16 million square feet of solar collectors were sold in the US. The subsequent fall in fuel prices and the removal of the tax cuts saw the demand drop.

Today, solar power is more attractive than ever. The cost of producing solar power is still high, but has dropped by over 90% when compared to the process of 20 years ago. And the prices are still falling. True, the cost of installing a home solar power system is not cheap and can run from $10,000 to $40,000 and more. But you will be able to reduce your energy bills significantly. With proper house design and using passive solar power methods in conjunction with a home solar power system, it may even be possible to bring your dependence on commercially generated power to zero. In other words, future energy costs will involve only the home solar power system maintenance. And even if you cannot totally remove your dependence on the power grid, the reduction on your commercial power consumption will be big.

solar home energy system

Another plus point of installing a home solar power system is that today most electric companies are willing to buy back excess power that a home may produce – say during the day when no one is at home to consume the solar power being generated. This amount fed back into the grid will be adjusted against what you have consumed, bringing down your electricity bills even further.

There are also a host of incentives available including personal tax, sales tax and property rebates, discounts, loans and grants for those who install home solar energy systems. Making use of these can bring down the initial cost by up to 50% or even more.

Don’t dismiss solar power as something for the future or not relevant to you. It makes sense today – check out the facts and see for yourself about installing a home solar power system.

Here are some basic facts about solar energy for the home.

A home solar power system has several standard components they are as follows:

* PV Modules or solar panels (to turn solar energy into electricity)

* A charge controller (this is an electrical device that prevents batteries from overcharging and from power running from the batteries into the solar panels).

* Batteries, to store the electricity for night time usage.

* An inverter (an device which changes the electricity created by the solar panels into electricity ready for use in your regular household wall sockets). Solar panels create Direct Current DC and a household runs on A/C Alternating Current.

* In the case of a hybrid home solar system, an automatic switch to get current from the electrical grid, or some other power source such as a generator would be included as well. The advantage of using a hybrid system is that you will not be dependent upon solar energy alone.

* A 1-kilowatt home solar system is sufficient for most households.

* A 1-kilowatt home solar system will provide roughly 1,600 kilowatts per year in a sunny climate (receiving 5.5 hrs of sunlight each day) and about 750 kilowatt hours per year in cloudy climates (receiving 2.5 hours of sunlight each day).

* A 1-kilowatt home solar system is uses about 10-12 solar panels, and requires about 100 square feet of installation area (which could be the roof of your home or a section of land on your property).

* A 1-kilowatt home solar energy system reduces waste and pollution by about 170 pounds. of coal from being burned, 300 pounds of carbon dioxide from being released into the atmosphere and 105 gallons of water from being consumed each month! A big step toward protecting our environment, in other words.

* With battery back up, a solar energy system can provide electricity day and night, no matter what the weather conditions. Other options, which include back-up generators and grid-tie systems, provide total security.

* On average a 1-kilowatt home solar system takes about 1-2 days to install and costs around US$10,000 (though prices are coming down), but can vary greatly and does not take into account any tax incentives offered by the government for reducing carbon emissions.

* Most systems come with a 5-year warranty, although the solar panels are warranted for 20, and as technology advances some are even coming out with a 30 year warranty.

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Installing solar power into one’s home is a great way to help clean up the environment and save money as well.

Learn more about Home Solar Power at the author’s website on Solar Energy. You can also visit this Solar Power Store to find a variety of solar powered equipment.

For a very long time, scientists have always looked into utilizing solar energy as an alternative way of harnessing energy to meet human needs. Further studies have now given us various machines that operate on this type of alternative energy. Now we have prototypes of solar powered cars, solar heated homes and even solar powered heaters. Some of these amazing machines have now been extensively disseminated and are now available for use in many green homes in areas of the world.

In order for our homes to have heated water, running turbines and set to our preffered temperature, we need first to collect the energy that the sun exudes. The utilization of solar panels is one method of harnessing solar power.
The sun’s thermal energy is picked up by these shiny black panels supplying electricity to any connected appliances that run on solar power.

A particular appliance can only run on solar power depending on the power of each grid on a solar panel. These grids are called photovoltaic cells or photovoltaic modules. They are set on the solar panel in a way that they could maximize the collection of sunlight and then use the acquired energy efficiently. These photovoltaic arrays are now widely produced because of the large demand for it, hence the costs of producing them have greatly lowered.

Semiconductors allow photovoltaic cells to utilize the heat of the sun and transform it into electricity. Generally these cells can be seen in certain large facilities, emergency telephones and even in your solar-powered calculators. Now it is becoming more and more possible to insulate your home and heat your water with the use of this technology, because of the lower cost of creating and maintaining solar panels. Do-it-yourself solar power kits are also available now that can help you generate solar power at home and greatly reduce your dependence on commercial power at a much lower cost.

Although the creation of solar panels and the use of solar energy itself have lowered in price, it is still rather costly compared to the use of most conventional energy. So if you are thinking of using solar energy to heat your water and insulate your home, also think about the following tips and reminders.

-Doing a complete study on the solar panels different sources have to offer can be very useful. This way you can end up with the best solar panel and heating package that suits your energy needs at home and the amount you are willing to spend. What you must search for is the package that lets you heat water, insulate your home and power essential electrical apparatus.

-Solar hot water systems can heat different sources of water in your home. You can get it to generate hot water straight from your faucet, and even heat the water in your swimming pool. This is also one of the things you should take note of when inquiring for any heating package.

The concept of solar panels can be very economical and practical in many ways. Since electronic grids and gallons of fuel are impractical sometimes to transfer, especially to remote areas, the use of solar energy may be the only solution. Remote areas such as deserts and islands almost always have sun all year round which greatly suits the practice of using solar power. Solar panels are simpler to transfer, even to the most remote areas where conventional energy sources are impossible. Solar panels are also easily transferred in boats and airline carriers which require energy, but not the bulk of electric grids and gallons of fuel.

Despite the upsides of solar power, it is still costly compared to grid-based electricity. Also the photovoltaic cells technology that we have is still restricted that a number of these are required to generate enough electricity to supply bigger needs. This means more costs for purchasing and maintenance. And since you need a big area with more photovoltaic cells, this is not suitable if you live in a suburban area where space may be limited. Another thing is that solar cells only generate direct electric current which first needs to be changedto alternate current, or AC. This can result to about a four to twelve percent energy loss.

The use of solar energy to heat water and your home is a great way to save the environment and money in the long run. It helps to do a complete study about home made solar power first before thinking of using it in your own home. Comparing prices and doing a lot of inquiry can bring you the best package that will suit you and your resources.

More people are becoming interested in the advantages of Home Solar Power Systems. Using one of these systems is the only way to gain your independence from local utilities which supply electrical energy for your home. By installing solar panels on your house and the generator needed to convert sunlight into usable energy, you’ll never have to worry about power outages or the potential increased costs of powering your house.

Home Solar Power Systems

Each home Home Solar Energy Systems includes solar photovoltaic (PV) panels, an interactive network inverter, the roof assembly and a wiring system. All home solar energy systems require a simple but complete installation, and some homeowners may require assistance with paperwork in order to qualify for a possible government financial incentive.

Home Solar Power Systems are easy and inexpensive to install in your home. There are numerous do-it-yourself kits available, or you can hire a contractor to come and install the system for you. Whatever your choice, it is clear that installing a home solar energy system is a great way to do your part to help keep the earth green.

Typically, if you do the installation yourself, you will need the help of some friends; because the panels can be a bit heavy and unwieldy. Also, working alone on a roof with big panels is not a very safe practice.

Home Solar Power Systems

Before you start installing your Home Solar Energy Systems, you must make sure that you have all the tools and equipment needed. As a general rule, your basic handy-man tool kit will suffice for installing the panels on the roof of your house. However, if you plan to install solar panels in a place away from your home, you may need to rent equipment in order to bury the cables. Also, you will need to ensure that you have a safe place to house the generator for your Home Solar Energy Systems.