The initial expense of a solar energy installation is one of its primary deterrents. For the average American today, the traditional fossil fuel home energy system is less expensive to purchase than a solar home energy system. A solar energy installation, however, has a bigger picture to consider:
1. Using the sun’s energy by capturing it and using it in solar panels will help your home value appreciate.
2. In about half of its lifetime, a solar home energy system will have paid for itself (lifetime of 25-30 years on average).
3. Since solar energy systems have no moving parts to replace or to break, your clean, non-polluting solar energy system will be either maintenance free or low maintenance.
4. Your local electric company will probably buy your excess energy if you generate more power than you need.
5. You may be eligible for government sponsored rebates and incentives.
If you’ve been keeping up with home building trends, you’ve undoubtedly noticed more and more home owners are interested in “going green,” resulting in a remarkable trend toward using as many renewable resources, including solar energy, for construction, as possible. Not only will this trend result in a rising value for “green” homes, it will also push costs for solar energy and other environmentally-friendly building supplies down.
If you’ve decided you really want solar energy when building or remodeling your home, but can’t convince yourself you can afford it…at least the initial installation cost…consider installing the system yourself. Solar panels installed by a contractor is much more expensive…bids are coming in that are 10 times or greater more than what you would pay if you did your own installation. There’s no rocket science involved in solar energy construction or installation. Basically, you have a specially constructed solar panel (a box, PV or photovoltaic cells, wire, soldering iron, connections, a cover made of tempered or plexiglass and silicone or other sealant), that captures the sunlight’s energy to activate the electrons on the PV cells. When those electrons move, and then are directed through your panel, they create an electrical chain. That goes through a charge controller in the form of a DC charge. Then, the charge gets either run through an inverter to transform it into 110 volt AC current, or it gets captured in a deep cycle storage battery. There are many DIY models on the Internet with tips, tricks, and instructions. Some are free and some charge a small amount. Look at Earth4Energy to find a clear instruction for a very reasonable amount.
Taking advantage of passive solar energy is a great way to cut your energy costs. Examine closely the best ways to take advantage of the sun’s energy to direct the sunlight to your home’s windows, then walls and floors, to allow heat distribution in the winter, and summertime rejection. No electrical or mechanical devices or solar panels are necessary in passive solar energy, although there are five critical elements for success in passive solar design. Those five critical elements are 1) area…glass generally, to allow sunlight into your building; 2) absorber…hard, dark surface for the sunlight to hit and be absorbed as heat; 3) thermal mass…the material below or behind the absorber; 4) distribution plan or system…how the solar heat gets circulated; and 5) control…awnings, blinds, differential thermostats and roof overhangs.
There’s money to be saved using solar energy, whether you use passive or active, or combine the two. While your initial cost may be higher, (although you can reduce that expense significantly with your own installation) consider the cost of your energy usage over time. With constantly rising fossil fuel expenses, putting in solar energy is going to ultimately save you money on your utility bills. And, you’ll be saving the planet from the environmental damage that continues to escalate.
On Earth Day 2010, Rhone Resch, who is the CEO and President of Solar Energy Industries Association said: “Today we need to take action to accelerate the deployment of solar. If you are a homeowner or business owner, consider putting solar on your property or buying clean energy through your utility. And if you are a policymaker, consider incentives, like extending the federal Treasury Grant Program, that are working to stimulate more investment in solar.”
Whatever thing, large or small, that each one of us can do to support and encourage the development and usage of solar energy will make a difference for generations to come.
Want to find out more about solar power costs, then visit Timothy Peters’s site at: www.HomeSolarPowerExplained.com
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