A Very Inportant Question You Need To Ask Yourself About Solar Energy

The only question that is really relevant to solar energy is why the heck aren’t we using it more? Sunlight is free and there is a lot of it to be had. These days technology has made converting the suns ray into use-able energy easier and more powerful than ever. Back in the day it was kind of hard to take your house off the grid with solar but these days it’s a piece of cake, and it’s free! The problem is education on the topic. People are afraid of change and it takes a leap of faith to break the ties to fossil fuel.

Let’s define the cheap in solar energy first. What is meant that it is free is that after you have installed all the necessary equipment like solar panels, batteries and a generator there is no cost for harnessing the Sun’s power. The initial cost of the equipment can be saved in little more than a year in electric and hot water bills, sometimes even faster. And, even the cost of the equipment isn’t that bad anymore. With more and more people going solar the cost of equipment has come down thanks to demand as well as the technological advancements over the past decades.

Add to the low cost of adapting solar that it no longer takes as much space up and you have a real no brainer. In just a couple decades solar panels and batteries have shrunk significantly in size meaning you need less space to host a solar energy system. The batteries have gotten so advanced that you can go quite a while without sunlight and still operate at full power. It used to be your power was cut down even if a few clouds came by. Not anymore, you can pretty much bank on having plenty of power at anytime.

The arguments for solar power are all good ones and there is little reason not to take the leap. Times are tough right now and if you can take away your dependence on fossil fuel based power generation then you will save a bundle. And, of course since the Sun is very clean source of energy the effect on the environment is zero. Saving money and reducing your carbon footprint while enjoying every convenience you have come to enjoy is a great concept. Installing the equipment and using solar energy is just smart.

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The most popular use of green solar energy is for saving money. Although green solar energy systems can come with a large initial investment, they generally pay for themselves in a few years by providing either supplemental electricity or all of the electricity to your home or business. Building your own solar panels, participating in government refunds and net metering, in which you sell unused electricity back to the power company, can reduce the cost of implementing a green solar energy system. In addition, green solar energy systems require little to no maintenance after installation, as most have no moving parts.

The most important benefit of utilizing green solar energy is completely environmental. With polar ice caps dwindling away and climate changes creating tragic storms world wide, it is increasingly obvious that steps must be taken to decrease global warming and our dependence on fossil fuels. Green solar energy provides a clean energy alternative as it creates little pollution and does not contribute to global warming.

Green solar energy systems can be used by homes and businesses alike. If going solar cannot meet all of your energy needs, it can certainly reduce them. Utilizing green solar energy can save you money, but it’s greatest benefit is to the environment and our future.

Converting To A Solar Home

There are many affordable options to convert your home into a solar home and solar energy technologies can supply for several different uses in a solar home. Passive solar design can provide heating, cooling and natural light for your home. Solar electricity options are available to power home appliances and solar water heating can provide hot water options for laundry and general household water use (showers, cooking, cleaning). When planning a solar home it is important to consider which solar energy options are most efficient, and cost effective for your situation.

A passive solar home utilizes home design to provide heating, cooling and natural light without the use of any special equipment. A passive solar home basically uses the environment to accomplish great reductions in energy use. A passive solar home uses construction materials and design to utilize the sun’s heat during winter months and block the sun’s heat during summer months. There are several passive solar techniques you can use in a solar home, direct gain, radiant heat from sunlight passing directly into a living space and being absorbed by furniture, flooring etc and usually achieved with south facing window installations, indirect gain, involving an attached Trombe wall that collects heat and distributes it throughout the home by the use of fans, thermal mass, which are materials that naturally collect and store heat such as brick or stone, and passive cooling, which generally includes overhangs for south-facing windows to block the sun during summer months for cooling the solar home.

Another feature often found in a solar home is the use of solar electricity. Solar electricity is generated when photovoltaic cells are used to absorb sunlight and convert it into usable electricity. The energy produced by solar panels must be converted to DC (household power) through the use of an inverter. Solar electricity can be used to supplement metered electric already being received by a solar home or with the use of a battery storage bank, can be used as the only electric source for the home. If the later is going to be used, it is suggested that owners of the solar home have a generator available for backup power.

Solar water heating is one of the most common uses of solar energy in a solar home. There are two kinds of solar water heating available for solar home use. The first is a closed loop system, which can be used in areas that are not prone to freezing. These systems use water filled tubes that are heated directly by the sun. A closed loop system uses an anti-freeze type liquid to collect heat from the sun and then the heated liquid is used to heat household water via a heat exchanger.

Regardless of which steps you take toward converting to a solar home, energy efficiency is the most important attribute to a successful solar home operation. Energy efficiency minimizes the need for heating, cooling and electricity. Using higher insulation levels, more energy efficient windows, appliance and lighting than used in traditional construction, you will already be saving yourself a lot of money and energy. However these changes may not be an option when converting an existing home into a solar home, so make any changes possible to your home energy efficiency and adapt other solar practices to convert your existing home into a solar home.

It Is Time To Utilize Renewable Solar Energy

The sun is the life giving force of our existence. Solar energy, the light and heat radiated by the sun, is what feeds us, clothes us and provides means for our shelter. However, renewable solar energy can provide us with much more. Using renewable solar energy can provide both economic and environmental benefits as well.

Renewable solar energy is an excellent source of electricity. Rather than dwindling more fossil fuels to feed power plants, we can take advantage of huge savings and electricity by utilizing renewable solar energy. Renewable solar energies come with very little pollution when they convert electricity from solar panels or thermal devices. Renewable solar energies do not contribute to the effects of global warming.

Solar energy is a renewable resource. Yes, there are days when the sun doesn’t shine enough to generate electricity, but there are far more days when the sun is there and not being utilized to power our homes, businesses and workshops. Once you invest in renewable solar energy, you can save greatly on maintenance costs as most systems have no moving parts and require little upkeep.

By utilizing passive renewable solar energy, you can build a solar home that requires very low energy use. To use passive renewable solar energy you must include south facing windows in your home design, in combination with products like brick and stone that provide heat radiating thermal mass. In combination with a solar hot water system and solar electric panels you can take full advantage of renewable solar energy resources.

It is also possible to build your own solar panel and solar hot water systems for your design. By building your own components you can greatly reduce the time needed to pay for your renewable solar energy system. Building your own solar energy system also allows you to fully understand the mechanics and physics behind harnessing solar energy. This can be an educational benefit for all members of the family and building your own systems will lower the cost of your renewable solar energy household by at least half when compared to purchasing the system and having it installed professionally.

Start utilizing the power of the sun and design a plan for your renewable solar energy system. With research and elbow grease you can be on your way to a lower monthly budget and a more environmentally friendly home or business. Renewable solar energy is going to be the way of the future and the Earth will thank you.

Converting To A Solar Home

There are many affordable options to convert your home into a solar home and solar energy technologies can supply for several different uses in a solar home. Passive solar design can provide heating, cooling and natural light for your home. Solar electricity options are available to power home appliances and solar water heating can provide hot water options for laundry and general household water use (showers, cooking, cleaning). When planning a solar home it is important to consider which solar energy options are most efficient, and cost effective for your situation.

A passive solar home utilizes home design to provide heating, cooling and natural light without the use of any special equipment. A passive solar home basically uses the environment to accomplish great reductions in energy use. A passive solar home uses construction materials and design to utilize the sun’s heat during winter months and block the sun’s heat during summer months. There are several passive solar techniques you can use in a solar home, direct gain, radiant heat from sunlight passing directly into a living space and being absorbed by furniture, flooring etc and usually achieved with south facing window installations, indirect gain, involving an attached Trombe wall that collects heat and distributes it throughout the home by the use of fans, thermal mass, which are materials that naturally collect and store heat such as brick or stone, and passive cooling, which generally includes overhangs for south-facing windows to block the sun during summer months for cooling the solar home.

Another feature often found in a solar home is the use of solar electricity. Solar electricity is generated when photovoltaic cells are used to absorb sunlight and convert it into usable electricity. The energy produced by solar panels must be converted to DC (household power) through the use of an inverter. Solar electricity can be used to supplement metered electric already being received by a solar home or with the use of a battery storage bank, can be used as the only electric source for the home. If the later is going to be used, it is suggested that owners of the solar home have a generator available for backup power.

Solar water heating is one of the most common uses of solar energy in a solar home. There are two kinds of solar water heating available for solar home use. The first is a closed loop system, which can be used in areas that are not prone to freezing. These systems use water filled tubes that are heated directly by the sun. A closed loop system uses an anti-freeze type liquid to collect heat from the sun and then the heated liquid is used to heat household water via a heat exchanger.

Regardless of which steps you take toward converting to a solar home, energy efficiency is the most important attribute to a successful solar home operation. Energy efficiency minimizes the need for heating, cooling and electricity. Using higher insulation levels, more energy efficient windows, appliance and lighting than used in traditional construction, you will already be saving yourself a lot of money and energy. However these changes may not be an option when converting an existing home into a solar home, so make any changes possible to your home energy efficiency and adapt other solar practices to convert your existing home into a solar home.

Is a Solar Electricity System Right For You?

If you are thinking about purchasing a solar electricity system for your home or business then you are joining millions of other energy-conscious individuals around the world. Solar electricity systems provide reliable, pollution free energy from a renewable resource better known as the sun. Solar electricity systems are becoming more affordable as advancements are made in photovoltaic designs and construction.

Adding to the affordability, many solar electricity systems are able to participate in net metering in several states. This means that as your solar electricity system generates more power than you are using, your meter runs backwards resulting in an even swap of power that you use at other times when you exceed the power supplied by your own solar electricity system.

Before you invest in a solar electricity system for your home or business, it is best to understand exactly what you are purchasing and how solar electricity is generated. The building block of any solar electricity system is the photovoltaic cells, which are wired together to produce solar electricity modules. The electricity produced from the modules or panels is then passed through an inverter that changes the current from AC to DC, making it usable to power household appliances and the utility grid. It is often a popular choice to include batteries in a solar electricity system to store backup power to be used in times of low sun light and power outages.

It is important to realize that solar electricity systems work intermittently or only when the sun hits them. This is not a problem if you utilize battery backup systems or are connected to the grid. Installing a solar electricity system can also come with an initially high investment cost and it can take years before the system pays for itself. However, with net metering and government funded rebates, many are able to pay off systems much more quickly.

You definitely don’t need to know the physics of solar electricity systems to understand its appeal. A solar electricity system will never run out of fuel nor will it increase our dependency on foreign oil. Stop thinking about a solar electricity system for your home or business and start investing in your freedom by starting your research of solar electricity systems today.