Solar Power Home

Solar energy installation is initially expensive and therefore a major deterrent. Currently, it’s more expensive for the average American to purchase equipment for a solar home energy system than it is to purchase the conventional fossil fuel home energy system. When looking at the “bigger picture”, however, of a solar energy system installation, here are a few things to consider:

1. Using solar panels to capture and use the sun’s energy will improve your home value.

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.

The recent home building trends show that home owners are becoming more and more interesting in “going green.” This means a big increase in using solar energy, and other renewable resources, for construction as possible. Not only is this resulting in decreasing costs for solar energy and other environmentally-friendly building supplies, it also is bringing the value for “green” homes up.

If you’re convinced that solar energy is the way to go when building or remodeling your home, but just not sure if you can afford it…or are willing to pay the initial costs, consider doing the installation yourself. Getting solar panels installed by a contractor can be very expensive…look for bids that are easily 10 times what it would cost you to do it yourself. Solar energy panel construction isn’t terribly difficult…no rocket science involved. It’s basically a specially constructed solar panel (wooden box, photovoltaic [PV] cells, wire, soldering iron, connections, tempered or plexiglass and silicone sealant) to capture the sunlight’s energy on the PV cells that activate electrons. As the electrons move and are directed, they create the electrical chain that you then put through a charge controller in the form of a DC charge. You then capture the charge in either a deep cycle storage battery, or run it through an inverter to transform it into 110 volt AC current. You can find many DIY models on the Internet…some that offer free tips and tricks with instruction, and some that charge a small amount. One site that provides clear instruction at a very reasonable cost is Earth4Energy.

And, of course, you can cut your energy costs by taking advantage of passive solar energy. Explore the most advantageous way to use the sun’s energy to direct sunlight to your home’s windows, floors and walls, in order to distribute heat in the winter, and reject it in the summer. There are no panels, mechanical or electrical devices involved in passive solar energy, but there are five elements of passive solar design that are critical for success. They include a collector - glass area through which sunlight enters the building; an absorber - hard, dark surface where sunlight hits and is absorbed as heat; thermal mass - material below or behind the absorber; distribution - the way in which the solar heat circulates; and control -blinds, awnings, roof overhangs, and differential thermostats.

Using passive, active, or a combination of the two, you can save money with a solar energy installation. Yes, you’ll likely pay more initially, although doing your own installation can certainly reduce that cost. But you’ll be reducing environmental damage to the planet, and you’ll also save money on your utility bills as fossil fuel expenses continue to escalate.

States CEO and President Rhone Resch, Solar Energy Industries Association, on Earth Day 2010: “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 each of us does, be it large or small, that encourages and supports solar energy development, generations to come will benefit from the difference.

Learn more about solar power costs. Stop by Timothy Peters’s site where you can find out all about home solar power and what it can do for you.