With energy rates increasing more and more, people are looking for new ways to provide power to their homes. One option many are looking into is solar power. I know I looked into it myself, but I found out there’s good and bad in everything.

I’ll get into that in a second — including a few really important warnings about putting solar power in your home — but first, let’s give some background so you know where I’m coming from…

First, did you know that if you run your home on solar power and aren’t using all of the electricity you produce, you can actually have the energy company buy it from you to add to the power grid?

You could actually get paid for electricity instead of paying the exorbitant bills you are paying today. How’s that for a switch?

But now let’s get some of the basics out of the way.

Solar power is power from the sun (obviously).

It is a renewable resource meaning we can’t run out of it. Most of the methods in use today for providing electricity to our homes are not renewable. A major source of energy comes from coal. However there is only a certain amount of coal available and once we run out we are out.

It will take millions of years for the earth to create more coal, or oil, or natural gas, or anything that comes “from the ground.” What are we to do when the resources currently used run dry?

Answer: We need to find new ways to create energy and we need to do it now. As the current resources begin to disappear, energy prices are going to skyrocket. If you think it’s bad now, just wait a few years. What are you going to do when it costs like $50 just to drive to the grocery store?

Bottom line: If you feel your power bill is too high now, just wait. Supply and demand dictates that energy prices are only going to continue to rise.

But I haven’t told you anything you don’t already know yet. So let’s get to the good stuff.

First, to create power using the sun you need to have solar panels at your home. There are two types of panels to choose from. The first type is Flat Plate Collectors. These are the simpler of the two panels. This type absorbs the sun’s heat.

This heat can then be stored for future use in a well-insulated tank or it can be used immediately to heat air or water to be used in your home. By using this method alone, you can cut your bill by 1/3rd.

This system costs far less than the system that actually creates power for your home, but you will still be dependent on the utility company for some or most of your electricity.

The second type of system is the photovoltaic system. This system uses panels that are created using silicon.

This is what most people think of when they think of solar power for their homes. Problem is, these panels are much more expensive due to the cost to produce them.

Photovoltaic panels do actually produce electricity. The silicon, which is a semi-conductive substance, converts the sun’s energy into power for your home. With this type of system, you use an inverter to change the 12V power the solar panel creates into 110V power that homes use.

To ensure your home ALWAYS has power, your system needs to be connected to either the utility grid, or a battery bank. If you choose a battery bank, you will be completely off the grid.

The batteries store the extra energy created during sunny days to power your home at night and on cloudy days. If you go the other route and stay connected to the grid, the extra energy created can go directly into the grid to be used in other homes.

You then get power from the grid at night or when conditions do not allow solar power to be created by the panels.

Now this choice would be a no-brainer except for the fact that a solar panel system can cost tens of thousands of dollars. Many systems will set you back a cool $50,000 or more.

Even with government incentives, the average home that uses 25KWH a day is looking to spend maybe over $100,000 on a system.

I don’t know about you, but I don’t have that kind of cash just lying around. Fortunately for everyone, there IS a solution to this.

In fact, it’s possible to save around 80% to 90% on the cost of solar system for your home, but you have to know WHERE and HOW to realize these savings.

Down at the end of this article a few links I want you to check out. Honestly, if you don’t have $50,000 to $100,000 to spend on a solar system, you need to check these out. You’ll learn how to start getting your home up and running on solar for a few hundred bucks.

No kidding. A few hundred bucks. So check those links out, okay?

Now let’s get into some other tips to maximize the solar power you do get from your system…

It’s wise to switch to energy efficient appliances and gas appliances when possible. If you make these changes and get your usage down to 15KWH a day, you can save some money of your system (in the silly “traditional” way, you’re still looking at around $70,000 or so for a system). That’s why I encourage you to check out the alternatives below.

In my opinion, if costs could be lowered dramatically, then solar power would definitely be the way to go. The benefits are great, but unfortunately the cost of most systems makes it an option most people can’t even afford to consider.

But you’re going to know something they don’t. Here’s your chance.

Solar power

Fueling Change A DOM documentary about the benefits of biodiesel. Directed by Tony Shawcross DenverOpenMedia.org This video was shown at the Mixed Bag Festival presented by Earth Concept. EarthConceptInc.com

Solar power

Some partisans rejected calls to celebrate “Earth Hour” by turning off their lights and electrical equipment. Instead they celebrated “Human Achievement Hour and tried to use as much energy as possible.
Was that a sensible course of action? Is the goal of energy conservation and improved efficiency worth making sacrifices to achieve?

Solar power

With a new emphasis on alternative energy, it is no wonder people all over are starting to use the benefits of solar power. It is certainly an everlasting energy source, as long as there is the sun, there will be available solar power.

One advantage of this alternative power is that it is a very available energy source for electricity. However, there are also some disadvantages to solar energy that you should be aware of.

It’s best to research all of the advantages and disadvantages of solar power before you actually have a system installed on your home. If the advantages outweigh the disadvantages, then you’ll know that setting up your home for solar enerfgy is the right decision for you.

The Short-term Cost of Solar Energy: A Disadvantage

The sun’s rays are free, they beat down naturally on earth, however, it costs a lot of money to actually set up solar cells and other solar equipment on your home. Just the equipment to power a pool can cost thousands of dollars. It is very important that you diligently research all costs associated with powering any part of your home before you do it.

More on Advantages And Disadvantages Of Solar Power – Revealed

Basically, solar power is energy that is actually harnessed from the sun. Although the sun is millions of miles away from earth, if we had the ability to harness all the energy coming from the sun, there is more than enough power there to provide all the energy we need for the entire earth. In fact, there is enough energy to provide plenty of energy for 10,000 earths. While you can use solar power for a variety of appliances and other items, you have to realize that this is different than using this power to produce heat.

There are two different principles that are used with solar power. If you want to produce hot air or hot fluids, then solar thermal principles are used. However, if you want to product electricity, photovoltaic principles are used instead. If you want to produce solar power, there are four components that are needed, including a battery, a charge controller, a solar panel, and an inverter.

It is the solar panels that actually get the radiation from the sun and use it to charge up the battery. Then, the charge regulator actually makes sure that the battery charges as it should. Of course, probably the most important pieces of equipment are going to be the solar panels and usually they output energy in watts. These panels can be wired in a variety of ways, although usually parallel or series wiring is done to either increase the amperage or the voltage.

More on What Is Solar Power – Your Questions Answered

“SOLAR ENERGY”
 
Today in Pakistan we are facing shortage of almost every basic need of life like water, gas, and especially electricity. It is the worst conditions we are facing now a days. The reason for that is…well we all know “THE REASONS” don’t we!!! Few days back I was reading an article in a local newspaper which was about getting electricity like many European countries which is from “Wind Turbines”. It’s a very good idea and we must have to think other ways of energy to meet our needs. Another idea which I’m going to discuss here is “SOLAR ENERGY”.  As we all know that summer season is longer than winter in Pakistan. So it means we can get more and more sunlight. In my view Solar Energy Systems will be more successful in Pakistan than any European country because thankfully we can have more sunlight than Europe.

Many scientists and engineers from all over the world are working in this field. Some say that it’ll be very costly, YES it’ll be but only in start as like everything when it’s new its price is high but when the competition arises then prices goes down its simple economics. We’ve used the Sun for drying clothes and food for thousands of years, but only recently have we been able to use it for generating power. The Sun is 150 million Kilometers away, and amazingly powerful. Just the tiny fraction of the Sun’s energy that hits the Earth (around a hundredth of a millionth of a percent) is enough to meet all our power needs many times over. In fact, every minute, enough energy arrives at the Earth to meet our demands for a whole year – if only we could harness it properly and preserve it.

More on Solar Energy (pakistan Base)