Why Use Solar Power?
July 7, 2009 by admin
Filed under Solar Energy
If you wish to use solar power in your home, you may need a certain amount of items that may cost quite a bit of money. However, in the long run, these items will prove to be highly cost-effective. Keep in mind that proper solar power will always need proper use of technology and quite a bit of planning.
First and foremost, you need to get a ballpark figure of how much electricity is needed in your home. If you only wish to supplement your power requirements, then that’s fine. Simply count the percentage that you wish to offset.
This can easily be done by taking a look at your electric bill. The majority of utility bills will enable you to see a monthly chart of usage through the entire year. From this, you can get the total average or, if you plan on going off the grid, focus on the peak demand.
By looking at these numbers, you will be able to estimate what size and how many photovoltaic (PV) modules you will require. PV is the method that most solar cells use to transform sunlight to electricity. All you will need is some basic arithmetic to find the perfect match of your rooftop to the size and number of required modules.
At a given cost, each module will produce certain amounts of solar power individually. And, if connected the correct way the modules should add up, the total cost will also be easy. For a regular home, solar panels usually cost up to $16,000 in today’s market. Do remember to keep taxes in mind when you calculate your expected expenses.
The modules need to be able to connect to something, though, so its connectors, wires, and clamps, will also be added to the total cost, which vary. Installation costs must also be taken into consideration since the majority of homeowners are not capable of installing solar systems on their own.
Naturally, at night, the sun won’t shine and sometimes heavy clouds and rain can lessen the insulation amount, as can other uncontrollable factors. Because of this, you should have a solar battery storage system. If you are not planning to go completely off the grid, however, you can get solar power from local utility companies instead.
If your solar system generates too much solar power than you need at any time whatsoever, some utility companies offer to buy excess solar power for their own solar systems. This is done through technical measures by running your meter backwards to supply the utility company’s needs when it would normally run forward to give power to get solar power from their solar system.
Between solar panels, batteries, and installation costs, the majority of modest solar panel systems cost around $50,000, though some will cost less and some will cost more. This is the cost that you will have to pay for over the lifetime of your solar system, which lasts for around twenty years, not counting substantial replacements.
These costs, however, are getting significantly lower as efficiency and electricity costs are getting higher with time, so it would be worth your time to get a solar panel system for your home.