Solar Panels: Go Green While Cutting Energy Costs
Solar energy is a viable renewable energy resource that is available in nearly every inhabitable region and can be harnessed to help meet the electricity needs for both personal users as well as business enterprises. Solar panels can be a worthwhile investment, since the savings from trimmed down power bills eventually pay back for initial costs incurred.
With the rapid rate of depletion in fossil fuels,
renewable energy sources are gaining a great deal of popularity and universal acceptance. Solar panels help exploit the energy latent in the sun’s radiation to help home owners and commercial buildings drastically cut down on energy costs while conserving the environment.
The Sun as an Energy Source
The energy from the sun is not only renewable and available throughout the globe, but is a virtually limitless resource that can be used to generate electricity to help power a range of equipment as well as meet the home and commercial energy requirements. This energy can be used for heating water and cooking, running electrical appliances, or even as a fuel replacement for commercial vehicles.
Harnessing Power
Solar panels allow home owners and businesses the option to harness the energy produced by the sun to help power the entire range of utilities in a building, meeting a range of electrical and heating needs. Each individual panel comprises an array of photovoltaic (PV) plates that hold in place a framework of semiconductors on to which the sun’s radiation emanates. This technique results in conversion of the energy derived from the sun in to direct current or DC power. The amount of current generated is measured in watts and the actual output will depend on a number of factors including weather and temperature conditions as well as the duration of optimal sunlight available in the region.
Typically a number of sheets with photovoltaic plates are mounted on to surfaces exposed to sunlight such as rooftops or metal poles. In some cases, regulating bodies in the state may have in place guidelines and policies to help home owners set up solar panels, particularly when installing an array of sheets onto commercial structures or high rises. For instance, appropriate reinforcements will be necessary when mounting multiple plates onto slanted roofs so as to ensure safety and efficacy of power generation. It is therefore important for home users interested in generating power from the sun’s radiation to comply with regulations and codes set by the builder or local governing body.
Getting Off the Grid
In general, solar panels can be expensive and a complete installation that meets the entire powering needs of a typical home may turn out to be substantial. This is because the actual energy electricity a large number of sun-sensitive photovoltaic sheets is insufficient to meet the complete powering needs of a home. In most cases it may not be possible to cover the entire range of personal electric demands using energy harnessed from the sun alone. Thus, getting off the main power grid may not be viable for extended periods. While other renewable energy sources such as the wind can cover reasonable energy needs, it is usually recommended that home owners look at hybrid systems for long-term power management.
Whether you are considering supplementing your main power with renewable energy or even thinking of a complete home green remodel, solar panels can prove to be a sensible way of cutting down the household power bills, gradually paying off their initial investment many times over.
