Posts Tagged ‘Residential Solar Power’
Does Solar Power Make Sense For Industrial Users
December 27th, 2009 | 
Author: Many solar power plant projects are being considered in locations like New Mexico and California where there are consistent and regular patterns of sunshine. It is therefore reasonable to consider the overall effectiveness and practicality of solar power plants on a large scale. How much can solar power be used to provide for America’s energy base?
The answer proposed is fairly simple. Pound for pound solar power stations do not compete well with the raw output of a combustion based energy station. The energy locked up in combustible fuels such as coal, natural gas, and diesel is enormous. As long as these fuels can be obtained for a reasonable price, they will outperform the renewables market for many years to come.
Combustible fuels can be thought of concentrated and stored solar energy from millenia before and in that sense are not really a bad thing. Without combustion we would have to sacrifice our industrial base and many of our modern technologies.
Most of our comforts and commercial activities are founded on several industries. This foundation includes processing raw materials like aluminum, iron, copper, steel, and more. This includes plants that produce machinery, tools, cars, airplanes and all the gadgets and gizmos we use in everyday life. It also includes sawmills and heavy machinery used for the harvesting of lumber and agricultural products.
The reality is our regular daily lives are very electricity intensive. This energy consumption is rooted in the infrastructure that bolsters our economy and our existence and the reality is it is supported by energy generated through combustion.
Here lies the basic problem with large solar power stations. They cannot supply enough energy to support America’s industrial base. This does not mean they are irrelevant or undesireable. It means solar energy systems make the most sense in small commercial and residential applications where energy consumption is lower.
As an example, a 500 MegaWatt combustion power plant can fit in a relatively small space, less than a 1/4 square mile without much difficulty. When considering a photovoltaic solar power plant, nearly 1,140 acres (almost 2 square miles) of solar panels would have to be installed to equal this same capacity. This is 2 square miles of nothinig but solar panels, not even allowing for maintenance access roads and other maintenance space. Because solar panels produce peak power with the peak amount of sun then we only get a fourth of the total output for eight times the amount of space!
Where there is plenty of sun and good weather we need to use solar power solutions to supplement our energy portfolio. Our modern combustion technologies deserve recognition. Modern technology in combustion power plants create clean and efficient power with very high reliability 24 hours a day. The highly concentrated energy source of fossile fuels is simply too great to ignore as it relates to powering America’s industrial base.
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Posted in Renewable Energy | 
Tags: Residential Solar Power, solar energy, Solar Power | 
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Residential Solar Power Panels: Learn to Cut Costs On Your Energy Bills?
As evidence continues to indicate that Earth’s fossil fuels sources are not going to last forever, governments around the world have been looking to renewable resources as an alternative. Sunlight harnessed by residential solar power panels can provide a very energy-efficient and cost-effective alternative.
Residential solar power panel kits are available from both online and “brick and mortar” retailers that are easy to assemble and can be directed to power electrical and heating appliances. There are several advantages to using a residential solar power panels and more and more people are thinking of exploring this alternative energy source for their own personal uses inside the home.
The Advantages and Disadvantages of Residential Solar Power Panels
When the sun shines on a residential solar power panel, it’s power is stored and can be used to power a house. Using this renewable energy source to supply power to a home offers enormous benefits to homeowners. Solar power is received for free and is readily available in areas where there is enough sunlight to power these solar panels.
The money you save in powering your home is the most obvious benefits to residential solar power panels. Solar power is free and all you need to consider is the initial cost of the solar panels and installation, after which you can get an endless supply of electrical energy to power a small appliance or gadget. Advances in green technology means that the cost of residential solar power panels has come down, opening the way for the average homeowner to take advantage of this alternative energy source.
Homeowners can now afford to purchase multiple solar panel systems to be installed in their homes to generate enough electrical energy to power everything that requires electrical power. This energy is free and powerful, sometimes powerful enough to send energy back to the electric companies. Some homeowners have gone all the way and run their home entirely on solar power all year round.
The residential solar power panel system must be positioned properly so as to collect the sunlight. People who live in areas where adequate sunlight is not available won’t be able to use the solar panels. Depending on the number of panels required to power a home, the panels may take up a lot of space. Thankfully, advances in green technology means that solar panels are getting smaller, taking up less space and yet producing just as much, if not more power than they used to.
Despite the disadvantages, the advantages of using solar power panels far outweigh them and the use of these solar panels will continue to be more popular as a viable alternative source of energy for the home and eventually the industries.
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Residential Solar Power Statistically Speaking
The average home in the United States uses 10,000 kWh of electricity annually. This could be improved from a home improvement standpoint with better windows, better appliances, and better insulation. Just doing this could save the average homeowner hundreds of dollars a year. Replacing incandescent light bulbs with fluorescent ones is another cost saving opportunity that many people are using (and it is a fairly cheap upgrade now as well). You can also save money by turning lights off when you leave a room and unplugging those things that you don’t use all the time. However, the only way to finally break your ties to the power grid is through residential solar power. The initial not-so-inexpensive costs of having the system installed will pay off once you can power your own house.
What Size Does Your Home Need
There are a variety of residential solar energy systems available for use. System capacities range from 1,000 watts to cover 50 square feet, to 25,000 watts, to cover 1600 square feet. Over 25 years, a 10,000 watt system will save a homeowner nearly $50,000 while using 10,000 kWh a year. Because of the different sizes of homes and the amount of power each household uses, homeowners’ savings from using a residential solar power system may vary. Many people choose to supplement rather than replace their reliance on the power grid with residential solar power as solar power systems powerful enough to supply enough electricity for the average home are still a little expensive. Most homeowners do not have the $75,000 required to install a system even with the promise of savings in the future.
There are tax credits available for those people who choose to upgrade their home to energy friendly alternatives that will help offset the initial installation fees. For example, if your $75,000 solar power system is eligible for a tax credit of $35,000, that means you will only have to pay $40,000 out of pocket. The Government has instituted these tax credits to help stimulate the economy and encouraging people to “think green” at the same time.
More Solar Energy Advantages:
In the coming years as motor vehicles switch from gasoline powered to electric, our power grid will be even more taxed. It is important to start the change to residential solar power now so that we can ensure the integrity of our energy grid, save ourselves in home energy costs, and protect our natural resources.
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Home Solar Systems – A Way to “Get off the Grid”
Solar power is being considered by an increasingly large amount of homeowners each year as electricity costs continue to rise. In this unstable economy home energy companies will also be looking to increase their profits and are likely to remove or not renew energy cost caps, and increase their supply rates. Getting “off the grid” is a goal that many homeowners aspire towards, and one effective way to become energy independent is to install a solar power system on your house. Each homeowner’s situation and energy consumption varies and will determine the capacity your home solar power system will need, but switching could save you thousands of dollars in the ensuing decades.
Counting the Savings
Saving money on energy costs is possible. The cost of a home solar system is upfront as you install the system and never have to purchase power again. The $20,000 for installation may seem like a lot of money and quite a bit more than you would spend on energy for several years. Eventually though, the system will pay itself off, offset by rises in energy costs. Your government may offer an environmental tax credit, saving you even more money. When you include the incentives that lower the cost of installation of these environmentally friendly products, home solar power systems end up costing much less than their original price tag. Regardless of the capacity of your home solar system, you will start reaping the benefits in about ten years.
You can sell any electricity you don’t use back to the energy company. For the average household, most solar power systems won’t produce quite enough electricity to make this feasible, especially in the winter months when there is less sunlight (and less electricity is produced as a result). Homeowners have other options to maximize their savings even further. Newer types of insulation, better windows, and other upgrades can save thousands of dollars a year in energy costs. If you switch from incandescent light bulbs to fluorescent you could save hundreds more dollars in energy consumption costs.
”Getting off the grid” is often not cheap, and requires diligent changes in your life style, that will pay off in the long-run. In the coming years, it will become even cheaper and more efficient to make homes green. New methods not only mean that homes will consume less energy, but also that they may be able to provide their own energy. Adding a home solar power system to your home or business is one way to get on board with America’s drive to become less dependent on man-made sources of energy.
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