Can Home Home Solar Power Really Slash Your Bills?
Home home solar power is an excellent way to both save money on power and lower your carbon footprint that is left on the earth. Solar energy is produced using photovoltaic cells.
These solar cells ave been produced for many years and are an excellent way to produce electricity at your own home. Whole it is possible to be dependent on solar energy only, most people choose to have an alternate source of power. If close enough, they may simply connect to the public power supply. Otherwise, they choose to use a wind turbine or a generator powered by fossil fuels. This supplemental power is especially helpful during the nights and when there are extended periods of overcast days.
If you are going to be totally dependent on solar energy, then you will need to plan for the nights when the sun is not shining. Many solar energy users will also have a large bank of batteries that can be used to store the electricity that is generated by the sun during the day. This will give them the necessary energy to operate lights and appliances after dark or on overcast days when the sun is not producing electricity through their solar cells.
While solar energy is useful in many areas, there are some areas where you will likely need to have a source of back up power. If you depend on electricity for heating or cooling of your home, it is unlikely that you will have the capacity to produce or store enough energy for this use. Many persons use alternate sources of heat or cooling in these cases.
One way that is often used by those who live far from the grid to heat the home is by the use of wood heat. There are certain species of trees that can be planted for a woodlot that will reproduce themselves from the root stock and provide enough wood to keep the home heated through the winter.
During the summer, cooling may be a problem, especially in areas where the humidity is high. One suggestion is to use cool air from the basement and fans to cool the home. Another uses an underground cooling tube that is connected to fans and duct work in the home for cooling.
In addition, there has been some recent work on solar heat pumps and air conditioning units. Currently these units require a large initial outlay and are not large enough to cool an entire home. If these units are perfected and the prices drop, then home home solar power may become an even more popular choice among homeowners.
More information on living off grid can be found on my website at www.livingoffthegridnow.com.
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