Home Solar Power

Easy-to-understand, accurate, and comprehensive, this is the guide for anyone interested in installing a solar electric system. Power from the Sun provides a basic understanding of electricity, solar energy and the sun, and solar site assessment. It discusses the types of photovoltaics (PVs) and PV systems, advances in PVs, charge controllers, inverters, batteries, and generators, as well as the installation and maintenance of a PV system. This book is written for the layperson and is designed to raise the solar electricity literacy of readers. It provides a great overview of the many options available and is designed to help homeowners make wise decisions during the design, purchase, and installation of solar electric systems—and save a lot of money. Providing readers with the knowledge necessary to communicate effectively with PV installers, Power From the Sun is a great guide for homeowners, business owners, installers, architects, building department officials, u (more…)

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Easy-to-understand, accurate, and comprehensive, this is the guide for anyone interested in installing a solar electric system. Power from the Sun provides a basic understanding of electricity, solar energy and the sun, and solar site assessment. It discusses the types of photovoltaics (PVs) and PV systems, advances in PVs, charge controllers, inverters, batteries, and generators, as well as the installation and maintenance of a PV system. This book is written for the layperson and is designed to raise the solar electricity literacy of readers. It provides a great overview of the many options available and is designed to help homeowners make wise decisions during the design, purchase, and installation of solar electric systems—and save a lot of money. Providing readers with the knowledge necessary to communicate effectively with PV installers, Power From the Sun is a great guide for homeowners, business owners, installers, architects, building department officials (more…)

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It came time we understand that we cannot follow the former ways of handling of energy sources. The fossil fuels are nearly fully depleted, prices of supplied energy are steeply going up and we have to look for alternative sources of energy. One of the most affordable is home solar power. We can use energy of sun radiation and transform it to electricity via special gadget.

Once we will use the home solar power system, we can forget to our bills for electricity and heating. With proper care at least for 20 till 30 years we will be free from this heavy burden and we will be able to use our money much better way. Whats better, by saving our expenses we are saving the world. The global warming is the reality. The home solar power is clean and renewable energy. What else could be more desirable?

In the US, home solar power is gaining popularity. Years ago, it would have been impossible to use home solar power in homes because it was too expensive. But thanks to modern technology, many homeowners in the US as well as businesses now make use of solar energy. Power bills can surely be reduced thereby saving the environment and the pockets of homeowners or businesspersons.

Some places in the US enjoy a lot of sunlight particularly Los Angeles California. There are so many home solar power systems available today and solar panels are just one of them. Despite the many benefits of home solar power, have you ever wondered why very few people use it? At this point, experts claim that home solar power is still inefficient. To generate more electricity, then larger solar panels are needed which are quite bulky. Just imagine putting a large and ugly panel on your rooftop which can destroy your home’s overall beauty? Ready made solar panels are quite costly that ranges from $35,000 - $250,000 depending on the size.

However by incessant effort of scientists the solar panels are now extremely effective. Thanks to that they can be much smaller and nicer. The price and size of solar systems dropped down by invention of photovoltaic cells. Photovoltaic panels contain many layers of cells and so their efficiency is much higher. The technology exploits thin alloy of amorphous silicon. The present solar panels are very elegant, small and very efficient.

The new invention of photovoltaic cells enabled the production of photovoltaic shingles. They are great choice for everybody who doesnt want to use classical solar panels. Solar shingles look as normal as ordinary shingles instead they are black.

The photovoltaic cells and shingles have definitely enhanced the home solar power technology. Who knows? Perhaps in the future, experts and scientists will develop smaller cells, panels, etc. Check out LA and see the home solar powered homes there. You can now start calculating your home’s electrical requirements so that you can determine the right size of the power system. Start with a small project and work your way up but if you can afford to pay for readymade ones, go ahead.

Learn more about home home solar power. Stop by Joe Maxwells site where you can find out all about home solar power for homes and what it can do for you.

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Solar energy presents a major advantage to the environment and to the consumer alike in many cases. Solar energy is evidently fully renewable and wholly clean for the environment. As the world becomes more and more highly populated and more people want more power, renewable energy sources become critical.

Obviously, to a degree, it does depend on where you live. There is not a great deal of pointing getting a solar energy plant at your home if you do not get an ample quantity of sunlight. However, places which do not get an adequate enough quantity of sunlight are few and far between, so you want to do your research before removing it out.

In the event that you want to partly power your home with home solar power, then there are lots of options offered to you. In the event that money is of a major concern, then you may well wish to contemplate shopping for one of the DIY kits. These are becoming relatively popular and they are not as difficult to get to grips with as you might think. In fact, you could even find the process somewhat enjoyable.

In this respect, you ought to be able to cut your electricity bills very significantly, so paying money for solar panels can be an awfully good investment in the longer term even if they do cost quite a lot to buy up front. Nevertheless, if you’re interested in saving money in the longer term basis, they can be very good.

A solar panel kit does cost quite a lot of money however. In the event that money is one of your chief concerns, then you might want to think about it do it yourself kit. Building your own solar panels is nothing like as tricky as it might seem. You can uncover loads of guides on the Internet together with videos which will walk you through the process.

This is a great idea if you are more DIY orientated, as well as wanting to save money. You get the best of both worlds, because you will get a have something completely customised and ideal for your circumstances and you will get save money as well on your electricity bills.

In some parts of the world, if you make more power than you are actually using, you can even sell it back into the grid and get paid for it. There are a huge number of cases in which a domestic home solar power system can be of great benefit to you financially and economically.

Envirotech Summit has even more information on home solar power for cheaper electricity bills which might be useful to you.

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The Solar Electricity Handbook is a practical and straightforward guide to using electric solar panels. Assuming no previous knowledge of solar panels, the book explains how solar panels work, how they can be used and explains the steps you need to take to successfully design and install a solar electric system from scratch using photovoltaic solar panels. Accompanying this book is a solar resource website containing lots of useful information, lists of suppliers and on-line solar energy calculators that will simplify the cost analysis and design processes. Why buy the Solar Electricity Handbook? * The Handbook is a simple, practical guide to using electric photovoltaic panels. * The book is suitable for enthusiastic novices and professionals. * Clear examples, diagrams and example projects are given to demonstrate the true capabilities of these systems. * The Handbook is updated yearly, providing a up-to-date reference for anyone planning to use electric phot (more…)

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Another excellent video from Green Power Science on using a solar panel to charge batteries and using a modified sine inverter to power mains appliances.

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I wrote recently about home solar power rebates and how they can give you a free, or nearly free, home home solar power system in many US states.  But what if you don’t live in a state that doesn’t have a rebate scheme?  And what if your state plan is oversubscribed or only covers a small part of the cost?

Solar power tax credits to the rescue!

In 2008 congress extended the tax credit on residential home solar power installations for a further eight years and also removed the previous $2,000 cap.  Many states are also matching the federal credit, so if you are dipping into your own pocket for solar panels this could make a big difference to your tax bill next April.

Due to state and federal requirement for power companies to source more green energy, they are more willing than ever to buy back generated electricity (it makes your meter run backwards) thus eliminating the need for expensive battery storage for home use.

Consult your tax professional before making any commitment.

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Every now and again along comes an invention that makes you think “Why on earth hasn’t it been done before?”

New Jersey based Entech Solar have devised a solar panel that produces both electricity and hot water at the same time.  The panels contain PV cells as well as a fluid pipe that heats water.

“The devices will be set up in arrays ranging from 100 kilowatts to 5 to 10 megawatts in size and sold largely to industrial customers and corporate campuses”

Sadly not available for home use but it’s a pointer to the future.

Via Greentech Media

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DIY solar panel in action.  This uses 45W of panels which you can get from eBay or Harbor Freight Tools with a total cost of around $250.  Shown running lighting, a fan and a drill.

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I wrote in an earlier post about the economics of home home solar power and described how it wasn’t an option, in pure economic terms, for most home owners.

If you are lucky enough to live in certain areas of the USA, there’s one factor that will completely reverse this assumption. Many states, or energy companies themselves, will rebate a large part of the cost of a professional home home solar power installation. I checked on one area at random, Austin, Texas. The local energy company there will give you 80% of the cost of the installation as a direct rebate then, additionally, buy surplus electricity from you at wholesale rates. To quote from their site:

For a typical residence, the cost of installing a one kilowatt (1,000 watts) solar photovoltaic system—the smallest considered practical—is between $6,000 and $10,000. Austin Energy will rebate $4,500 ($4.50 x 1,000 watts) of that.

Their figures are a little out-of-date according to my research as the cost of PV cells has been falling and you should be able to get a 2.5KWhp system installed for around $10,000. Their maximum rebate in this case would be capped at 80% of your installation cost, or $8,000. You would therefore only pay $2,000 for a 2.5KW solar energy system. Factor in the money you will make from selling back surplus electricity and you will be in pocket after a relatively short time.

Here’s another example for sunny Florida. They are offering rebates of $4 per Watt for installed PV systems. If you get a 2.5KW system installed for $10,000 then they will rebate you the entire $10,000 unless I’m missing something in the fine print. If you can feed surplus electricity back to the utility company (most allow this) it’s a free perpetual income stream.

You can find details of the rebates in your area at DSIRE - The database of state incentives for renewables and efficiency.

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