Residential Solar Energy – Creating Electricity To Power Your Home

Fossil fuels will eventually be depleted. We have to find alternative energy sources to power our machines and our homes. One such power source is solar energy.

Solar energy is a renewable power source. Each day the sun gives off enough radiation to power the entire planet. The problem is harnessing that energy for everyday use. A third of the sun’s radiation is deflected back into space. If we could harness the other two-thirds we wouldn’t have to bother with fossil fuels at all.

Click Here To Learn More About Residential Solar Energy

People are already using solar energy to power their homes in an effort to cut down on the use of fossil fuels. Solar energy lowers their overall energy bills and doesn’t run out. It does require some upkeep to the system, but the system pays for itself over time.

Types of Solar Energy

Solar energy can be active or passive. Active solar energy involves using technology to harness the power of the sun and converting it to electricity. Using photovoltaic cells to collect the energy within a grid of solar panels the energy is collected for residential or commercial use.

Passive solar energy has been around for hundreds of years. Building large windows into the south facing wall of a house or using black paint to draw more heat into a home keeps the inside warm when the temperature drops at night. Ancient civilizations used this method for heating and cooling their homes.

Expensive or Justified Expense

Residential solar systems are not cheap. A state of the art system can run in the tens of thousands of dollars. Depending on the size of your home, you may need several solar panels to produce the amount of energy that your household uses each day.

Since your home isn’t outfitted to accept solar energy there will be upgrades needed. Initial investments cost a lot but solar energy systems won’t go out of style. Excess energy created and converted into electricity by the solar system can be used to power the home on cloudy or stormy days. If you are still tied to the grid, less and less energy will come from the power plant and more will come from your residential solar system.

Is it a justified expense? That will depend on how serious you are about conserving energy. As long as you take care of the solar system, it will continue to produce electricity for you. Over time, you will get back your investment and then some.

Benefits of a Residential Solar System

Solar panels used to be big and bulky. They were an eyesore in the neighborhood. Now, solar panels come in different configurations. You can have solar panels in a shape that looks like a satellite dish. For those who are a bit savvier and have lots of liquid assets, you can purchase solar panels that look like roof shingles. They roll out on the roof for a more aesthetic appearance.

Whether you have big panels mounted on the roof or in the yard, the benefits to you, the homeowner, will be the same.

• Lower energy bills
• More efficient use of energy
• Renewable energy source

It is still good to stay tied to the grid in case of problems with the solar system or if the system needs to be repaired or replaced. The grid can back you up. this won’t be an issue once power companies start consistently using solar power to run their generators.

Cheaper Solar Systems

For someone with the time, patience, and technical skills, you can create a solar system for less than the cost of a new system. Earth 4 Energy offers a solar energy system kit that shows you how to construct your own solar powered system for around $200. Go to earth4energy.com for more information. Some of the items for the system can be found on eBay or your local hardware or home improvement store.