Solar Refrigerators: The Downside

Solar refrigerators or solar powered refrigerators not only use solar energy by using photovoltai...

Sustainable Fashion: The Dilemma

Sustainable fashion or eco-fashion can be defined as the process of making clothes that not only ...

How To Use Solar Power At Home

by: sahil | last updated: August 26, 2009
Category: Green Savings | Tags: Solar power.
  • Guide Rating:

How To Use Solar Power At Home

As world population explodes and resources dwindle, it has become important to find and use other sources of energy. There are many alternative energy sources; however solar power is favored by many because it is a renewable and cheap power source.

 
Solar panels. The first requirement for harnessing solar energy is solar panels. The basic technology used in solar panels is the photovoltaic panel’s technology. These are electricity generating panels and are more common and popular. There are many DIY panels available in the market that are cheaper compared to industrially assembled ones. These are usually accompanied by guides on how to assemble them.
 
How they work. Energy absorbed from the solar panels is stored in a battery for use at a later time. The only drawback of solar panels is that they become temporarily redundant in regions where sunlight is not in abundance. People living away from the equator can enjoy the benefits of solar energy only during summers.
 
Solar shingles. Solar shingles also known as PV shingles convert the heat from the sun to electricity. These come in two types; the solid ones and the semi-rigid models. The semi-rigid models use silicon cells in order to convert the heat into electricity. Other types of shingles include crystalline shingles that are used for commercial purposes and have an output of 50 watts.
 
Saving on solar panels. Some builders offer to make built in solar panels or solar shingles which will cut the price of the solar panel as well as construction. If buying a new home, then it is recommended that you install at least basic solar panels. However, shingles are more aesthetic and compact compared to traditional panels albeit costlier.
 
Back-up battery system. Backup battery systems are those which can provide electricity for about eight hours. These are the most famous and popular systems available; however these are costlier compared to those that are directly hooked to the utility power grid. You can save money by connecting the solar panels to a direct grid rather than using them only as a back-up.
 
Adavantages. There are many advantages of using solar power at home and one of them is cutting costs. In the initial stages of the inception of solar panels they were considered to be contraptions that were for hippies and environmentalists. However, many people have discovered that they can be used for many purposes and save money. A solar cooker is one such invention that can cut costs of cooking by half.
 
Solar heaters. Solar heaters are of two types; Active solar heaters and passive solar heaters. Active solar heaters accumulate the energy harnessed by sunlight and use mechanical devices such as fans or pumps. On the other hand, passive solar heaters are those that do not require any mechanical devices to distribute solar energy. For the passive type of solar power to be effective, a specific design of home is required.
 
Tax benefits. Many governments and jurisdictions provide a discount in the form of tax relief to people who use solar power for their homes. The rebates may vary according to country or region but solar power is here to stay and more governments are likely to implement this policy as technological advances are made.
 
References: wisegeek.com, wikipedia.org.

Related Products

Related Books

Related Guides

Go Green: 101 Ways to Save Green and Live Green
Go Green: 101 Ways to Save Green and Live Green

What we need is not to be told to Live GREEN...We need the common sense and the ability to treat each other and the environment with respect, to spread and s...

Autonomous Buildings: Pay No Bills
Autonomous Buildings: Pay No Bills

Autonomous Buildings are those that are designed to operate in an independent manner without any help from infrastructural support services such as water sup...

8 Steps for Installing Solar Panels
8 Steps for Installing Solar Panels

The sun?s energy is everlasting and harnessing it can not only save money, it can also help the environment. Many people around the world have found that sol...

6 Things to Avoid for a Greener Tomorrow
6 Things to Avoid for a Greener Tomorrow

There are many chemicals and toxins present in the environment and most of these pollutants are due to wrongful disposal of waste by human beings. Many mater...

Save Money on Electricity with LED Christmas Lights
Save Money on Electricity with LED Christmas Lights

If you plan to have many Christmas lights, you are going to find the LED Christmas lights very affordable as far as your electric bill is concerned. The ligh...

WeightWatchers(R)
Small_image65 Hi there,
I am sahil
I hope you like this guide and benefit from it. Add me as a friend to track changes to this guide as well as my new guides.

Like this guide?


Stats

345 views
0 star rating
0 votes

Other guides by sahil


Other guides you may like