Writen by Chris Anderson at ‘Who is Chris Anderson.com’
Solar Power Basics
Solar power has actually been around for about 40 years now but it’s not quite uncommon to come across someone that doesn’t quite understand what it is. This article goes over the basics of solar power, what it does, and why it’s so beneficial. It’s a great investment and resource for your energy consumption.
What is Solar Power?
Solar Power is a renewable energy source that makes use of the ever flowing source of sunlight to run most of our electrical appliances. Although it doesn’t run big component appliances that have a heating element such as a water heater, clothes dryer or an electric stove. It can light the lights in our house, power our tvs and computers and will save you a ton on electric bills.
How Does it Work?
There is a material between two tough pieces of glass called Photovaltaic. Which are basically cells that react to sunlight and create electron activity. This electron activity then travel through wires that connect either a battery to store the energy or into your main power supply, depending on your setup.
It produces a low voltage of about 6 to 24 volts of direct current.
From here it goes to one of two places: A battery or the main grid.
The Setup
Main Grid Setup
There are two different setups for a solar power system. One is called a Main Grid Connect and the other is called Stand Alone Power System.
A Maingrid setup is basically wired straight from the solar panel into your main grid of the house. It goes from the panel to your main grid and is converted to run the electric stuff you use around the house. This means that during the day you will most likely use almost all solar power while at night it will use the main grid.
One advantage to this is there is always the possibility of not use as much electricity as the solar panel produces. Where does it go? Right back with the rest of the electricity. Which means you just might get a credit on your electrical bill from having extra electricity.
Stand Alone Power Systems
This system works in the same way, but instead of going into the main grid of your house, it instead goes into what’s called a deep cycle battery bank. Which is basically just a really strong battery that can withstand the constant charges and recharges for many years. .
This system is most used in more remote locations. Once in the battery you can then plug your appliances directly to that. Or you can get an inverter and have switched to run the rest of the house as well.
There is a little more cost with this particular setup since you will have to get batteries and you’ll have keep an eye on your usage. But that doesn’t make it any less effective or beneficial.
The Benefits
So you have a basic idea of how solar power works, but why take the time to setup something like this? Here are a few benefits of using solar power.
Generates renewable energy from a huge power source: The sun.
There are no emissions from the electricity they produce. It makes them very clean for the environment.
Panels are very durable. Most of them come with a 25 warranty and most of the solar panels installed in the 70’s are still working.
Easily maintained. The most you may have to do is clean the panels once a year.
It makes you more aware of your energy usage. You just may keep a better eye on how much electricity you actually use. Which again can save you money.
Installing solar panels can actually increase the value of your home.
Saves you money!
These are just a few of the benefits of using solar power. There are plenty of other reasons that solar power can be very beneficial.
The Cost
Okay, so this sounds all fine and dandy but how much is it going to cost? Well to be frank it is an investment. But a good one that pays itself off in about 17 months. Here’s why:
Considering the cost of electricity you use compared to what you will save from using solar panels, they will pay themselves off in about 17 months. Solar panels last for a very long time, so it’s more than paid for itself in a very short amount of time.
Not to mention solar panels are getting cheaper as the years go by. They are a fairly affordable commodity compared to their price in the 70’s when they came out. There are also government rebates that can be used towards your purchase of the equipment.
Plus there are variations of power input in different models. And you can start small to supplement your main electricity. While it can be expensive, you can start small and it will more than pay for itself in the grand scheme of things.
There ya go. Those are the basics of Solar Power. The next best thing to do is to do some more research of your own and learn more about them. The more knowledge you have the better of a decision you can make.
