Solar Power and Solar Panels
Due to the rising energy costs many people are considering solar power as an alternative energy resource for their homes. If you are one of these people you will want to know more about the concept, the benefits of implementing solar panels and other considerations you should be factoring in. The following article examines the whole idea of solar power and solar panels to give you a greater understanding of what it involves and whether it is the energy saving system for you.
Solar power is a means of converting sunlight into electricity and traditionally there are two types of solar power technology that homes can install. The first type is active solar power whereby a solar collector is installed to convert sunlight to either solar electricity or solar water heating. Solar electricity uses energy generated from sunlight to produce electricity whereas solar water heating uses the suns energy to heat up water. The second type of solar power is passive solar power and this means redesigning your whole home to focus on the energy transmitted by the sun. This can be for example, moving windows to a southerly facing aspect to capture the sun’s heat for longer or insulating your roof to capture the sun’s heat better.
If we focus on active solar power technology, which involves the installation of solar panels to your home to provide your energy requirements; we can see that the main reason why people decide to install solar panels in their home is because solar power is considered a free source of electricity and therefore it will reduce or eliminate your energy bills.
Solar panels can offer a high return on investment and are often considered a better method to save money in the long term compared to some long term financial products currently on the market. This can be seen clearly as it is typically felt that the investment made in solar panels will be repaid in approximately 8-10 years and then turn you a yearly profit thereafter.
Not only will solar panels save you money but they are ideal for those of us who are worried about their carbon footprint and the environment. By having solar panels fitted on your home it will mean your CO2 emissions will be reduced and your home will naturally become more environmentally-friendly.
However, before investing in solar power, you should also ensure that your home is as energy efficient as possible so that the solar power not only helps the environment but lowers your energy costs as well. By this it is meant that you ensure you have appropriate insulation and seals throughout your house, use energy saving light bulbs and look at your energy usage habits and how these can be modified to save money.
If you still decide that solar power is for you then you will need to ensure that your home is suitable. Generally, a suitable home means that you need to be the freeholder of your property, you are on a metered supply, you don’t live in a basement or mid-floor flat and that you have a clear roof that faces between east and west through to south. You typically don’t need planning permission for your solar panels to be fitted to your roof and installation of the panels will take a few days.
You should also look to see whether there are any government grants and schemes available in your area to contribute towards the cost of installing solar panels as there are some currently available to help encourage people to invest in this form of renewable energy. So it is worth consulting these schemes to help you make your mind up as to whether solar power is for you.
Article by Sarah Wain, 11th October 2011. Content correct at the date of publication.
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