The Home Solar Panels Guide - Solar Power Panels

Solar Power Can Save You Money...

The Home Solar Panels Guide In 1954 scientist made the discovery that when exposed to sunlight, silicone produced an electric charge. Shortly after this discovery the government started using silicone chips to supplement the power to space satellites.

Solar power is produced by solar panels. These panels are made up of silicon cells. They turn sunlight into electricity. There are many advantages to using solar panels:

A Relatively modest system only adds about 110.00 per month to your mortgage payment and it pays for itself over the life of your mortgage.
Solar power increases the value and resale chances of your home.
The equipment purchased will have resale value. You can take it with you or sell it.
Solar power helps to protect the Environment by reducing fossilfuel byproducts released into the air.
The EPA has said that the value of a home with solar power goes from 11.00 dollars to 25.00 dollars for every 1.00 dollar reduction in your annual utility bills.
People put similar monetary investments into their automobiles which lose value. Solar power pays you every month with the saving on your electric bill.
You may be eligible for a tax credit from the state and or federal government.

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Have you ever used an outdoor clothes line? If you have, then you have already used a type of solar energy. Using the sun to dry your clothes. That is just one way to save on your utility bill by using the sun to work for you.

Solar energy is used in a wide variety of ways. It is used to heat homes, cook food and lower monthly utility bills. People who live in rural areas use it to provide electricity to their entire house and reduce their dependence on utility companies.

If your power goes out from the grid, depending on what type of home solar power system you have installed, your house will still have power. You will have all the creature comforts of home while your neighbors are in the dark.

While a solar power system that can provide enough electicity for the entire house is costly, you can have a smaller, less expensive system that can run your lights and appliances.

You may be thinking to yourself, great but I bet it is going to cost thousands of dollars. Not at all. You can make your own power for under 200.00 dollars.

Home Solar Power Secrets Revealed!

It doesn't matter if you are building a new home or remodelling, you can turn it into a residential solar home by making a few simple changes to your plan, such as using home solar panels. If electric and gas become hard to manage you may want to think about heating your home with the sun.

Solar energy is known as the heat that comes from the sun down to the earth. When sun's energy reaches the earth it spreads evenly but you may need it to go to a certain area like your home. Exactly how do you get that much sunlight to heat a home, it's really easy to do and takes a few extra steps to help get it started.

For example, if you are building your home you have multiple choices to choose from, regarding your solar power system. If you choose to heat from the sun you will need to construct your home facing in the direction that the sun comes up. This allows your home to get the most sunlight during the heat of the day.

Buying solar powered glass windows allow the sunlight to come through and stay in the home without escaping back out. After the sun goes down, your home is kept warm by the sunlight that came into the home during the day, however you need to keep the door shut in order to keep the heat in and you also need to use insulated curtains on the windows at night so that the heat will not escape at night while you sleep.

Make sure you don't let too many windows on the side of the house that faces the afternoon sun as it may cause the home to cool down quickly. Remodelling your home to use the sun's energy as a natural heating source is fairly easy to do and is one of the advantages of solar power.

Although you can't change the direction that your house is built in to face the early morning sun you can still trap the sunlight that shines through and reduce the amount of time that you use another source of heat.

You may want to consider constructing a sun room onto the side of your house that catches the morning sun allowing it to heat up naturally and then install ceiling fans that will circulate the air into the parts of the house.

During the day this may provide enough heat to maintain the warmth in your home but when remodelling your home, it will help to install windows that are especially designed to attract the sunlight and allow it to come into the house but not let it escape. This is a great and totally natural way to heat your home.

Using natural sunlight to heat your home is an excellent way to save money on your heating bill and also to improve the environment. You can install a backup heating source just in case the sunlight does not heat your home efficiently during the day because of too many clouds.
Your back up system can be used to assist the solar energy which will also cut down on the use of electric or gas, which is simply a smart move.

Installing a home solar panels in your residence is good for the environment. A typical 10 KW solar power system over the 25 year lifetime eliminates more than 400 pounds of nitrogen oxide which produces smog, eliminates more than 1000 pounds of sulphur dioxide which creates acid rain and eliminates more than 200 tons of carbon dioxide which contributes to global warming. Above all government is giving tax incentives to install home solar panels to consumers to reduce carbon footprint.

Requirement

These systems can be installed on almost all houses except for a very small houses which have less than 120 square feet of roof. The largest of the system requires about 1000 square feet of roof. The system requires direct sunlight and it works almost everywhere. If there is not enough space on roof or if there is a problem of direct sunlight then it can even be installed on ground or some other elevated space. In most cities you require building permit to install a solar power system to your building. Your dealer and installer know how to obtain the necessary permits. You will also require permission from the utility company since this system works with your current utility.

Working of the System

Solar power panels are installed on the roof where the solar energy is transformed into direct current (DC) power. Then this DC power is converted into alternating current (AC) power for residential use. This generated AC power is then used around the house to run all the appliances like refrigerator, television, electric lamps, computers etc.
At night this system will not work. During night time you sill need to draw power from local utility. Most of the solar systems are interconnected with you utility. Your utility would provide power as usual at night and during day when your electricity demand exceeds that produced by your solar power system. In case of cloudy days the system generates less power. Part of the power produced by your solar system during the day time is used to charge the batteries which provide power for your critical loads in the event of a power outage, day or night.

Home Heating

There is a misconception that solar power can heat a home, which is not true. The system is used to convert sun's energy into electrical energy and this energy is then used to run your appliances, lights and other electrical devices. If you have electric heater in your home then you can use this system to heat the home which is rare. There are other technologies which convert solar energy into heat but this home solar system is not used for home heating.
Solar power systems don't have any moving parts and solar modules are also tough. Components may last many years without problem.

Some basic facts...

A solar power system has several standard components they are as follows:

PV Modules or solar power panels (to turn sun's energy into electricity).
A charge controller (this is an electrical device that prevents batteries from overcharging and from power running from the batteries into the solar power panels).
Batteries, to store the electricity for night time usage.
An inverter (a device which changes the electricity created by the home solar panels into electricity ready for use in your regular household wall sockets). Solar panels create Direct Current DC and a household runs on A/C Alternating Current.
In the case of a hybrid solar system, an automatic switch to get current from the electrical grid, or some other power source such as a generator would be included as well. The advantage of using a hybrid system is that you will not be dependent upon solar energy alone.
A 1-kilowatt home solar system is sufficient for most households.
A 1-kilowatt solar system will provide roughly 1,600 kilowatts per year in a sunny climate (receiving 5.5 hrs of sunlight each day) and about 750 kilowatt hours per year in cloudy climates (receiving 2.5 hours of sunlight each day).
A 1-kilowatt solar system uses about 10-12 solar panels, and requires about 100 square feet of installation area (which could be the roof of your home or a section of land on your property).
A 1-kilowatt solar system reduces waste and pollution by about 170 lbs. of coal from being burned, 300 pounds of carbon dioxide from being released into the atmosphere and 105 gallons of water from being consumed each month!
With battery back up, a solar energy system can provide electricity day and night, no matter what the weather conditions. Other options, which include back-up generators and grid-tie systems, provide total security.
On average a 1-kilowatt system takes about 1-2 days to install and costs around US$10,000 (though prices are coming down), but can vary greatly and does not take into account any tax incentives offered by the government for reducing carbon emissions.
Most systems come with a 5-year warranty, although the solar power panels are warranted for 20, and as technology advances some are even coming out with a 30 year warranty.

You can build your own home solar panels!

Today, it is easier than ever to build your own solar panels, with all the kits and methods available, your own homemade solar power panels can be an effective way to produce your own power and save on future power bills. All the components required for creating your own solar power panels are made available in most kits. These components typically include: solar cells, a soldering iron, flux and tabbing. Kits typically include detailed instructions on how to make solar panels. Constructing solar panels does not require professional expertise. All you need is a kit, guideline, clear idea and a logical mind. You can simply follow the step-by-step instructions available with the kit and create you very own home solar panels.

Solar panels can be made from a collection of solar cells. Each solar cell produces a small amount of electricity, but collectively they can produce enough electricity to fulfil your household power needs. It is important for the panels to keep facing the sun to receive direct sunrays.

There must be no hurdle between sun and solar panels. The way should be clear and direct.

You can choose from a number of tracking solar mounts available. The single-axis tracker is fixed at a vertical angle. The angel is manually manoeuvred to follow the path of the sun, which is based on seasonal changes.

For summer, the rule of thumb is to set the panels at your latitude minus 15, and for winter, you can set the panels at your latitude plus 15. The dual-axis tracker adjusts the vertical angle automatically. So you don’t need to worry about that either. It works easily and efficiently without any extra care and maintenance.

Biggest advantage of building and installing home solar panels is that they are eco-friendly. They produce green energy to use the latest terminology. Other forms of electricity emit certain harmful elements that contribute to smog, and other pollution, while solar power is free from such perilous emissions. If you find you entail more energy output, you may add more solar panels to generate more power.

At the end of the day it all depends on your own requirement of energy so you can adjust your DIY solar panels accordingly. There is no hard and fast rule in the amount of home solar panels, they more you want you can add to your roof with proportion to the space available.

"A growing number of homeowners are turning toward the sun to convert its energy into clean, renewable electricity to meet the power demands of their home using home solar panels. Isn't time you considered converting free sunlight into electricity for your home?"

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Chrisostomos Mountzias
The Home Solar Panels Guide