subject: Solar Panel Systems For Home And Business Applications [print this page] Solar panel systems are becoming a practical and increasingly attractive renewable source of energy for the home. This is due to three main causes; namely, the increasing costs of energy from conventional sources, the decreasing prices of improved home solar energy units as well as incentives offered by governments that make solar energy a good choice.
In America, more than 10 thousand homes are powered solely by solar systems. Besides, several hundred thousand homes use solar panel systems to meet their energy requirements. That leads to substantial savings on electricity bills. Subsequently, the use of non-renewable resources like fossil fuels is decreased, which results in less environmental impact.
The cost of installation for a mid-sized home can run $18-20 K if carried out by a professional installation company. This high cost prevents people from using solar panel systems. However you can save on installation costs through tax credits and state rebates. Besides, if you do it yourself, the cost would be only approximately 30 % before tax credits and rebates.
You can have 2 choices: a stand-alone system which needs battery or a system that is tied to the grid.
A worthwhile improvement to your house is to convert to grid-intertied solar energy unit. As always, planning ahead is the key to successful conversion.
First, calculate the amount of energy you need based on historical consumption data. You ought to choose the right size of your solar panels. An oversize energy system will produce more power which you could send to the power company, but you can only get credit for it and not cash.
Next, understand if your house is suitable for a solar energy unit. These factors are to be 1 available space on the roof, building orientation and climatic conditions. A good estimate of roof space is 80 to 100 sq. ft. per kilowatt. A building should be oriented towards south for the system to be efficient, and there should be no objects that may get in the way of sunlight.
Though it is possible to mount the solar panels on poles, solar panel systems are usually mounted on roofs. Using stainless steel bolts, the frames are attached to roof rafters. The solar panels are then installed on the frames.
Solar panel kits are available on the market. There are vendors who sell their panels on the Internet, but I would not recommend that you buy from them unless you are an experienced DIY solar panel system builder.
Typical set of hardware you need for a stand-alone grid-intertied system consists of: solar panels, power inverter, power meter, roof mounts, a couple of heavy duty safety switches, wirings and cable trays. A DIY kit for a 1-kW system would cost a little above the $3,000 mark.
If you are not experienced in this area, you ought to select a respectable vendor who is known for outstanding service. It is just sensible to consider DIY kits with an installation manual that at least has an adequate number of illustrations. The vendor should preferably have contact telephone number, and much better, could provide a representative in case you run into a problem with installation. Or if you are a lucky guy and have a friend or acquaintance who has experience with installing home solar energy systems, then ask him to lend a hand in the purchase of the hardware as well as in the installation.
