subject: Small Solar Panels [print this page] Small Solar Panels Small Solar Panels
Fossil fuels have been used as the main source of energy since early times. Unfortunately, this resource is already depleting and it's nonrenewable. Because of this, experts have turned to alternative resources, especially the renewable ones, such as rain, geothermal heat, wind and sunlight. Optimum harnessing of each is currently being developed to provide electricity to all the industries, residences and other machineries.
So far, the best bet for a renewable energy is solar energyradiant light and heat from the sun which can be stored and converted to electricity. Experts and scientists are developing all the technological resources to be able to use this energy, which up to now is still minimally harvested.
One of the best things of harnessing solar energy is that it saves money. Installation of small solar panels to use solar energy may be rather expensive, but after recovery of this initial investment, the raw material is free. After all, sunlight is always available free of charge, unlike coal, fuel and natural gas. Payback of investment in the use of solar energy can be short, especially when the household is very dependent on electricity. There are also no additional costs like maintenance and taxes. Later on, you will be amazed that you will be saving a lot of money since the electric bill will not be a nuisance anymore on your monthly budget.
Also, some states give financial incentives to the household which uses solar energy or give financial assistance when converting the household to a solar-powered home. Even other utility companies in some places in the United States pay the household which has excess harnessed energy. The paying process is called net-metering where the excess energy builds up credit on your account. Net metering is this policy for consumers who own renewable energy facilities. This is not only true for solar-powered homes, but also those households that use wind energy or home fuel cells. From the name, the term net is used in context of "what remains after deductions". For a small portion of electricity that the household generates from its renewable energy facility, the owner gets retail credit.
Finally, since solar energy does not require any fuel, it does not depend on the dynamics of the supply and demand. In other words, it is not subjected to the increasing price of gasoline, which always affects all the other commodities.
Most of all, consumers have the option to build their DIY solar panel system. Solar power installations cost more than US$ 3000. However, easy-to-use illustration manuals are now available for around US$ 200 to create your own solar power generator. Components and other materials can be bought from the local hardware store where prices are lower; some parts may even be already lying around the house. By making your own solar-powered household, you save a lot of money, not only after installation, but also during the initial investment. Not only that, you have better bragging rights about your environmentally-friendly house and zero-cost power.
