subject: Solar Shingles – Renewable Source of Electricity [print this page] Solar Shingles Renewable Source of Electricity
Global warming and ever increasing population has led to the depletion of our non renewable source of energy. This has made us think about our future. Will there be any future generation? How will they survive? Countries are allotting a considerable part of their fund on the development of renewable source of energy. Solar energy is one such source of renewable energy. Solar Shingles is one form of energy considered to replace traditional fossil fuel power plants.
Solar Energy and Solar Shingles
Solar energy is basically the energy derived from the sun. The radiant heat and light from the sun is the main source of solar energy. Solar shingles which is also referred as photovoltaic shingles is a device that converts sunlight directly into electricity. This basically resembles traditional roofing shingles. There are different varieties of solar shingles now available in the market. This includes single sized solid panels, semi rigid design containing several silicon solar cells and thin film solar cells.
Installation, Importance and Use
A photovoltaic shingled roof is basically dark in color and therefore looks similar to other roofs. Older forms of Solar Shingles took lot of time to install. But newer forms like the thin film solar cells just take a few hours to install. There are some basic criteria to be taken into account before installing solar shingles. We need to find out whether the building has any sunlight obstructions and does it have sufficient space on the roof to install which may cater the electricity demand of your house.
Solar shingles can be installed either by you or by professionals. Even though you can install it yourself it is always advised to take professional help as it may help in completing the work quickly and nicely. The most inexpensive way to install solar shingles is to use the grid as the backup source of energy instead of a battery. Using battery as the backup storage is both expensive and adds complexity to the installation of the same.
Nowadays some builders are using solar shingles on their new projects, thus taking a step towards the concept of going green. Despite the early expenses that one has to incur at the time of installation, Solar Shingles gives us long term benefits. It drastically reduces our electricity bill and helps us to contribute something to our mother nature. Many countries have come out with legislations that gives tax rebates to those who makes use of renewable sources of energy. This helps in making people aware of the importance of renewable energy and motivates them to make it a part of their life
Solar energy or the energy that we receive from the sun is absolutely free and abundant. The only expense that we incur is when we convert sunlight into electricity. Life without electricity is unimaginable. Instead of depleting our fossil fuels for the production of electricity, we should make use of Solar Shingles. Thus, we welcome our next generation to a green and energy rich world.