subject: DIY Solar Power - Why We Should Build Our Own Solar Panels [print this page] DIY Solar Power - Why We Should Build Our Own Solar Panels
For those who still don't believe Americans should build their own solar panels using solar power kits, here is an alarming statistic: oil prices could reach as high as $250 a barrel, according to Alexei Miller, CEO of Russian energy group Gazprom. Miller, who had first made this prediction last year, reiterated it as oil prices recently hit a 2009 high of $71 per barrel in the wake of revelations that proven oil reserves had dropped for the first time in a decade. The escalating price of oil makes do-it-yourself (DIY) solar power a necessity for families seeking protection from skyrocketing energy rates.
Changing to solar energy is also a must if America is to achieve energy security. The country can no longer afford to remain dependent on imported sources of oil, and for its long-term energy security must develop alternatives. Solar kits can help the country achieve this goal by allowing individual households to reach a certain measure of energy independence, thus lessening power utilities' consumption of costly imported oil.
Environmental concerns should also be a factor in promoting the increased use of solar energy. The burning of fossil fuels is responsible for global warming, a growing threat to the environment. But global warming could be mitigated by increasing the use of solar energy. Solar power kits make the technology much more affordable and therefore available to a greater number of people and thus encourage its use.
But if you are still not convinced by the above factors, then perhaps simple self-interest will persuade you. Solar power kits can show you how to build homemade solar panels for as little as $200, in return for which you can save hundreds, of not thousands of dollars on your total annual electricity bill. Given that simple fact, DIY solar power must be looking pretty good.
