subject: Home Solar Power: Is It Really Feasible? [print this page] Installing a home solar power system becomes more and more feasible as the price of component parts goes down. No real revelation there, just basic economics.
But...does it really make sense for you?
There are three things that can help you make the decision about going "solar", whether you're getting ready to build, or just looking at your options for converting:
1.How much full sunlight per day do you get? Experts call this the "insolation" factor. You can find out what the approximate insolation factor is for your site on a solar map created by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, at www.nrel.gov. You'll also need to know some additional site-specific factors...like sun blockage by trees, other buildings, hillside or any other obstruction.
2.What are you paying now for electricity? This will help you determine how many years, based on the per watt cost of electricity, it will take for you to save back the cost of your solar home installation. If you're getting ready to build a new home in a new area, see if you can get some ideas from nearby homes of about the same square footage. If you're only going to be in your home for 2 of 3 years, you may not recoup your costs from energy savings. However, if you plan to live in your new home for a long time, you'll likely have a very large payback.
3.What rebates and tax incentives are available? Maximizing federal and state incentives can really help offset the initial cost of installing a solar power system. If you have a solar system installed professionally, you may be looking at $40 to $60 thousand dollars for the average American home. Getting a rebate or tax credit of 10 to 60% can go a long way toward putting the initial cost of installing solar more in parity with a standard system.
Be realistic. Regardless of your determination, or desire to have a home powered by solar energy, you may have a site, or be in an area where it truly isn't worthwhile. On the solar map, the United States shows almost no locales where solar energy can't work, but there are exceptions. And, of course, you may have some specific site obstructions, like a tall building in the direct path of the sun from your south-facing potential panel placements, that mean solar energy just isn't going to work. If that's the case, before you install conventional, remember there also other renewable energy possibilities.
Once you've past the phase of finding out solar powered energy will work at your home, there's more good news. Photovoltaic cell cost is coming down drastically due to new mass production techniques. Reducing the cost of solar energy components means more available, more affordable options, making solar power more feasible every day.
New innovations and applications are being rapidly developed. A recent Princeton study shows how engineers have developed a new technique that "could slash the cost of solar panels." In an article sited in nextbigfuture.com, researchers at Princeton state "By overcoming technical hurdles to producing plastics that are translucent, malleable and able to conduct electricity, the researchers have opened the door to broader use of the materials in a wide range of electrical devices. Plastics could represent a low-cost alternative to indium tin oxide (ITO), an expensive conducting material currently used in solar panels."
There are many new developments that are resulting in smaller, more efficient solar energy systems at a much reduced price. That means that, with the exception of those areas or sites with no or very low insolation factors, the most feasible and therefore best option of choice for homeowners, and businesses, will be solar energy.
According to Everett Sizemore, who is a consumer product review expert, "Out of all of the renewable energy alternatives we have today, solar power is still the most feasible for the majority of households in America. With federal, state, and local government incentives, the lowering cost of solar panels and improved efficiency, going solar is cheaper than ever."
In addition to individual home solar power systems, significant progress is being made in ways to capture, store, and use solar energy in power plants. One of the newest, and most feasible designs uses a molten salt storage loop that enables power plants to store and generate electricity as needed, even if there is no direct sunlight for fairly long periods. Similar to current designs, power grids could be connected to supplement, support, and take advantage of the best solar opportunities within the grid system.
The bottom line...home solar power is becoming increasingly feasible...off...and on...the grid.
