subject: Common Sense Reasons For Switching To Solar Energy [print this page] Well, one major reason is because of the financial aspects. After the principal investment has been recovered, the energy from the sun if practically free of charge. The recovery or payback period for this investment can be very short depending on how much electricity your household uses.
There are also many financial incentives that are widely available from the federal and local government that will lower your overall cost. Depending on your area, if your system produces more energy than you use, your utility company can buy it from you, building up a credit on your account! This nifty little idea is called "net-metering". Essentially, it will save you money on your electricity bill if you even have one at all.
One great fact about solar energy is that it doesn't require any fuel. It's not affected by the supply and demand of fuel and is therefore not subjected to the ever-increasing price of gasoline. The savings are immediate and for many years to come.
For the environmentally aware, solar energy is clean, renewable (unlike gas, oil and coal) and sustainable, helping to protect our environment. It doesn't pollute our air by releasing carbon-dioxide, nitrogen-oxide, sulphur-dioxide or mercury into the atmosphere like many usual forms of electrical generation does. Solar energy doesn't play a role in the global warming, acid rain or smog and as a matter of fact, it actively contributes to the decrease of harmful green house gas emissions.
Solar energy can be employed to offset utility-supplied energy consumption. For those apprehensive about outages it will also continue to supply your home or business with electricity in the occurrence of a power outage.
Your solar energy system can function entirely independently, not requiring a connection to a power or gas grid at all. Systems can even be installed in remote locations (like cabins and remote vacation homes), making it more sensible and cost-effective than the supply of utility electricity to a new site. Almost all solar energy systems are virtually maintenance free and will last for decades. Once installed, there are no recurring costs and they operate silently, have no moving parts, do not release offensive smells and do not require you to add any fuel. More solar panels can easily be added in the future when your family's needs develop.
