Solar power isn’t new. It was developed in the late 1800s. If you’re considering buying a solar power system but you’re confused about the choices, you may find the following background information useful.
•Solar power is a renewable energy source.
The miles of overhead wires aren’t needed to get electricity to remote locations.
There are no dangerous emissions.
Solar panels are durable because they have no moving parts. Panels installed in the 1970s are still providing power.
Renewable energy rebates are available, making the acquisition of a solar power system more affordable and the payback time much shorter.
No moving parts equal little or no maintenance.
Small businesses are actually capable of producing high-quality solar panels. As these companies evolve, a highly competitive energy market will result.
There are those who believe that the production of solar panels is energy-intensive. Actually, solar panels are very cost-effective to manufacture and the materials used are recyclable. Best of all, an actual “panel production footprint” can be fully recovered in as little as 18 months of use, depending on the area.
Naturally, a sunnier climate will render the quickest payback. Even in battery-based systems, the batteries can be recycled, as can most support components. By the way, we don’t believe there is any such thing as “clean coal.”
A solar panel consists of an array of photovoltaic cell “wafers,” made of silicon. The wafers are placed under a layer of glass to protect them from damage. When exposed to sunlight, the sun’s rays cause the wafers to generate electron activity on their surface.
The electron activity literally creates electricity. Wires connected to the wafers gather the electricity and send it to batteries for storage or to an inverter where the DC current (battery current) is converted to AC (household current). At night your house can draw energy from your storage batteries or from your public utility.
During the sunlight hours, when a solar system produces more electricity than is used by your home, the excess power turns the utility meter backward.
As you shop for solar equipment, be careful of scam artists. Whenever any product is offered to you via a lease plan, it often takes both an attorney and an accountant to interpret the contract lingo.
Also, not every solar panel is high-quality. This means you need to study the industry. If you aren’t willing to do that, you may end up getting shocked.
Oh, and don’t buy from a door-to-door salesperson unless you have studied that company.
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