How would you like to come off the electricity grid? What a dream, eh? Sadly, it will remain a dream for the majority of people because the cost of having solar panels installed professionally hardly warrants the cost. Many experts calculate that it can take well over 10 years to recoup the cost of the professional installation of solar panels. This is way beyond the horizons of most home owners, who would expect a break-even point of three to five years. This is not going to happen in the near future, even with the rapidly rising cost of electricity.
However, there is an alternative. Everybody is aware that the labour constituent in any professional job is equal to or even exceeds the cost of the materials in that job, so you could save half the cost just by installing the solar panels yourself. How about saving another 50% or more on the price of the solar panels by making them yourself too?
Now we are getting into the realm where the cost of a viable solar power system to replace state electricity is credible. It could even pay for itself in a couple of years by reducing your dependence on the grid or even enabling you to come off it altogether. Did you know that the grid will purchase your surplus electricity from you as well?
It may sound like fantasy, but it is not that difficult if you have plans or and a solar panel kit. In fact, the parts necessary to build your own solar panels are pretty common these days and you will be able to pick them up either at your local hardware store or at a hobbyists like Radio Shack. If you reckon that that is too time-consuming, you could just purchase a kit. These kits are so uncomplicated that any teenager should be able to assemble one.
Later on, after assembling a kit or two, you may have the confidence to buy the bits separately, which will save you even more money. One of these kits would be enough to power a few tools in your shed or the lights in your garage or a pump on the pond or pool. If you grouped a number of them together, you could begin to reduce your home’s reliance on the grid just by harnessing the energy of the sun. Wouldn’t that be wonderful?
Solar panels have been about for a long time and so people remember when they required strong sun light to be of any use, but public awareness has not kept up with the pace of technological development. Solar panels are much more sensitive now and they can produce electricity from light using powerful photo voltaic cells (PV’s) – they do not have need of blazing sunshine to work any more.
So, if you want to go down the road to independence from the electricity grid, the first thing you have to do is find a set of solar panel diagrams or plans or a kit. You may be able to obtain these from your hobbyist store too or you can get them from a website that specializes in sustainable or alternative energy sources.
Once you have all your bits and pieces and your plans, it will only take you a couple of free hours to assemble your solar panel and have it working for you. The next one will take even less time as you get used to it
Owen Jones, the writer of this article, writes on many topics, but is currently involved with a favourite topic, renewable energy advantages. If you are interested in Sustainable Energy At Home, please click through to our site.
categories: energy,global warming,climate change,alternative,sustainable,solar power,wind power,home and family,health,technology,science,other,uncategorised,fuel
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