Solar Panels For Today

One of the main problems with solar power is collecting the power of the sun and at
the same time having the solar panels be pleasing to the eyes of the people around
you. You have probably seen solar houses in your neighborhood with five or six solar
panels reflecting the sun. Though this is the wave of the future, it is not at this time
pleasing to the eye of most consumers. These home owners put their solar panels
either on the roof or in the backyard and to the casual non technologically-oriented
person this looks tacky and takes away from the beauty of a neighborhood.
There is new technology that allows the solar power user to set their solar panels up
in a way that is aesthetically pleasing, and at the same time gives greater
opportunities to collect sunlight. These designs have been put in place to serve dual
purposes. They not only enhance the look of a house, but also give the owner a
chance to use his solar panels as cover for other things. Solar panels can be set up in
a variety of ways as long as they are angled at the sun and collect the optimal
amount of energy that is emitted in that area of the house.
These new designs have combined traditional house extensions with a revolutionary
new concept that allows the solar panel to act both as a part of the house and at the
same time collects energy. One such design looks like a carport from the outside.
The solar panels are set up so that they extend from the house above the car parking
area. The driver of the car can park his car underneath the solar panels and they, in
turn, give the car protection from the elements. Snow and rain cannot hit the car and
the solid construction of the solar panels helps them support themselves, even under
the weight of snow. These solar panels have a heating system that goes throughout
them. The heat will melt any moisture such as snow or ice so that the sun can get
through to the solar panels no matter what the weather.
Some designs have solar panels sloped gently from the second story of the house to
provide an area for which a person could put a garden box or flowers and have some
protection from the sun during inclement weather. Other systems include panels that
will come out during sunrise and can be retracted when the sun goes down.
Another technology advance allows a greenhouse to use only solar power. This will
allow the heat to be trapped inside the greenhouse causing the plants to thrive. At
the same time the sun collected above the greenhouse can be reflected down to the
plants to give them the solar energy they need to live. This solar panel can only
collect so much energy within each cell then the residual sunlight would go to the
plants. The added benefit is that the installation of these solar panels will cause the
humidity to be collected inside the hothouse and allow for the house to be warmer
when the weather cools down. All this put together does not take away from the idea
that the house is receiving renewable energy that cost nothing except for the setup
of the solar panels in the first place.
Check out the Internet for the new designs of solar panels. These solar panels are
becoming more attractive than is aesthetically pleasing to the eye because they are
becoming more efficient to help you save money and to be less dependent on fossil
fuels.



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Solar Panels: Can You Go Off the Grid Now?

If you install solar panels on your home, can you go "off grid" and never have to deal with the electric company again? Being energy independent is a nice thought. No more triple digit electric bills. No more hassle with the utility companies for any reason. Is this possible for you and your family? It depends on where you live, and how much money you're willing to commit to maintain your own energy system.
First, consider where you live. Are you in a part of the world that gets lots of sunlight all year long, or do you have lots of gray and overcast days? Even when you install solar panels on your home, they only create electricity while the sun is shining on them. That means you have to use batteries to store electricity in order for it to be available at night and during overcast days.
Here's where your system can start getting expensive. You'll need to buy and maintain enough large DC (direct current) batteries to store enough electricity to get you through one to three days of cloudy weather. You'll need plenty of storage space for all of those batteries, and you'll have to plan for the expense of replacing them periodically.
It's also a good idea to keep a backup generator just in case you have a long stretch of cloudy weather that lasts beyond your battery storage capacity. Your generator will need fuel, so you’ll have to store that, too. Generators usually use either gas or diesel fuel. But that seems to defeat the purpose of a solar panel system, so you’ll probably want to use biodiesel. So, yes it is possible to got "off grid", but it's not a simple or cheap project.
For most people, it makes more sense to look into "net metering". Find out if it's offered by your local electric utility company. Net metering is a great way to cut down on your electricity bills, yet still have power available at night and during long spells of gray, cloudy days. Net metering allows you to credits back from the electric company for excess electricity that your solar panels produce during the day. Then you simply use the electricity from your local utility company at night and on days when there is not enough direct sunlight. You won’t need to store banks of DC batteries in your basement or garage. You won’t be completely "off grid", but you can save significant amounts of money on your monthly electric bills. Some months you may even have a zero balance.
So if you live on a large parcel of land and have an extra barn or outbuilding to store your DC batteries in, going “off grid" could be a reality for you. But if you live in a subdivision, have no basement, and you're already parking your car on the street because the garage is too full, "net metering" will probably be your best bet.





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