Never has the color green been so popular. It’s not because of the Irish or St. Patrick’s Day, either. Green is the term given to anything friendly to Mother Earth. It can pertain to cars, clothes, architecture, and energy production.
Green energy describes environmentally friendly sources of power and energy. Typically, it refers to renewable and non-polluting energy sources and includes natural energetic processes which can be harnessed with little pollution.
Given the current instability of the Middle East and the rising cost of oil and now combined with the threat of global warming, going green has become an increasingly popular trend. It’s eco-friendly and good for the Earth. The fact that it’s also extremely cost-efficient doesn’t really hurt, either.
Solar energy is finding its way into your lives, becoming one of the more popular, home renovation trends in the U.S. today. Many contractors and businesses are noticing an increase in requests for solar cell installation with customers citing reasons such as electricity production or heating their water.
Although solar panels may look identical and basically work the same, there are a number of other factors you need to take into consideration.
Quality and Technology – Solar panels of the same size may produce variable amounts of electricity. This discrepancy arises from variations in the functioning age of the solar cells, the quality of the solar cells, and with what technology they were produced. Early solar cells, for example, are not quite as efficient as today’s modern solar cells. Quality increases as the technology involved becomes more advanced and precise.
Age – Solar panels have an effective lifespan of about 20 to 25 years. Their value and wattage output decreases steadily over time. Let’s say you purchase two identical solar cells. One is left in storage and the other, you use for three years. The solar cell in storage will be more valuable than one that has been actively converting sunlight to electricity for a long time.
As you go along with your research of investing into solar energy, there will be some pros and cons you should consider.
Cons
Often times, they carry a large capital cost. The homeowner will need a lot of panels to make the amount of energy produce worth while.
They are only useful during the day. This shouldn’t need much explanation. This is becoming less of an issue with the development of new technology in storing this solar energy.
The panels need replacing. Yes. Things do break down, but the average “life-expectancy" of a solar panel is much longer than you might think. Most solar panels are guaranteed to still produce at least 90% of their rated output after 20 years.
Pros:
The first and most obvious benefit is that they emit no pollution and is less of a stress on the planet compared to other energy supplies such as oil and coal.
Once the solar panels are installed, they are basically self-sufficient and require very little maintenance. The sun does all of the work for you through the electricity producing cells.
Their fuel is free. The government has not found a way to charge you for sunlight nor has Congress introduced legislation to tax it. (We do have a Democrat Congress in session, so don’t be shocked if it happens.)
You WILL save money on the electric bills.
Solar Panels are becoming more affordable thanks to state rebates being offered. Some states want you to feed your solar panel produced power into the utility grid. The idea is to get you to start turning your electric meter backwards. Many states such as California offer rebates on the cost of photovoltaic solar panels to homeowners connected to the power grid. Business may be able to take a 15% tax credit for installing renewable energy equipment
If you have any other questions on solar energy and if it would work for your home, don’t be afraid to ask a professional. Many companies that perform home renovation work can answer any questions you might have. If they can’t, they will be more than happy to find one for you.
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