Alternative Energy HQ solar power for homes, wind energy, and bio fuel issues
Our sun is a source of renewable energy called solar energy. To transform solar energy directly into electricity, a solar cell is employed. Solar cell is also called photovoltaic cell or PV for short. One solar cell generates only small amount of electricity, so solar cells are interconnected and packaged into panels. Solar panels for commercial purposes and solar panels for homes are available.
As a rule, solar cells are manufactured of crystalline silicon. When exposed to sun, wafer-based crystalline silicon cells generate electricity. An average of 13% of solar power is converted to electrical power. Currently, 18% is achieved, but 30% is a targeted figure by researchers.
If you are contemplating to install a solar energy system for your house or your business, solar panels for homes are the major hardware you need. In general, methods of manufacture and materials used differ for each type of panels one can find in the market, so you should know the requirements of your application to be able to choose the proper solar panel for your home.
One thing to keep in mind is whether your system will be stand-alone or connected to the grid. Besides keep in mind your geographical location and identify the correct solar panel for your area. If you reside in an area where the sun always shines, buy the concentrating solar collectors. These types of panels are angled to collect direct sunlight. Otherwise, buy the non-concentrating solar collectors, because they can absorb reflected sunlight as well.
Solar panels that can be installed on your residence are available in various power output ratings, in the range of 60 to 190 watts. If you would like to have greater output than 190 watts, you will want to buy more panels and set them up in an array.
Depending on the brand, a solar panel is priced about $1,000. Popular brands are Sharp, Mitsubishi, Sanyo, Kyocera, Evergreen adn Uni-Solar. These products come with a 20-year warranty. In you can, pick brands that have low manufacturing impact on nature.
You have to consider the efficiency of different brands as panels with greater efficiency will pay for themselves quicker. Efficiency of between 16 and 18% is already good, and expect around 10-year payback period. This will be reduced to four years when panels with 25% efficiency become available in the future.
With new panels priced at about $1,000 a piece, a system for your home can cost you $20,000, if a contractor installs it for you. If you do it yourself, the cost would be reduced to less than half. You will save even more if you find broken panels and fix them yourself.
The market trend for solar panels is geared towards more affordable panels. On top of that, the federal and state governments offer incentives that help reduce the total cost of a solar panel system. With these factors in mind, many homeowners are thinking about installing solar energy system for their homes.
$20,000 for a system that could power a standard-size home is still beyond affordability for the majority of homeowners. The way out of this then is to install a system that only partially covers the energy needs. Solar panels for homes can be installed for $5,000 and are enough to take 1/3 of the energy requirements. The number of residences powered by solar panels for homes is expected to increase in the future, thus sustaining a greener planet.
