Are you like me and hide every time the utility bill comes in? The average electricity bill in the US is now almost $3000 a year – that’s a big chunk out of our families income. Add this to the rising price of gas, food and just about everything else, and it’s easy to see why more and more people are starting to turn to alternative power sources such as solar power kits to save money and help make ends meet.
Solar power kits come in many shapes and sizes, and to fit a wide range of budgets, but they all perform the same basic function -to turn the suns energy into electricity. Harnessing the suns energy is not a new idea, but todays technology makes it more cost effective and simpler than ever before.
There are two basic ways to use solar power. First you can simply use solar power kits to generate electricity. This natural power can then be stored and used to heat your home, or power your lights. If you have a surplus, then you may even be able to sell this back to the power company and generate, sorry for the pun, a few extra dollars of extra income for your family. The second, and most efficient, way to use solar power is to use the suns energy to produce hot water. This can be stored simply in a storage tank and used for washing, cooking and even helping to run your central heating systems.
Solar power kits normally contain Photovoltaic cells that are necessary to turn the suns energy into electricity. These panels of Photovoltaic cells can be mounted either on the roof of your home or on poles as a ground mount. These solar cells transform the sunlight into energy which needs to be stored, so most kits should also come with some deep cycle batteries for this purpose. Finally, you will need an inverter to convert the DC energy current into 110 AC in order to be useful as an energy source for your home. Depending on how you set up your solar power kit, your home can be powered entirely by solar energy you could have the option of drawing from the storage of battery banks for use when it is needed in times when the cells aren’t generating sufficient power.