Sunday, August 25, 2013

Important Things About Solar Power

By Austin Goldfinch


The uptake of photo voltaic energy has not been higher than in the past few years in comparison to any other instance in the past. Manufacturers are putting funds into solar power. Solar panels currently cost approximately one half of what they use to two or three years ago. Governments have got laws which accompany the income of Photovoltaic or pv via tariffs. Local councils are incorporating alternative energy into their construction codes. Banks are providing 'green' mortgages particularly concentrating on the investment of eco-friendly domestic hot water systems, solar panel systems, water tanks etc. Solar systems have become a natural part of the normal landscape in suburbs across the world. It seems so many people are getting on the solar train. But just what is the value of solar technology to the ordinary home user? Is solar power worth it?

This issue may be answered from a number of different angles. We are going to respond to this issue from several perspectives: practicality, monetary and also ecological friendliness.

The majority will likely be wondering about the value of solar from a financial point of view. What is the return on my investment (ROI)? The answer to this issue greatly depends on a variety of aspects. The most important thing to consider is where you reside in the world. Where you reside decides the amount of sunlight your solar collectors will be exposed to throughout the year. The closer you live towards the poles, the less the quantity of sunshine hours you are exposed to when compared to your counterparts near the equator. This equates to less electric power generation than your counterparts. Different goverments around the globe have different financial incentives such as tariffs or subsidies. Consider what your various levels of government are providing. Additionally, make sure you research and find out what the cost is to set up a system. When determining the time it will take to pay off the original cost of the install, consider your electricity usage, as well as the forecasted increasing cost of electricity in the future. On the basis of these aspects, you will get more of an idea if solar power will pay itself off in the short term, in the long term, or if perhaps even at all.

You may well be asking this question about the advantages of solar power from an environmental perspective. Is the amount of embodied energy of solar less than or greater than the embodied energy of other forms of power generation? My research into that issue found that the energy payback for solar technology has reduced from the estimated 20 years back in 1975, to at present a period of less than 3 years. In recent years, there has been a rapid technological improvement in the manufacturing of Photovoltaic cells and panels, such that the environmental advantages of setting up solar are increasingly becoming a lot more apparent.

On the other hand, you might be asking the same question concerning the advantages or problems with solar from the perspective of functionality. As an example, you might have a need to get electricity to a remote spot. The substantial decrease in price to set up solar power has now made it a real, viable option as opposed to other alternate options. Certainly in Australia, consumers are putting in stand-alone systems since the cost to set up electrical power infrastructure such as power poles as well as a transformer is significant. You may well be wondering what the routine maintenance cost is once you own a system. The majority of PV systems are grid connected. These types of systems need little or no routine maintenance. When the sun is shining and the Photovoltaic system is generating sufficient electricity, excess power is fed back to the grid. At times whenever the household requires more electricity than the system can create, the electrical power grid delivers what is needed. The inverter as well as the meter manage it all. Absolutely no interaction by the property owner is needed. However, isolated stand-alone systems have to have a bit more attention. This might include the periodic operation of a diesel back up generator when ever the battery packs of a standalone system have been depleted because of a prolonged time period of cloud cover.

When considering the advantages or disadvantages of solar power, you need to do your research on the subject. This short article only has begun to skim the surface, taking a look at three wide-ranging elements.




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