Solar Energy Advantages: What’s Not to Love?
February 18, 2010 by Jason Monsky
Filed under Solar Energy Facts
Imagine this: The CEO, President, and Board of your local energy company all suddenly decide that they aren’t interested in making money anymore, and that they’re going to start giving out energy for free. What would happen? Every household would save anywhere between $1,000 to $2,000 per year. The community as a whole would save billions. People would be celebrating in the streets. The mayor would declare a holiday in honor of the kind and charitable energy company.
Of course, this would never happen. It costs money to produce energy in the traditional ways, and power companies have to balance out their overhead somehow. So we can’t blame them too much for charging us.
Even so, there is a free source of energy available to everyone. And it’s currently putting fear into the hearts of power company bigwigs all over the world, which is cause for celebration. Yup, you guessed it: I’m talking about the kind, endlessly giving, benevolent sun.
A Free Source of Energy
Cheapness is just one of many solar energy advantages, but it’s obviously a big one. Many people are understandably skeptical about residential solar energy, but that’s just because the idea seems too good to be true: All you have to do is pay to install a system, and you’ll achieve big energy savings for years to come. How can this be?
In this country, we’re used to paying for everything, so it takes us a while to process things like this. I understand. If you need to take a little while, go right ahead. But it’s time for all of us to get used to this whole residential solar energy thing. It’s here to stay, and it’s going to benefit us all.
solar energy facts and Information
A few solar energy facts: Germany is still the biggest per capita solar energy market in the world, with countries like Japan, Italy, Spain, Australia, the Netherlands, and France following close behind. The U.S. is an increasing market, especially in sunny western states like California, but we still have a long way to go to catch up with the rest of the world.
Currently, solar energy accounts for around 1% of our overall global energy production, but this number is perpetually on the rise. Taken as a whole, the green energy movement, which also includes wind and hydrothermal energy, will soon make up for one tenth of the world’s energy—which isn’t bad when you look at where we were just a few years ago.
Solar Panel Information
Although there is some lofty technical stuff involved with solar energy, you’ll never have to worry about. All you need to know is the basics: Solar panels, usually made of silicon, gather energy from the sun and convert it directly into electricity that is usable in the home. That’s all there is to it.
If you’re interested in installing your own home solar power system, you can get started for as little as $500 for some basic components. These won’t take care of all your energy needs—for that you’ll need a complete system with professional installation—but with DIY solar power kits you can take some of the financial burden off your family while also doing the right thing for the planet.
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