Is a Solar Electricity System Right For You?

With the rising cost of energy, if you are not energy conscious then you could simply be described as stupid or foolish. No matter how rich you are, you must be concerned in one way or the other about the way you consume energy. The rising cost of energy has resulted in numerous individuals across the globe thinking about substituting their regular energy source for one that is cheaper or one that at least reduces their dependence on these expensive energy sources.

One energy source that so many people across the world have fallen in love with is the solar electricity system. The reason for this is that:

• Solar energy is free, you only have to purchase the apparatus for harnessing it or you build one yourself.

• Solar power is a green energy source. In other words it does not cause any known damage to man’s environment.

• Solar energy is a renewable energy source unlike fossil fuels like diesel etc.

• You can build a solar power system easily with the right guidance.

The drawbacks to using solar system are that:

• it can be expensive to acquire if you want one built for you by a professional and 

• at night or during some bad weather conditions there could be very little to no sunshine hence no energy to supply your system. 

But these draw backs are no problem at all and I will tell you why they are not.
These days you can build a solar electricity system yourself with a suitable DIY GUIDE so that you no longer need a professional which means you can save a lot of money. The other problem of sunlight availability is solved by storing some of the power the solar electricity system generates with a battery so that it can be used when there is little to no solar energy supply.

Adding to the affordability, many solar electricity systems are able to participate in net metering in several states.  This means that as your solar electricity system generates more power than you are using, your meter runs backwards resulting in an even swap of power that you use at other times when you exceed the power supplied by your own solar electricity system. 

You need to understand how electricity is generated from solar energy (energy from the sun) before you think about purchasing or even building a solar electricity system for use in your home or office. The main component of any solar electricity system is the photovoltaic cells, which are wired together to produce solar electricity modules.  The electricity produced from the modules or panels is then passed through an inverter that converts the current from direct current (DC) to alternating current (AC), making it usable to power household appliances and the utility grid.  As I mentioned earlier about catering for times when the sun’s supply of energy is very low or not available batteries are also included in a solar electricity system to store backup power to be used in times of low sun light and power outages.

You need to be aware of the fact that solar electricity systems will work properly only when sunlight falls on them.  Also setting up a solar electricity system can also come with an initially high investment cost and it can take years before the system pays for itself.  However, with net metering and government funded rebates, many are able to pay off systems much more quickly. 

The physics behind the conversion of solar energy to electricity is not a necessity for you to start enjoying the benefits of the sun’s free energy. You can discover more interesting stuff about solar electricity systems here!