Generating Your Own Electricity with Wind and Solar Power
With the growing interest in alternative energy technologies, many homeowners are turning to wind and solar power to generate their own electricity. Both of these solutions offer a cost effective option for many homeowners and can help you lower the amount of power you'll need to purchase from the local utility for your home. Modern versions of these systems will easily generate enough power for the average sized home, and can be installed in about a weekends worth of time.
Solar power has matured in recent years and the current technology enables the average residential home to generate large amounts of power from the sun using a few solar panels and a little bit of roof space. Solar technology has improved tremendously in recent years and today is less expensive and more efficient than ever before. The solar panels used for converting the sunlight into current are more than twice as efficient as older panels and are more durable as well. These modern solar panels can easily last 20 years and will supply power to your home with very little need for maintenance. They are also easier to install as well and will mount to most roof surfaces. These newer systems are designed to be expanded over time and will allow you to start with a smaller number of solar panels and add more of them as your budget allows.
The interconnecting and conversion equipment has also gotten easier to use and more efficient as well. The newer inverters can support a wide range of solar panels and make it easy for the average homeowner to simply expand their system as needed. Some of the inverters will also support a battery bank that can be used as a backup power source and the more advanced inverters even provide connections for a wind turbine that can supply even more of your homes power needs.
Wind power systems are another great alternative for generating electricity for your home. The newer wind turbines are smaller and more efficient than older models and less expensive as well. They are also specially designed to accommodate the lower velocity winds that are typically found in a residential setting. Even though they generate less power on average than their larger commercial counterparts do, they are actually spinning for more hours of the day and can supply a large portion of the power an average home needs. Because they are smaller than older models they are also easier to mount and some of them are actually designed to be mounted directly on the roof of the home. This makes them easier to service and also eliminates the cost of a tower.
Another key development that has helped accelerate the adoption of these alternative energy solutions are the recent upgrades to the local power utilities ability to purchase any excess power your home generates. This is critical for the success of any solar or wind system since these systems are designed to generate more power than the home is using during the day. This excess power is then sent back up the power lines where it generates a credit for the homeowner. At night when the solar or wind power system is inactive, the home can buy back some of this power from the local utility to satisfy their needs and use the credit they generated during the day to offset the cost. If a system is sized correctly, this back and forth movement of power will eliminate the home's monthly electrical bill completely.
With the growing interest in alternative energy technologies, many homeowners are turning to wind and solar power to generate their own electricity. Both of these solutions offer a cost effective option for many homeowners and can help you lower the amount of power you'll need to purchase from the local utility for your home. Modern versions of these systems will easily generate enough power for the average sized home, and can be installed in about a weekends worth of time.
Solar power has matured in recent years and the current technology enables the average residential home to generate large amounts of power from the sun using a few solar panels and a little bit of roof space. Solar technology has improved tremendously in recent years and today is less expensive and more efficient than ever before. The solar panels used for converting the sunlight into current are more than twice as efficient as older panels and are more durable as well. These modern solar panels can easily last 20 years and will supply power to your home with very little need for maintenance. They are also easier to install as well and will mount to most roof surfaces. These newer systems are designed to be expanded over time and will allow you to start with a smaller number of solar panels and add more of them as your budget allows.
The interconnecting and conversion equipment has also gotten easier to use and more efficient as well. The newer inverters can support a wide range of solar panels and make it easy for the average homeowner to simply expand their system as needed. Some of the inverters will also support a battery bank that can be used as a backup power source and the more advanced inverters even provide connections for a wind turbine that can supply even more of your homes power needs.
Wind power systems are another great alternative for generating electricity for your home. The newer wind turbines are smaller and more efficient than older models and less expensive as well. They are also specially designed to accommodate the lower velocity winds that are typically found in a residential setting. Even though they generate less power on average than their larger commercial counterparts do, they are actually spinning for more hours of the day and can supply a large portion of the power an average home needs. Because they are smaller than older models they are also easier to mount and some of them are actually designed to be mounted directly on the roof of the home. This makes them easier to service and also eliminates the cost of a tower.
Another key development that has helped accelerate the adoption of these alternative energy solutions are the recent upgrades to the local power utilities ability to purchase any excess power your home generates. This is critical for the success of any solar or wind system since these systems are designed to generate more power than the home is using during the day. This excess power is then sent back up the power lines where it generates a credit for the homeowner. At night when the solar or wind power system is inactive, the home can buy back some of this power from the local utility to satisfy their needs and use the credit they generated during the day to offset the cost. If a system is sized correctly, this back and forth movement of power will eliminate the home's monthly electrical bill completely.