First, Why Think Twice

If you are thinking of getting a solar power system, you really should consider it carefully. It isn’t all yes, yes, yes! There are valid reasons to say no, no, no! You may be surprised by this, but think about it.

The first thing you need to check into is the cost of the solar energy system you’re considering. Solar power energy is free once the system is in place, but actually getting the system can be a bit “spendy.” Initially, you may choke a bit, but decide it’s worth it. But be sure that includes all the bells and whistles that the provider could tack on later, so that you really understand the full cost.

But What Outweighs The Money Factor?

More of a money factor – long term! That’s right – having a solar power system will save you money in the long haul. It usually takes at least a few years to get to the break-even point, where the money you put out for your solar energy system equals the amount you have saved, but from then on, you will be saving money every month. In fact, in some areas, you can actually sell your excess energy to the local power company, ending up with a gain overall. This is worth considering!

Along the same lines, for some people, they like the fact that having a solar energy system increases the value of their home. Not only that, but it will impress your neighbors! Everyone likes to be the one in the neighborhood who is “progressive” and on the cutting edge – having a system that runs off of solar energy is one way to achieve that.

Environmental awareness is what prompts some people to invest in a solar power system. By using a renewable source (and what’s more “renewable” than the sun?) they won’t be using up valuable resources that are limited. They choose to “go off the grid” and not be tapped into the local power company. Also, if the local company goes down for any reason, there’s a good chance your personal “power plant” will still be functioning.

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But now, “solar energy” has a whole new meaning, as does “solar energy system.” How and why has this happened? The history of solar energy is interesting.

Coal Started This Story

When coal was being used almost exclusively during the Industrial Revolution, it was the norm. No one was concerned about finding another source of fuel, although they were starting to use biomass and fossil fuels, and wood had been in use for a long time. The use of solar energy was first contemplated in the 1860s as scientists thought that coal was becoming less available. But in the early 20th century, coal and petroleum were again easily available, and weren’t too expensive.

During the oil embargo (1973) and the energy crisis (1979), the government’s energy policies worldwide were under scrutiny. There was renewed interest in developing solar technologies. Government developed special programs with incentives, like the Sunshine Program in Japan. The United States had the Federal Photovoltaic Utilization Program. Governments in many countries also developed research facilities (United States, Japan, and Germany were notable.)

To be fair, in the United States there had already been commercial solar water heaters since the 1890s. There were increasing number of users of these systems, until there were more reliable and cheaper fuels. Solar water heating was of interest during the oil crisis that happened in the 1970s but when the price of petroleum went down, so did interest in solar water heaters.

Since the 1990s, there has been increased interest in solar water heating, and now it is the most popular solar technology. There are other used of solar energy, however.

For office buildings, solar power can provide daylighting systems and reduced need for air conditioning.

For agriculture, solar energy can run the pumps, wine presses, and even the chick brooders.

For cooking, solar power is used for cooking, drying, and pasteurization. These can be of various forms, from reflector ovens (remember using those while camping?), panel cookers, which use solar panels to collect heat, and box cookers. These can reach temperatures sufficient to cook pretty much anything.

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Do you live in a place where you are exposed to sunlight the whole year? If you do, installing your own home solar panel system is easy. You have enough sunlight at the same time you can use your own batteries to store electricity during night time and cloudy days.

Although, there are times you need to spend money also for you to maintain electricity at home, this is not as expensive as having your own bills monthly coming from your electric company. You’ll need enough DC which means direct current batteries to provide you stored electricity for one to three days of cloudy weather. However, replacing them periodically is a must.

It is better to have a backup generator if there are instances of having a long period of cloudy days. The generator needs fuel. This can either be gas or diesel, but most probably to defeat the purpose of solar panel system, use bio diesel. Storing fuel is also needed. It is possible to get “off grid”, but not simple and cheap.

Net metering is use to cut down your expenses in your electric usage. You can check your electric company if they offer this. However, power is available during night and cloudy days. When there is enough sunlight, you can use your solar panel. On the other hand, when the day is over and you are not exposed to sun, you can use the electricity from your electric company. Having this system is not completely “off grid”. Storing DC batteries is not anymore needed, but you will definitely save money when paying your electricity consumption.

Living “off grid” can be a reality if you live in an extended area of land and acquire a big land to live. On the contrary, living in a village or subdivision, the only available system is net metering.

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There are things to consider when availing the solar panel for your pool. It should have enough sunlight during the day. They are known to be simple passive collectors. They are made of plastic coils that contain water. Also, they are in between sheets of shatter-resistant glass. When water gathers in the coils, it acquires heat by the sun then pumped into the pool.

If your house is covered with trees, there’s no sunlight that passes by and solar panel may not be possible, but clear rooftop facing south or west is a perfect place for solar panel to get more exposure to the sun during day time.

The difference between the outside air and the temperature you want your pool should be considered. For instance, you are heating an outside pool at about 80 degrees in below zero winter; you may need pool covers and heavy duty gas heating system. On the other hand, heating an outdoor pool with 80 degrees in a 50-degree winter is ideal.

Solar cover is used when the air outside pool is colder that the temperature of your pool. This is detected once you see steam rises from your pool. Use the pool cover to let the heat stay in water.

Extra precaution is needed when installing your solar panel system. You should not use pool’s solar heater for hot water in your house. It can save you money, but not advisable. The water in your pool has mixture of chlorine and muriatic acid. I presume you might not want them to add on your drinking water system.

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