Solar Panels on Your Rooftop Is No Longer Just a Dream

For decades, there has been discussion in the media about installing solar panels on our rooftops. However, until recently, few homeowners actually installed them -- only those with extraordinary enthusiasm and concern about the environment. The reason -- the cost of solar panels upfront, between $10,000 to $60,000.
The hope was that solar panel costs would gradually come down to within an affordable range for the average homeowner. While the costs have gradually declined over the years, they have not yet become widely affordable.
However, a whole new business model has changed all that. A number of companies now install solar panels on the home's roof for free, and the homeowner pays a monthly lease fee. The homeowners use the solar power generated to reduce their reliance on the electrical utility company. The lease payment plus the reduced electrical utility bill, when combined, are usually less than the homeowner's monthly electric bill had been pre-solar. So, the homeowner has no upfront costs plus has a reduced electric monthly bill.
Commercial Solar Panels
Businesses can take advantage of a similar type of solar panel installation plan. Solar companies offer businesses a Power Purchase Agreement instead of a lease. The solar company installs the panels with no upfront investment by the business. The panels may be installed on the roof, or if there's space, in a ground-mounted array.
The business pays the solar installer a fixed rate for the solar power that it uses. This reduces the amount of electricity that the business must draw from the electric utility. Usually the business customer experiences a reduced total electric bill, even with the payment it makes to the solar installation company for solar electricity.
Businesses experience reduced monthly electric bills and protection from volatility in electric utility rates going forward. The solar electric rate is fixed, and experiences no volatility. Reduced rate volatility can be particularly helpful when planning profitable operations.
Reliability of Solar Power
Once the cost of solar panels is no longer a factor, people often bring up worries about reliability of solar power generation. What happens at night or if it rains? In the past, many thought that people would generate electricity with solar panels and, on sunny days, store the excess in batteries to use at night or on overcast days.
However, the current business model is different. Your home or business remains hooked up the utility company's electrical grid. At night or on overcast days or anytime that your solar power generation is insufficient for your needs, you draw electricity from the electric grid. This happens automatically and takes no effort on your part.
Then, is the excess solar power of sunny days wasted? No. You profit by an automatic system that sells your excess solar power back into the electrical grid. Your utility company credits you with the sale by winding the readings on your electric meter backwards. You can actually watch it spinning backwards!
Benefit to the Environment
With this new business model, homeowners and businesses can save money by installing solar panels while retaining a reliable supply of electricity. In addition, they can do what many of us have looked forward to ever since we heard about generating solar power on our rooftops -- help the environment.
Solar energy, of course, creates no pollution. Every kilowatt that we generate with our solar panels is one less kilowatt that power companies must generate by burning fossil fuels. Actually, one kilowatt generated by solar panels replaces even more than one kilowatt generated by power companies, as, with rooftop solar panels, there are virtually no losses of power due to electric line transmission over long distances.
Replacing fossil fuels for generating electricity creates numerous benefits for the environment. The mining of coal, oil, and gas all harm the environment. Transmission of fossil fuels by pipeline (with possible leaks), or trucks (with resulting air pollution) also harm the environment. Of course, burning these fuels for electrical power, even when burning relatively clean natural gas, also adds pollutants to the atmosphere.
Energy Independence
Dependence on foreign oil has major consequences for our economy when conflict in the Middle East erupts. Interruptions in the oil supply raise gasoline and home heating prices and harm our economy. Our dependence on foreign oil also constrains our foreign policy options. Some believe that this has gotten us into wars that we, otherwise, might not have fought. Addiction to foreign oil has been costly to Americans in many ways.
We are currently making good progress in becoming independent of foreign oil. Domestic oil production has increased, energy efficiency measures are working better -- including tougher auto gas mileage standards -- and sources of clean, green energy are coming on-line. When commercial and home solar panels are installed, they are contributing to our clean, green energy future.
As many people are concerned about our environment and dependence on foreign oil, when one homeowner installs solar panels on their roof, neighbors often follow suit. Seeing that solar panels are for-real and are now affordable in their own neighborhood, they go ahead with what has seemed like a dream for so long -- generating our own electricity on our own rooftops.

Home Solar Energy - The 7 Components of Your Solar Power System

When starting a new home DIY solar energy project, one of the many question asked by a beginner is: What component parts will I need to complete my solar energy project? Before you start connecting together the individual component parts on your roof, it helps to get a good quality solar guide that will walk you step by step through the whole process of building, installing and setting up your own home solar energy system. Aside from the obvious of time, tools and instructions, let us look at the basic components you will need to go solar.
For installing a grid-tied solar power system for your home, there are basically 7 main components you will need and we will organise these in the order in which they will be connected into your home solar energy system.
1. Solar Panels - In most home DIY installations these panels will be built by you from individual parts. You can order discount photovoltaic cells online, and assemble these into complete 80W, 100W, or 120W Solar Panels. But if you do not have the time or skills to build a solar panel from scratch, there are plenty of commercially available panels to choose from. Once built, individual panels are wired together to make larger solar arrays.
2. Solar Array Disconnect - This is basically just an electrical switch but is an important part of the system. It allows you to disconnect and cut-off the DC power output from your solar panels and array should any repairs be required or if there is a problem with the solar system. This disconnect switch needs to be strong enough to handle the full power output from the panels on a bright sunny day.
3. Battery Charge Controller - Most home solar systems are built with a battery backup included for when the sun does not shine such as on dull days or at night. The battery charge controller ensures that a consistent amount of electrical power is sent to the batteries so that they are not over charged, and to ensure that the backup batteries do not discharge back through the system at night. In many ways this component is similar to your automotive battery charger so will not be too expensive.
4. Deep Cycle Batteries - In order to store the solar power generated by your solar panels, your solar system will need deep cycle batteries. Deep cycle batteries are not the same as shallow charge automotive batteries which are designed with thinner lead plates for cars. Deep cycle storage batteries for solar systems are more robust and are designed for the type of charging and discharging cycles they need to endure. New deep cycle batteries are expensive but reconditioned batteries are cheaper. Better still, you may be able to get old dead batteries for free used previously in fork trucks, golf carts, and electric buggies and recondition them yourself.
5. System Power Meter - This can be optional, but it is listed here as its inclusion will give you a clear way to see how much free solar power is being supplied to your home from your solar panels. Having a system power meter also helps you improve your system to gain the maximum efficiency from your solar installation as well as having the advantage of letting your neigbours know how much money your solar system is saving.
6. Solar Power Converter - Your solar panels generate DC power, and your home runs on mains AC power, the solar power converter converts the solar energy from the panels into usable energy in the home by providing the DC to AC conversion using electronic switching techniques. In practical terms, the converter allows us to run electric drills, computers, vacuum cleaners, mains lighting, and most other mains electrical appliances that can be plugged into the wall sockets of your solar panels. There are many square wave, sine wave modified wave converters on the market but a good quality 1200W converter likely won't cost you more than $100.
7. Backup Power - This for when the sun does not shine and the batteries are empty. Most systems will include some sort of backup power. In a stand alone installation this would generally be a diesel generator. In a grid-tied system the utility grid itself would provide the backup power through the converter. But a backup power source can also be a wind turbine or a water wheel as part of a small scale hydro system.
Once you have your 7 components installed, your solar power system gets wired into your normal home electrical panel and unless you are qualified, it may be necessary to get a qualified electrician to connect up the system. Now that you know what 7 components you will need to get your home solar energy system up and running the savings made on building your own panels and sourcing the materials will more than pay for the additional qualified help.
So whether you build your own solar panels from scratch or buy pre-made commercial panels, using solar energy to power your home can be easier than you think. With a grid connected system you can even sell excess electricity you do not use back to the utility company who have been selling it to you for all these years giving you an additional income.
Alternative Energy Tutorials is dedicated to helping and showing you what you need to make Solar Energy a reality, and to help you on your way consider downloading one of the solar guides about homemade solar panel construction from the tutorials website ensuring that you have the necessary information to get your solar energy installation working efficiently and effectively the first time.

Reduce Electricity Bills With Solar Power

When it comes to utilization of Solar Panels, Australia is growing into among the most successful places yet still a great deal has to be done. Australia's dry environment and latitude the mixture of both bring it a higher potential for solar power generation. A good part of the Australia receives greater than 4 kWh for each square meter daily of insolation throughout the winter months, while an area in the north surpassing 6 kWh everyday. Australia's insolation considerably exceeds the mean amounts in Europe, Russia and much of North America. The same quantities are observed in desert conditions of northern and southern Africa, south-western places in The United States as well as nearby area of Mexico, and areas in the Pacific coast of South America. Nevertheless, the parts of Australia with peak insolation are found in the interior parts, beyond the cities.
Typically there can be a lot of advantages of solar panel technology linked to utilizing solar electric power on a small and large size. You will manage to create solar power for your residential property by means of considerably better and inexpensive products associated with this sustainable power source. One of the leading advantages of a solar panel system for your home is the absence of smog emitted by solar panels while producing electricity. The only pollution you can relate with a solar power is the making of the solar panel, and shipment of the cell till it comes to your house, then perhaps the use of electrical energy to power the tools required as the panel is arranged and repaired.
An additional benefit of solar energy is that the energy source (sunlight) is 100% eco-friendly distinct from the supply which is probably providing your present electric power. Benefits of solar energy also comprise the capability to generate electrical energy in far off locations. This has grown into a really critical advantage of solar power with the intention to provide electric power to some of the isolated areas we know of. A home solar power unit can change lives of villages situated on mountains where it can be tricky to set up electricity lines so as to arrive at such locations. Contemporary innovations have enabled us to hold the solar electrical energy we generate by means of solar powered invertors and batteries. This is a substantial merit of why you'll want to integrate solar energy to increase your home electrical energy supplies.
On the disadvantages side, the upfront investment on solar energy panels is easily viewed as a disadvantage. Nonetheless that is of course a minor price to pay the moment you know the savings you might earn at a later date on your energy bills. Other than this the only another negative aspect is that your solar energy panels can never prepare electricity the moment the sun is not out there.
"Solar Credits" is called the Australian government's existing solar subsidy for homeowners, establishments and public utility places. It was approved into law on the twentieth August '09, but the policies consistently change the requirements of the subsidy typically decreasing it with minimal notice. It subsidises the expenditure of putting in a Solar Power Unit and unlike the plan previous to it, which was means-tested at a family wages of $100,000 this rebate is not means-tested at all. That way it's easy for you to look after the first down side

Smart Meters and Smart Meter Security

Smart electricity meters are designed to relay information about the electricity consumption of a household or business directly to the utility. The information being monitored, typically in hourly intervals, include consumption patterns and total usage. The information is transmitted to the utility via a wireless connection typically once per day. This information allows the utility to adjust supply based on anticipated demand and provides the utility with a way to measure your usage without sending someone out to read the meter. Although the ultimate goal is to save on energy consumption the meters are not without their controversy. Fears about data security and RF emissions have been the biggest obstacles for the utilities to overcome in public perception.
Smart electricity meters have also been designed to communicate with an in-home system to monitor and regulate the energy consumption of appliances and air conditioning. The information would allow the homeowner to determine times of peak usage and either manually or electronically, in the case of smart devices, to manage appliances or to adjust thermostats remotely. The consumer-oriented portion of the smart technology is largely under development with limited offerings currently available.
Most of the benefits so far have been on the utility side of the electric grid. By monitoring usage patterns the utilities can more adequately plan for peaks and valleys in demand. For example in North Texas, with the largest installed base of smart meters, utilities were able to warn consumers about potential blackouts last summer based on lack of capacity during the hot summer months. The utilities warned that consumption needed to be cut between the hours of 3 PM and 7 PM. With most commercial and industrial users complying blackouts were avoided.
The issues of smart meter security and RF emissions seem to have been largely overblown. Information is transferred over an encrypted network. And with the daily transmission of information taking less than a minute, the RF emissions total about 1/1,000th of the emissions from the daily use of cell phones. Perhaps the biggest obstacle is the fear that Big Brother is watching us, collecting data which can be used against us (ie pricing electricity at higher rates during peak demand). The reality is that peak-demand pricing will likely be upon us in any event.
The real benefit to consumers will be the development of a low-cost monitoring system for home use. That way both sides of the meter can use the information to lower energy costs.

The Tesla Generator And Radiant Energy

It is no surprise that many people have begun looking into the Tesla generator with more people looking into alternative sources of energy. One thing that makes a Tesla fuel-less generator so attractive in the alternative energy community is that unlike wind and solar energy, an initial investment would be very little. However, there still remains some doubts and skeptics who wonder if the Tesla generator really can provide free energy as intended or if it is simply a pipe dream or worse a scam.
Even with the doubts, there are many resources that tout the possibilities of building a fuel-less generator for less than a $100 investment. There are claims that these generators can generate free electricity, cost very little to build, are simple to build, are safe to use and are totally weatherproof. With these kinds of benefits, it would make sense that Tesla's invention would be used more widely, but the fuel-less generator tends to be the domain of the devoted alternative energy enthusiasts and hobbyists.
Even those who doubt Tesla's devices would have to concede that his ideas on radiant energy were innovative and ahead of his time. Basically, radiant energy is energy transferred through radiation, particularly electromagnetic waves including light, microwaves and X-rays. Tesla discovered this energy in 1893 and sought to harness it in order to create free energy for the world. Currently, the term radiant energy is commonly used in fields like heating, lighting, radiometry and solar energy and may refer to the electromagnetic waves themselves rather than the energy they transmit.
This energy is widely used for radiant heating including electric infrared lamps. However, it can also be absorbed from sunlight and used to heat water in radiant heating systems such as those used to emit heat from the floor, overhead panel or wall. These systems are not widely in walls because of the risk of leakage that can cause damage and other problems such as molding and mildew. No matter where the system is located, the heating source does not directly heat the air but rather the people and other objects in the room directly.
Those who decide to look into a Tesla generator and build a device needs to be careful when working with any kind of electricity components. Furthermore, it is important to find the right kind of guide to get the results needed and build an efficient device. The goal should be to build a Tesla coil that can collect that can collect a charge and convert it to voltage energy that flows through the air.
Tesla had no resources to create working prototypes of his coil during his lifetime, but there are now many guides to help interested people build their own Tesla generator. Enthusiasts still believe his dream of distributing free energy to everyone in the world is a possibility and distribute Tesla's plans for creating an efficient energy generator. The ability to harness the power of radiant energy may be closer at hand than many people think.