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Solar power is an alternative energy source with tremendous
economic and environmental benefits. If you're considering it
for your home, here are the basics.
Sunning Your Home
Put simply, solar power works by converting free sunlight into
usable energy. This process involves using photovoltaic tiles or
platforms to capture the energy inherent in sunlight. The
photovoltaic materials consist of positive and negative slices
of material, often silicone, that react to the sun. As the
sunlight hits these cells, the energy "slices" off negatively
charged ions. This creates a magnetic field, a form of energy.
The energy is then captured in small wires, which forms an
electric current. The wires are connected to an inverter. The
inverter converts the energy into a usable power source.
The beauty of solar power is it is a free source of energy.
Historically, the cost of capturing and maintaining solar power
wasn't cheap, but this has changed dramatically in the last ten
years. Systems are now much more efficient, with the total cost
usually involved in the purchase and installation. Depending on
the system, there is almost no maintenance cost and most systems
have a 40 or 50 year life span. Not bad, eh?
Going solar is also more attractive now because of laws passed
by numerous states. Initially, homeowners can get a tax rebate
for installing solar. On top of this, more than half of the
states now mandate a concept known as "net metering."
Net metering is all about saving tons of money on your
utilities. Essentially, you are now allowed to "sell" power back
to the utility companies at the same price they charge you. With
solar power, this means you can simply feed your system into the
utility grid during the day and then use regular energy at
night. Since your utility meter runs backwards, this effectively
means you will dramatically reduce, if not eliminate, your
electricity bills. This process alone can save you thousands of
dollars a year and $40,000 to $100,000 over the life of the
system, depending on your typical monthly bills. With such
savings, you can see why solar power is becoming more attractive.
When it comes to solar power, the question isn't whether you
should use it. The real question is why you aren't using it
already!
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