Solar Powered Homes

With soaring energy costs and increased environmental concerns, more homeowners are investigating solar power options. Solar power systems for the home are a choice that many are making given the nature of solar energy. Since solar energy is a clean and renewable energy source, home solar power systems can address both of these concerns at once.

Solar power systems can be divided into two broad categories - stand alone and grid-tied systems. When choosing which type of solar power system will be right for your home, there are several things to consider. Location of the home, amount of electricity needed and costs associated with setup are three of the most important factors in making the right choice.

Stand alone solar power systems are self-contained and operate without being tied into traditional energy sources. In other words, stand alone systems are what you need to be considered off the grid. That means that your home solar power system would produce all of the electricity that you need, eliminating dependence on utility companies and high electric bills. A basic off-grid system consists of a renewable energy source, which generates DC power, a battery bank that stores the DC power, and a inverter.

For stand alone solar power systems to be most cost effective, it is recommended to reduce the amount of electricity needed to run your home. Since you need a greater number of PV panels in order to generate more electricity, cutting down on how much electricity is required will enable you to reduce the size of the solar array needed to power your home. This will obviously save money in initial installation costs.

Grid-tied solar power systems, on the other hand, are still connected into the traditional electric power grid. This eliminates the need for energy storage as the home will automatically pull from the utility company when there is not enough solar energy for the home's requirements. While grid-tied systems will rarely eliminate your utility bills, they will certainly keep the costs to a minimum. As with stand alone solar energy systems, reducing your home's energy consumption will help you gain the most benefit from a grid-tied system, as well.

This type of home solar solution is best for existing homes where it isn't feasible to incorporate as many energy efficient options and passive solar techniques that you can with a new home plan. Not only does this type of home solar system save a significant amount on your annual energy costs, it can also provide a way to offset the costs of what you do draw from the grid.

Generally with this kind of system, the electricity generated can be put back into the grid when it creates more than you can use. This will result in the meter actually running backwards during those times of excess. In some areas, the excess must be bought back by the utility company which is known as net metering. That means that grid-tied solar power systems could actually make you money if you live in certain regions. (Important notice: Excess electricity can not be sold back to the utility company in Turkey. The Turkish government is expected to make this possible by 2011. If you have a summer house in Bodrum, you may consider selling electricity to the grid when you are away.)

Stand alone solar power systems are the most costly option, at least initially. However, if your home is in a very rural area, it may be less expensive than having to run power lines. In some locations, such as up on a mountain, it is more feasible to install the solar power system. This type of home solar energy system will pay for itself much more quickly in those circumstances.

Whichever type of solar power system you choose, the cost of installation will eventually be offset by the savings in energy costs. Solar power systems are highly durable and very low maintenance so there is very little further expense past the initial setup. Once that payback period is finished, your energy costs become minimal as solar energy uses the ultimate free resource - the sun.

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FAQ about SOLAR PANELS
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Mounting and Wiring Your Wind Turbines/Wind Generators
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How Can I Use Solar Panels and Wind Turbines for my home?
Everything you need to know about installing solar panels/wind turbines for stand-alone, off-grid applications.
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How Can I use solar lightings in my garden?
Find out about products which you can use in your garden
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How Can I use solar panels / wind turbines for irrigation?
Solar panels and wind turbines have been widely used for irrigation.
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What are the other potential uses of Solar Panels and Wind Turbines?
Solar panels and wind turbines has several other applications.
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