The hot topic nowadays around the globe is “scarcity of power”. As a country moves towards the peak of development, so also does its demand of power. Reports show that there are many homes using electricity more than that used by a small industry! It is because, in the modern, digital lifestyle, each and every appliance like television, computers etc demands huge amount of electricity. However we live in a modern world and hence the usage of these power hungry appliances are inevitable.
The fact is that every positive improvement in the society will have a negative impact on natural resources. But in case of power, there are many alternate sources available in nature. Solar energy is a very good substitute for conventional power generation. The reason being, solar energy is clean, has no pollution effects and doesn’t use any fossil fuels. The most interesting aspect being solar energy can be generated in home.
How about having your own power station on your roof? It is quite simple and beneficial by using solar power. To start with, solar water heaters can be used in homes instead of old conventional methods, thereby reducing your utility bills and also conserving natural resources like fossil fuels. The solar panels called the photovoltaic cells which can be conveniently placed on the roofs of homes converts sunlight directly into electricity. This electricity obtained by the conversion of sunlight meets all the home’s electricity needs. “Hence it acts as your own power station. “Cool power from hot sun”.
A lot of people have tried the usage of solar power at home and found it beneficial and safe. The hot fact is that more than 10,000 homes in United States completely use solar energy to power up their homes. The ill fact is that enough sunlight falls on the Earth’s surface every hour to meet the globe’s energy demand for an entire year, but the same is not utilized and is wasted.
Still not convinced about the positive effects of solar power in home? By replacing conventional electric water heaters with solar water heaters, one can cut water bills up to 50 percent. And the important fact is, the price of photovoltaic cells, according to the department of energy has fallen by 200 percent in last 30 years. Don’t worry if your solar power unit generates more power than need for you. There are many utility power grids ready to buy the clean power for a higher price.
The bottom-line is, by installing a solar power generating unit in home, the home owner will never have to pay an electricity bill; instead he can become the supplier of clean electricity to the country and “save the Earth from energy crisis”
Joe Cline – Austin Real Estate Broker
http://www.articlesbase.com/remodeling-articles/solar-power-power-from-the-roof-421556.html
Are there any companies that you can buy a complete roof mounted solar power package from?
I can install it myself, I just don’t want to have to go and find one part here another part here. I just want to buy the complete package.
Every installation is a little different, so when you buy a kit, it’s normal to make adjustments to it. For example, the kit may have L-brackets for mounting the rails, but if you have a tile roof, you will need standoffs. And depending on the shape of the installation area, the rails they supply may not be enough, or may be too much.
Also, the kit cannot know in advance how long your wiring needs to be, so you’ll have to get your wire and conduit on your own.
That said, there are a number of companies that sell kits. Here is one http://www.altestore.com/store/Kits-and-Package-Deals/c447/
and here is another http://partsonsale.com/solarhomekits.html
If you’re going to install yourself, I would really encourage you to understand the specs of each piece in the kit. If you have that level of knowledge, you could go out and buy your own components piece by piece. The basic pieces are the panels and inverter. The inverter will have a certain minimum and maximum input voltage and current, that must be met over the varying temperatures throughout the year in your area. That will drive the number and arrangement of the panels.
At the bottom of our family web page http://www.angelfire.com/ca2/roderick/solar/photovoltaic.html is a video of how we did our installation. If I were to do it over again, I would have used taller standoffs, and put the whole array in one big block. But such is life, a learning experience.
References :
Roderick, thanks for the link to us.
The AltE Store has some small kits that are available as is, but we mostly make custom kits for people based on their requirements. We can design the whole system, including solar panels, mounting for your specific roof, inverter, wire, safety devices, the works. Most of our customers install the system themselves, but make sure you know what you are doing and that your local regulations allow you to do the work yourself. You may be required to hire an electrician for some of it.
We also sell solar water heating, a great bang for your buck solution.
We have a lot of educational videos for free on our website, and classes in Massachusetts to teach design and install.
Check us out at http://www.altestore.com/store/
References :
AltE Store – http://www.altestore.com/store/
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