Solar Power for Residential Purposes
As you already know I’m sure, solar power refers to the energy generated from sunlight. But did you know there are several different methods for harnessing solar energy for your day-to-day needs? In recent years there has been increasing interest and talk about the benefits of solar power. Like solar power is a safe and popular alternative source of energy.
The increased interest in solar power is largely due to three factors:
- One is our escalating energy bills.
- Second is our depleting fossil fuel reserve.
- And finally the environmental impact of burning fossil fuels.
Solar power addresses these concerns quite well:
- It uses sunlight for generating energy, which is available for free
- It is harmless to the environment. This is why many domestic and commercial establishments are switching to solar power to meet their energy requirements.
- Moreover, solar power is of great value for use in remote locations where you do not have conventional sources of power.
- Solar power is also widely used by owners of Recreational Vehicles (RV) and luxury boats.
Solar Power is being used Commercially
Solar power has now developed to the point where it is commercially viable. In My home town in Ontario Canada they are presently in the second stage of the largest solar farm in North America. This not only tells us that it is both economical to set up but can generate very economically the suns energy into electricity which we all use in so many ways today. Not only that but it is in Canada (not the Mohave Desert) so solar energy is viable anywhere in the world.
Solar Power for your home
Solar power is being noticed for its widespread use at more and more homes. Solar powered lights are quite common for garden lighting. These are easy to set up and no cost to operate. Some people are using solar power even for indoor lighting. What makes solar power a viable energy source for your home is it has no recurring cost and a very low, almost negligible, maintenance cost.
Photovoltaic Tiles for Your Home
You may be concerned by the big bulky size of solar panels in regards to the use of solar power at your home. However, this concern has largely been addressed with the development of small solar photovoltaic cells and the solar photovoltaic roof shingles. The solar photovoltaic roof shingles or tiles look quite similar to your normal roof shingles and give you freedom from the large solar panels.
You can use photovoltaic tiles to supply electrical power for your home use. This electrical power can be used to heat water, and even heat your house. Some people also use solar power to heat the pool. The solar power generated by the PV shingles is just like the normal power you use for your everyday needs.
Solar Water Pumps
Solar power is being used to power water pumps in remote areas. Although windmills used to be the main source of power for the water pumps, recently the solar power has increasingly become the preferred source.
One of the big helps today in getting set up for using solar energy is that the government provides grants to people toward purchase and installation of solar power devices such as solar energy panels and solar photovoltaic singles.
Using solar power really gives you a double benefit as you are not only preventing environmental damage but also you are also cutting down your electricity bills. If you are not able to use solar power for your house on your own, you still have the option of buying the solar power from the grid.
Go solar Go green
An Alternative Energy Education Method
The best method of educating people about alternative energy production is to capture their interest when they are young. I have just come across the PicoTurbine Company on the web and they produce kits, books, and projects for the purpose of advancing the cause of renewable (alternative) energy among young people. Their desire is to help them look into the future and see that the environment that’s being created now is the one they will inherit. We need to understand if we are to change the future world for the better, then it starts right here and now with the advent of “green” energy systems.
Tell me, and I will forget. Show me, and I might remember some of it. Involve me, and I will master it. This old tried and true adage is one of the core concepts of PicoTurbine Company. The kits the company produces come with activity suggestions to get the young people into hands-on learning situations.
Some of the company’s suggestions are:
- To demonstrate how heat can be produced by wind energy (the company’s specialty) through using a “picture wire” for the heating element. PicoTurbine has found that people typically think of wind energy as being “cold” energy, and are pleasantly surprised to see how wind can be used for generating heat in the home.
- Another project suggestion that the company offers is to have different groups split off in the classroom and make some miniature wind turbines. Then compare them and see which ones produce the most or least electricity, and which ones need of the least amount of wind power to start turning. For very young children, they have them look at which ones look the nicest.
PicoTurbine has a core curriculum in mind for teachers to help their pupils learn. They look at several renewable, alternative sources of energy including solar, hydroelectric, geothermal, and biomass in addition to wind-produced energy. They teach how when we use more alternative sources of energy, we decrease our nation’s dependence on foreign oil supplies. Often these oil supplies come from nations we cannot really call our “allies”. They also help them realize alternative energy is already becoming cost effective when set against the fossil fuels that we are so reliant on currently.
Their curriculum points out that wind farms and solar arrays are already letting their makers enjoy commercial success. I bet you don’t even realize how in the last two decades, the cost of photovoltaic cells expressed in terms of per-watt has gone from nearly $1000 to just $4! Isn’t that incredible? And it is predicted by analysts that by the year 2015, the cost per watt should only be about $1 (in today’s dollars).
They also have not forgotten that students also need to be taught about the hidden cost of fossil fuels: pollution and environmental degradation. Air pollution from burning fossil fuels has been shown through studies to increase incidences of asthma attacks, heighten the effects of allergies, and even cause cancer.
There is much we as adults could also learn from their kits. Things like how switching over to clean, green energy found in the alternative forms would prevent air pollution and help save our environment. Maybe you want to check them out.