Residential Solar Power Basics
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Residential solar power is fast becoming a hot topic in the minds of homeowners worldwide. Just about all industrialized nations are concerned with the depletion and rising costs of these conventional energy sources as well at the environmental impact that stems from over use of them.
What’s interesting about this issue is how homeowners worldwide are NOT waiting for the government or large corporations to offer solutions to it. They are taking it upon themselves to move their individual lives to being more “green” through converting their homes energy needs over to solar power.
Have you given this any thought for yourself? The knowledge of residential solar power could be worth thousands of dollars over a lifetime if you decide to put action behind it. Read on for a quick look into this sleeping giant of an industry.
Harnessing the sun’s energy for various needs is nothing new. There are countless ways to capture the sun’s rays and convert them into alternative forms of energy. “Focusing collector” technology is the idea of taking the sun’s energy and focusing it for the purpose of creating heat or channeling the energy through photovoltaic technology; aka solar panels.
A complete residential solar power setup consists of a few major components. The primary component of a solar power system is of course the solar panels themselves. This is what’s responsible for the actual electrical generation. Another important component is the deep-cycle storage battery bank. These store the electricity that’s generated throughout the day by the solar panels. The 3rd major component is the electrical inverter which is used to convert the stored (DC-direct current) battery power into useable AC (alternating current) power for a home.
Residential solar power systems can be a home’s primary source of electricity when the home isn’t connected to a county electrical power grid. This is typically referred to as a “Grid Free” system and is common with homes in remote areas where there isn’t any county supplied electricity to connect into. Another common set up is a “Grid-Tied” system where a home is still connected to the electrical grid, but it’s also receiving power from a solar power system.
If you’re considering an alternative energy system for your home you’ll find there are several options. As I began my research I found there are companies that will custom build systems for you which can cost any amount of money depended upon the size. This is a great avenue to take if you have the money and you’re not at all interested in a hand’s on approach to these types of projects.
Another option is to take the “pre-fabricated kit” route. Here is where you buy a kit that contains the components already built and ready to be installed. You just assemble, install, and go. These kits can range from several hundred dollars to several thousand.
The final option which I came across while researching the idea of off grid living is the to go the do it yourself route; aka DIY. This option interested me because I felt that I wanted to research the idea further and get exposed to the processes involved with designing, purchasing and constructing one of these systems. As of today I’ve purchased a couple of do it yourself, solar/wind power instructional guides that I found in my research. These have proved to be extremely helpful in furthering my knowledge on the topic of off grid living and gave me a deeper understanding of how residential solar power systems are designed. I wrote reviews of these off grid living products that I purchased on my website, www.letsbegridfree.com.
Well there you have it. I hope you have a better understanding of the idea of residential solar power. If you’re interested in the do it yourself route as well, the link below will get you to a review of my favorite home solar / wind power instructional guides.
Thanks for reading. Good luck with your journey.
