You may have seen in the news recently that Barack Obama is being pressured to install Solar Panels on the White House, under what is being dubbed the ‘Globama initiative’ This nothing new. Jimmy Carter first installed them in 1979, which were later taken down by the Reagan administration. This initiative will hopefully spur you and I to also consider installing our own Solar Panels.
Let’s face it, in the future our utility bills are going to keep rising and rising. We also all know that our planet’s resources are dwindling. Solar panels for your home seems a good idea to address both of these issues. It used to be the case that solar panels were simply unaffordable for the average person, but technology is always advancing, and in many countries you can now get incentives and rebates. Also, with the addition of a neat bit of technology, you can sell your surplus energy back to your provider.
If you are new to the world of Solar Panels, you have probably already been the beneficiary of them already without knowing it, as some traffic signs, particularly in more remote regions already use the Sun to keep them functioning when other power can’t reach them.
The most basic way to harness the power of the Sun is to create a basic solar unit from some coiled black plastic pipe which together with a small pump can give you the means to have free warm showers. If you have a swimming pool, by using this, you can extend your pool usage for up to one month either side of the normal pool usage season.
If you are looking for a cool DIY project then solar panels for your home is a great idea. You can either build the panels from scratch or you can buy a kit set from the internet or elsewhere. The best type is solar photo voltaic panels that allow electricity to be produced in the same form as that obtained from a battery. This gives you the option to store surplus electricity for later into a battery.
Of course your geographic location is a factor which I’m sure you’ve thought of. If you live in Arizona, it’s a no brainer! The obvious place to install solar panels for your home is on your roof, so make sure you have a location where the suns rays can fall for around six hours a day. If you don’t have a roof, then they could be erected somewhere else that is out of harms way. If you live in the Northern Hemisphere then the solar panels should be south facing.
One major advantage of solar panels over a wind turbine projects is that there are very few working parts that can wear out. They are silent and innocuous to your neighbours. They only require the occasional wipe down to remove dirt or leaves and will happily sit on your roof for years.