how can I add solar panels to my house? It was built in 1984? Do you know of any websites that can inform me of more about using solar energy for some part of my electricity use?
Step number one in getting started with any solar power setup in your home is to perform an energy audit. This is where you evaluate the amount of power (in kilowatts/hour or kilowatt hours) that you’ll need in any given day.
You will also need to take into account the site where your home is located. Geographical considerations such as climate, number of peak hours of sunlight per day, number of days of peak sunlight per year, and average rainfall will play a big role in how efficient a solar system you can design.
Any solar electric system will need, at the very least, the following components: a collector (usually solar panels); a mount (to put it on); an inverter (to convert 12 volt DC power to 110 volt AC power); a circuit breaker or fuse box and fuses & switches (to regulate the power transferring from the panels to your outlets and/or storage batteries); (optional) one or more storage batteries; (if you get a battery) a charge controller (to keep from over- or undercharging the battery and severely reducing its lifespan);
Once you’ve purchased all the elements of the solar system you’ve just designed, installation is fairly easy, though the simplicity of installing a solar power system does not mean you should necessarily do it yourself. There are numerous advantages to hiring a professional installer with training in both electrical systems and solar electrical systems, including knowing how to set everything up to code, should the building inspector ever have the need to look it over (ie. for insurance purposes).
If you find the right solar professional, they will instruct you in those parts of the installation that you are capable of and allow you to do some of the work yourself, saving you on some of your labor costs.
Even if you don’t decide to have a professional install your solar system, it would be well worth your while to consult one with your design to make sure it’s a viable design, one that’s taken all the necessary considerations into account. For example, there is a wide selection of panels, controllers, inverters, and batteries, each one manufactured with different requirements, each one not necessarily interchangeable with the other.
To further minimize the chances of incompatibilities between components in your solar system, consider purchasing all the elements of your set up from the same company and consulting with someone on their sales team that is knowledgeable in solar electric power.
In fact, many companies sell solar kits that contain all the components you would need to set your house up with solar power, with the certainty that all the components are compatible.
Whatever you decide, you don’t have to break the bank to try and supplant your entire power grid reliance with solar power right away and all at once. If you’re interested in availing yourself and your household of the multifold benefits of solar power, start small. Get yourself a single solar panel and see how well that works for you. When you’re ready, add on more panels, batteries, etc., one at a time as you can afford it and as your needs evolve.
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Step number one in getting started with any solar power setup in your home is to perform an energy audit. This is where you evaluate the amount of power (in kilowatts/hour or kilowatt hours) that you’ll need in any given day.
You will also need to take into account the site where your home is located. Geographical considerations such as climate, number of peak hours of sunlight per day, number of days of peak sunlight per year, and average rainfall will play a big role in how efficient a solar system you can design.
Any solar electric system will need, at the very least, the following components: a collector (usually solar panels); a mount (to put it on); an inverter (to convert 12 volt DC power to 110 volt AC power); a circuit breaker or fuse box and fuses & switches (to regulate the power transferring from the panels to your outlets and/or storage batteries); (optional) one or more storage batteries; (if you get a battery) a charge controller (to keep from over- or undercharging the battery and severely reducing its lifespan);
Once you’ve purchased all the elements of the solar system you’ve just designed, installation is fairly easy, though the simplicity of installing a solar power system does not mean you should necessarily do it yourself. There are numerous advantages to hiring a professional installer with training in both electrical systems and solar electrical systems, including knowing how to set everything up to code, should the building inspector ever have the need to look it over (ie. for insurance purposes).
If you find the right solar professional, they will instruct you in those parts of the installation that you are capable of and allow you to do some of the work yourself, saving you on some of your labor costs.
Even if you don’t decide to have a professional install your solar system, it would be well worth your while to consult one with your design to make sure it’s a viable design, one that’s taken all the necessary considerations into account. For example, there is a wide selection of panels, controllers, inverters, and batteries, each one manufactured with different requirements, each one not necessarily interchangeable with the other.
To further minimize the chances of incompatibilities between components in your solar system, consider purchasing all the elements of your set up from the same company and consulting with someone on their sales team that is knowledgeable in solar electric power.
In fact, many companies sell solar kits that contain all the components you would need to set your house up with solar power, with the certainty that all the components are compatible.
Whatever you decide, you don’t have to break the bank to try and supplant your entire power grid reliance with solar power right away and all at once. If you’re interested in availing yourself and your household of the multifold benefits of solar power, start small. Get yourself a single solar panel and see how well that works for you. When you’re ready, add on more panels, batteries, etc., one at a time as you can afford it and as your needs evolve.
References :
http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Michelle_Bery
I designed and installed my own solar system on my house, which was built in 1973. I have a degree in engineering though and would not recommend such a project unless you have similar training. Even so I used a licensed electrician to do the final wiring for me. Therefore you should be looking for a reputable solar installer.
I installed my system about 4 years ago and to date have generated about 22.5 megawatt hours of electricity, which has saved about 19 tones of CO2 emissions. My system saves my about $1200 per year on my electrical bill and generates about 75% of my electrical needs.
I have included a very good website that can both help you estimate the costs of a solar installation and can help you find an installer if you decide to go forward with your project.
I can give you a bit of background about solar systems to help you get an idea of what to expect. Solar electric systems come it two types: grid-tied or battery backed. My system is grid-tied. That is the most popular type because it is much less expensive and requires less maintenance than the battery backed type. However, during a power outage the grid-tied system will go out too. So if you want continuous power you would have to have batteries.
Most systems for home use run from 2 to 4 kilowatts in size, which is a measure of the peak power output of the system. That will provide between 50% and 75% of a typical home. A system in that size range will cost between $18,000 and $36,000 to install. Depending upon incentives offered by your state or local government or utility you can expect to receive tax breaks or rebates of between about $2000 and as much as $15,000 leaving you with a net out-of-pocket cost of between $10,000 and $30,000.
The website below has a very nice estimating program that will recommend a system sized for your needs and can calculate all the tax and rebates available to you based on your zip code. You will need to give it how much electricity your home uses. Look at your last 12 months of utility bills to calculate that.
The program also calculates your monthly, annual and lifetime savings as well as the break-even time for you system. It also estimates the increase in property value that a solar system will provide you with. I think you will be very pleasantly surprised to learn how fast a system can pay for itself. Including the added property value most systems will reach break-even in less than two years. See the second link, which is directly to the "My Solar Estimator" page. It is very easy to use.
Before you select your system’s final size you should consider replacing some of your appliances. This is especially true if they are the age of your home. Newer appliances are much more energy efficient. You can reduce your solar system size by purchasing a couple of thousand dollars worth of energy star appliances first. That will actually make your total system cost, including new appliances less - plus you get new appliances - nice!
Appliances to focus on are: electric stoves, dryers or ovens, consider replacing with gas; refrigerator, washing machine and dishwasher, consider replacing with a new energy star rated unit. If you have electric central heating consider replacing that with a heat pump or gas furnace. The solar estimating program can help you evaluate the economics of these changes. Also do not forget to replace all incandescent light bulbs that you can with compact fluorescent units - do that this weekend ;).
Note also that the My Solar Estimating program will calculate the cost of financing a solar installation. Most people finance the installation by refinancing their mortgage and the program will tell you how much additional your monthly mortgage will be to finance the system.
The Find Solar site is one of the best places to locate local reputable solar installers once you are ready to pursue the installation. Another very good source of general information about solar and other renewable energy options for homeowners is Home Power Magazine (third website). Good luck with your new system.
References :
http://www.findsolar.com
http://www.findsolar.com/index.php?page=rightforme
http://www.homepower.com/
try this SO RESOURCEFUL I THINK IT IS AMAZING WHAT PEOPLE CAN DO THESE DAYS PLZ CLICK HERE JUST TAKE A LOOK
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/04/pop_can_solar_p.php
References :
I would recommend first that you contact your local government. Many states and municipalities in the US offer financial incentives and/or specific advice for homeowners looking to install solar panels (also called photovoltaic panels).
Second, check out the resources at the Chesapeake Climate Action Network website. Founder Mike Tidwell operates his solar panels and gives advice and insight on installing his panels. Some nice guides at:
http://www.chesapeakeclimate.org/pages/page.cfm?page_id=143
You should also have a look at the national branch of CCAN: The US Climate Network. Both sites have good resources.
Finally, if you still can’t find out what you need, feel free email me at missyltoe200@yahoo.com. From there, I can help you individually or refer you to experts within CCAN or the Sierra Club.
References :
I’m the president of MCSEA, one of CCAN’s Maryland coalition partners. http://www.ccan.org
(I’ve visited Mike’s house several times)
The Sierra Club. http://www.sierraclub.org
first, you need to decide if you want back up power or just straight grid feed, as backup systems are expensive.
If you are in a rural setting and have acerage, you may consider a wind turbine. The new skystream 3.7 can produce electricity at rates comprable to utility companies.
The BEST thing you can do, payback wise, is to install a solar water heating system. These systems have a full payback of less than 5 years and will last 25-30. Hot water easily accounts for 30%+ of your total heating costs and a good system can easily relieve most, if not all of this burden.
Hot water consumption is consistent year round, so your system can benefit from summer sun, even if you live in a norther climate. They do work in the winter months also as it only has to be sunny (not necessarily hot) for the collectors to absorb heat energy.
References :
try this website
http://learn.altenergystore.com/
it should tell you about using solar panels
References :
so many good answers have been given! try also doing a search on the internet for it. Here’s the best site I found by doing a yahoo search: http://www.thesolarguide.com/solar-power-uses/cost-faq.aspx
Yahoo search for "how can I add solar energy to my home?": http://search.yahoo.com/search;_ylt=A0geu8pSSVJGF2UA_IJXNyoA?p=how+can+i+add+solar+energy+to+my+home%3F&ei=UTF-8&fr=ks-ans&x=wrt
References :
yahoo search