What are the advantages to solar electricity?
What are the advantages of solar power?
It’s difficult to deny the significance of solar energy. Going solar can bring you significant returns on your investment, and not only for financial reasons, but also to protect the environment as well as public health. As more people realize the numerous advantages of solar energy, and cost of installation drop the solar energy market is becoming more popular with homeowners and business owners. We have many reasons solar energy is a great option if you are curious about its importance.
A Brief History of the Evolution of Solar Energy
In the past twenty years the use of solar energy has increased steadily. More people are becoming aware of the immense benefits of using solar panels. Demand for solar panel has risen from 0.34 gigawatts in 2008 to 97.2 during 2008, enough to supply 18 million homes with electricity. The increased demand has led to lower costs. The cost of solar panels has dropped by 70% since 2014. In accordance with the US Department of Energy, at least seven percent of American homes will be equipped with rooftop solar PV systems by 2030.
What exactly is solar energy?
The sun’s light is what leads to solar energy. The sun powers our planet. It is the source of energy to protect our environment and increase our population, no matter whether you are aware of it or not. Its solar energy will be sufficient to supply all our needs. The US Department of Energy estimates that 173,000 terawatts sunlight energy are absorbed by the earth each second, that’s more than 10,000 times the total global consumption of energy. We can use the sun to produce electricity that is clean, renewable, and safe. Solar energy can be used to provide heat, light, and other electricity-dependent needs in homes and buildings.
Solar Panel System Benefits
Solar energy comes with many advantages. It can reduce your electric cost, boost the value of your home, reduce the carbon footprint of your home, fight increasing electricity costs, and return money in return on investment. But, solar power has its drawbacks. It doesn’t work on every roof and it can cost a lot of money to set up.
Installing a solar panel in your house or office can provide many benefits. These are the top benefits of solar energy that you must be aware of.
- Solar reduces/eliminates electric bills
- Solar panels can boost you the price of your home
- Going solar lowers your carbon footprint
- The solar panels you have can assist to cut down on rapidly increasing energy bills.
- Solar investment can yield you money
- Solar energy is versatile
- You can sell solar electricity back to the grid
1. Solar energy has the potential to dramatically cut or eliminate your electricity bills
The top benefit of solar panels is in the fact that you can generate the electricity yourself and be less dependent on electricity utility. This will allow you to reduce your monthly electric bills. Solar panels can last of between 25 and 35 years. This means you can reduce the cost of electricity for years. Solar panels’ cost has dropped by more than 70% in the last decade. However, electricity costs have been increasing by about five percent and this trend of rising electric costs is likely to remain. Solar power can help you reduce the cost of electricity. This calculator can provide you with an individualized estimation of your long-term savings on energy. Additionally, you can see the projected upfront costs and 20-year photovoltaic savings using custom projections.
2. Solar energy can boost its value to your home
Many homeowners in the area are looking into solar panels, but they do not have the time or knowledge to set them up. Recent research has shown that solar panels could increase the value of your property. This is a fact that consumers can see. The other benefit of solar panels could be utilized to offset the cons we mentioned earlier. Even if you do not plan to move anytime soon your investment on solar panel systems will pay for itself when you sell your house.
3. Solar helps reduce carbon emissions
The solar energy source is sustainable, pure power source that can reduce greenhouse gas emissions like carbon dioxide. Additionally, it helps reduce the impact we have on the natural world. Solar energy isn’t like other fossil fuels, such as coal and oil. It does not directly cause pollutant emissions (such such as carbon dioxide) to be released into the air or the water supply. Solar is a better solution to protect the environment than nuclear power.
5. Solar could earn you cash, while you earn the return on your investment
Solar panels can generate bill savings and make a profit thanks to the many great solar incentives available in the [xfield_state-abbreviation]. Net metering and the solar renewable energy credit (SRECs) are just two of the major benefits that solar panels offer. These enable you to get bill credits , or even more cash when your solar panels generate electricity. In these instances, you get paid for the electricity generated by your solar panels. These incentives are offered for certain areas. It is possible to reap immediate and long-term gains from the solar investment.
6. The most flexible type of alternative energy is solar energy.
Solar energy is able to be used in nearly any setting, which is different from other types of alternative energy like wind energy which requires huge open spaces and extreme wind changes. Solar energy can be a flexible alternative to clean energy. While solar panels generate less power in cloudy weather and in places that don’t get the same amount of sun, they still work. Solar power is a good investment, regardless of where you live.
7. You can sell solar electricity back to grid
You could qualify to receive net billing based on the area you reside in. Net Metering, an electric billing tool, is a way to store excess power generated by your solar panels. Net metering is a way to credit you for the energy that your solar panels generate, but you don’t use. You may be able to receive credit on the cost of energy you don’t use and, in the end you can sell the solar energy back to the electricity grid.
Who benefits from solar energy?
Solar power systems generate pure, clean electricity from sunlight. They can also be installed at the home of your family to decrease carbon dioxide emissions. The traditional electricity source is fossil fuels such as coal and natural gas. To generate energy, fossil fuels emit harmful gases that are the major causes of global climate change in addition to air pollution. Fossil fuels aren’t just environmentally harmful, but also a finite resource. This is why the price fluctuates and can rise quickly.
Health of the public is also improved by renewable energy. Natural gas and coal plants produce harmful air and water pollution. However the replacement of fossil fuels with renewable energy sources such as solar power can decrease premature deaths and lower the overall cost of healthcare.
While fossil fuels use a lot of water resources and may cause water pollution solar power requires less or none of water to operate. Solar power doesn’t impact the water supply and doesn’t stress the world’s water supply.
In the event of severe heat or drought conditions solar power is able to be used. Coal, natural gas, and nuclear power all require large amounts of cooling water. Electricity generation is susceptible to extreme heat and droughts, as we’ve seen in recent years. Solar power systems do not require water to generate electricity.
Solar power also creates jobs in clean energy. The location has been a leader in the field of clean energy. Innovative and forward-looking companies will continue to embrace the changing technology of energy production, and move towards renewable energy.
If you’re planning to build an outdoor greenhouse, you may consider checking out some of the LEED credits including the solar orientation of solar panels, passive solar{
How much can you save?
You can estimate the amount of energy savings each year by knowing in advance how much the solar power plant will cost and the amount of energy it can produce.
The calculation is a bit tricky as it is based on the amount you are paying for electricity. Utilities charge residential customers a fixed amount for electricity regardless of when they use them. Instead of compensating for the higher cost of peak electricity production for homeowners, solar power systems are used to reduce the price of electricity that customers pay. This is in line with the cost for electricity generation.
Many [xfield_state-abbreviation] utility companies have implemented pricing systems that allow homeowners to pay different rates throughout the day to reflect the cost of electricity production. This is why you will pay higher rates for the afternoon, while there are lower rates during the night. A region with this kind of variable rate might consider installing an array of solar panels that are PV. Solar power would help offset the most costly electric power.
It will be contingent on how many rate changes are permitted under the plan and the timing they occur. Similar pricing schemes are used by utilities in certain locations. They can be subject to seasonal demand fluctuations. Solar power is more expensive if it is able to offer higher rates during summer.
These plans can be used by some utilities to alter the price of electricity based on consumption. This allows the advantages of solar systems to be determined by the amount of the electricity used. In certain regions, rates are soaring as consumers consume more. Large homes with large energy requirements may be most in need of solar arrays that offset marginal costs of consumption.
It is possible for certain homeowners to sell solar power back into the grid to earn profits. This is referred to as net metering in the [location]. Residential consumers utilize the electricity they generate from the solar array to offset their power usage elsewhere. The monthly electric bill is an indicator of net energy consumption. There are various rules and regulations pertaining to net metering, which are applicable to each region. For more information, homeowners can consult the database. They can also call the local utility.
What impact does solar energy have on society?
Community-based solar projects can also be beneficial to society like lower heating costs for those with low incomes people, less dependence of public utilities, a better environment because of less pollution, and also job creation.