Archive for solar power
2010 a Turning Point for Solar Power and Clean Energy ?
Posted by: | CommentsWith the new year and a new decade here companies and governments are poised to really explore solar power and clean energy as an alternative to fossil fuels and as an investment opportunity of a lifetime.
For the first time we are seeing major retailers and manufactures really pushing solar and green products. With Lowe’s selling solar panels off the shelf, energizers new solar website, and much much more. Governments being international, federal , state or local are also seriously implementing solar energy into budgets and projects.
Solar and wind can create jobs, feed a growing consumer market for energy, cut our dependence on fossil fuels from foreign states in turn helping with national security. As the expense of producing energy through solar and wind declines we will see a great impact on energy prices. Falling energy prices will allow money to be diverted to other aspects of our economy and improve everyone’s standard of living. The more green energy we use of course the better for the environment as long as we take steps to healthy expand our sources of solar and wind energy production.
The military has also announced plans to produce more energy via solar power and have a self sustaining green energy on their bases. Again, this will help with national security, help decrease military spending on energy and improve the environment.
We realize though that these changes will not happen over night nor will 2010 and this decade be enough time to totally cut off all our ties to fossil fuels as an energy source. The time though has come to really dive deep into the world of alternative fuels and green energy. It is to late to turn back, time seems to have run out to have it any other way. We either have to find a new source of energy for the future or we fall back to the days before the electric grid.
Lowe’s Starts selling DIY Solar Panels
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For everyone who wants to install solar panels at their home or office diy style . Lowe’s is the first major retailer who will begin offering DIY Solar panels from Andalay AC.
Lowe’s has already begun offering these panels in 21 stores in California and many more to come. The purchaser though will be responsible for all permits and handling state and federal refund papers.
The Andalay AC panels have integrated racking, wiring and grounding, which Akeena solar says reduces the overall parts count by 80%. Andalay panels also have built-in inverters that produce household AC power, so they can be plugged directly into a home’s circut breaker. They can be easily modulated so home owners can start small and add more and more panels as they grow. Each panel will cost around 899 dollars and produce 175 watts of electricity. a typical home would require though about 20 panels. So it would cost about 20000 dollars to have your home optimized with solar energy. For those with high electrical bills maybe not a bad trade off. For those doing it to help the environment and stop our dependence on fossil fuels it is well worth it.
Plans to go nationwide with these panels through Lowe’s is underway. This will offer many electricians and HVAC contractors additional potential income stream.
This is I think will be one of the biggest leaps for solar power and clean energy for the year 2010. It is a major step in bringing solar and alternative energy into every home. As solar energy and panels become a bigger and bigger business competition should heat up and bring the cost of production and equipment way down along with the efficiency of the equipment.
In order for solar energy and green energy to become a bigger resource for our electrical needs it will have to grow to become a major economic earner.
The future sure does look greener.
How is Solar Energy good for the Environment?
Posted by: | CommentsHow is Solar Energy good for the Environment?
Solar energy provides electricity from a renewable energy source: the sun. More homes are built with solar energy system as the benefits are substantial for your money and environment. The benefit on money is obvious. Once installed, you no longer have to pay electricity bill that much. The saving is big over years. But how is solar energy good for the environment? The benefits of solar energy on environment take place in some ways:
- Solar energy reduces pollution. There is pollution when you use fuel for the cars, gas for cooking, batteries for small appliances, etc. And they are not about the released emissions and gases, but also the material used to store the non-renewable energy. For example, you throw away disposable batteries after usage and they are mostly not recyclable. The leads leak into soil and water, causing water pollution and soil quality degradation. You can think of dying fish and other sea ecosystem, as well as lower harvest quality farmer faces in long term. The effect is actually much more contagious. Solar energy also does not produce greenhouse effects which are being concern of many environmentalists nowadays.
- Solar energy uses sun to generate electricity. We know sun is a renewable energy source. Most countries have access to abundance of sun light every day. It is the best environmentally-friendly energy resource we have on Earth. The process of converting energy to electricity does not cause any pollution, but the uses are extensive. You can use the energy derived from sun for cooking, heating, cooling, turning home appliances, running machines, etc. Imagine how much energy is used by industries and homes every single minute, and how much we can save for the Earth if we rely mostly on sun.
- You save the non-renewable energy sources by using solar energy. Non-renewable energy resources are scarce in supply. Their amounts keep depleting over time, beyond the periods they need to recover. By using solar energy, we utilize the best of free and safe renewable energy on Earth. Not only on environmental cost, but we also save on the big capital and labors used to produce energy from non-renewable resources. They can then be allocated to more productive sectors.