More Benefits to Solar Energy

Every homeowner has different needs, but we are here to help. Here are a few benefits to going solar. For many homeowners, the attraction to solar is that once the capital cost of installing it is paid off the energy is free.  This means the only real question is whether the payback period on the capital investment is better than the returns they would get from investing their money in other ways.

You may be surprised that we now list this as the leading advantage of solar energy. The reason we do this is that most homeowners are now more interested in the financial aspects of installing solar rather than the environmental benefits. Installing a solar provides a lock in a cost of energy for at minimum of 25-year life of panels. You know how much energy the panels will harvest so that once you get an accurate quote you know exactly how much each kilowatt hour of energy will cost you over the next 25 years. Many consumers are now able to get an even cost of energy of $0.10 per kilowatt hour.

When you compare this to the average amount you will pay to your utility for power over the next 25 years, the average consumer with a $150 per month power bill can see savings in the range $30,000 over the life of a solar system. The monthly savings don't start out being huge, perhaps only $50 per month but in the 25th year, it can reach savings of $300 per month. You can use this solar savings calculator to check what your savings will be based on usage and utility rates.

Renewable Power

NASA estimates that the sun will shine for another 6.5 billion years. Most of us aren't too concerned out that far. The surface of the earth receives 120,000 terawatts of solar radiation (sunlight) – 20,000 times more power than what is needed to supply the entire world.

Harnessing solar energy does not generally cause pollution. Whilst there are some emissions associated with the production and installation of solar energy equipment these emissions are minimal when compared to generating electricity from fossil fuels. The CSIRO, an Australian government research body estimates that the energy payback is 1.5 years.

That is, it takes a solar panel 1.5 years to generate the amount of power it took to make it. This statistic was from 2009 and is likely to be a quicker payback now. Given solar panels are warranted to last 25 years this is quite good.

Geographically Available

The level of solar irradiation that falls upon the earth varies with the geography of the planet. Generally, the closer to the equator the more solar energy but what most don't realize is that solar energy can be used anywhere.

For example, in the sunniest parts of America a solar system will produce on average 4.7 kWh of power per 1 kilowatt of solar panels but in the least sunny areas, such as the mountains and northeast, it wills till produce 2.9 kilowatt-hours per kilowatt, per day. So although some areas are better than others for solar power it is still viable in almost all locations. 

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