Is Solar Power worth it?

June 10, 2009 by  
Filed under Solar Energy

Using solar power through a solar system to give solar heat to your home is quite pricey and may cost up to tens of thousands of dollars. However, it comes with a wide range of investment that may end up with many factors.

The sunlight that can be taken into various areas may differ substantially. Some places such as New Mexico and Santa Fe get an average amount of sunshine every day of the year. On the other hand, Seattle only receives sunlight on 58 clear days, while the other 82 days are quite cloudy and 226 days are extremely cloudy. In the first scenario, solar systems would be able to offer provide a good amount of electricity for most of the year. In Seattle, however, the efficiency of solar power would be considerably lower. Because of this, people in Seattle would need a lot more modules in order to get the required electricity amount that it needs, causing this to become much more expensive.

Costs differ generally, anyway. While some homes can be completely covered with solar panels for only $5,000, most of them average around $16,000. The larger the home, the more solar panels are needed. Usage differs, as well. If homes remain linked to the grid of the utility company, it will be cheaper than if some solar power came from the home’s grid. Having a solar battery storage system could double the cost, too.

Several factors may also offset these costs. Some federal programs offer tax rebates to people who wish to install solar systems. Payment can be made directly or property taxes may be less than usual reimbursement methods. A lot of states have similar programs.

Various vendors of solar systems give personal discounts as the year goes by. Some may have winter sales, while some may try to beat or match the prices made by their competition. As with other products, it is very possible to find great bargains on top quality materials.

While all this is happening, more manufacturing improvements have decreased the cost of equipment production while increasing its overall efficiency. A wide array of photovoltaic solar panels, batteries, modules, inverters, charge controllers, as well as several other components can be found in the market nowadays. Most of them work on the same principle but as with any other product, some do a better marketing and manufacturing job compared to others.

However, the electricity cost from utility companies keeps increasing in the majority of areas and doesn’t seem to have an end coming soon. Due to the raise in oil prices and the ongoing heavy rules of utility companies, as well as the unforeseen end to the nuclear power industry, these high prices just seem to keep skyrocketing.

Because of this, using a solar system would be ideal, although it may differ from one person’s personal circumstances to the next. Once a solar system has been put in and works properly, most people will be glad they chose this option. Solar systems last a long time, are cheap and easy to maintain and help reduce pollution.

There is no singular answer to any circumstance. Like with most things, using a solar system at home could come with certain trade-offs. In the end, you are the only one who can make the decision on whether it is worthwhile or not.

Regardless of each person’s motive to implement a home solar system, they come with the same result: it is clean, safe, and saves a lot of power. Everyone wants that.