A Great way to Go Green is by setting up a solar electrical system to power your home. If done correctly, this strategy can not only reduce or do away with your electric bill altogether, it can even put some serious cash back in your pocket through incentives, tax credits, and even through selling excess power BACK to the electric utility!
Making your own solar and wind power for less than $200
But contrary to some hypey claims made by some dubious "information" products out there, you can't install a home solar power system for a couple hundred bucks...not even close. But you CAN do it, and make it pay...
Here's the realities involved in building and installing a residential solar electrical system:
First, let's do the math. For every square foot of living space you are going to need around 2.2 watts of capacity. So, for the average 1200 square foot ranch house, you would need (2.2x1200= 2,640w) or 2.64Kw.
The system should be slightly upsized to allow for growth, so in this scenario you should plan on a 3Kw solar electrical array. The costs for this vary, but if you aren't handy and need to hire professionals to do all the work for you, figure around $8-10 USD per watt, or about $30k for our example system fully provided and installed by others.
TIP: There are a LOT of ways to reduce this by procuring the materials and doing some of the work yourself, so if you are even a little bit "handy" don't despair- that example assumes you are totally helpless with a hammer, and are going to have to hire the whole deal out, and that's not true of most people...read on and we'll get to that later.
Now, you have to decide: On Grid Or Off Grid? What this means is are you going to hook your solar electrical system into the main power grid in your area or run it as a stand-alone system for your benefit only?
Let's explore the pros and cons of each strategy:
Staying off the grid requires that you build an expensive storage array of deep-cycle batteries to store power for later use when the weather won't cooperate with sunshine or at nighttime.
For extended periods of poor solar production you are also going to need a generator sized appropriately to power your entire house, and that's another big-ticket item.
Tying into the grid requires that you have special, approved equipment and a system that's been installed to codes and standards, usually by licensed personnel and that can be costly as well, but much safer too.
Also, as in scenario one, you still need to make a decision regarding storage for night or inclement weather if you really want to reduce or eliminate your dependency on the power company altogether.
Making your own solar and wind power for less than $200
Here's my favorite way to go solar with the least expense and the biggest payback:
Install a grid-tied system that is slightly oversized for your needs, and forget about a storage array.
During the day, when most people are at work or out of the house, your consumption is way down, and this has the effect of spinning your meter backwards and sending power back into the grid, thereby giving you a credit with the power company.
When you are home at night, the solar power credit you've built up during the day gets used by using normal grid power flowing IN to your system.
Here's the kicker: With a bit of discipline, you can ensure that the net OUTflow (the power you sell BACK to the utility) is considerably more than the net INflow (the power you BUY from them). You can find out more on this strategy at our website below.
And, if you design and install the system correctly, you will find you may be eligible for a bonanza of incentive payments and tax credits that can substantially offset the cost of the solar electrical system itself.
TIP: I have plans and a shopping list for such a solar system in production right now, along with links to various state and federal incentive programs that you can use to practically pay for a full-blown, professional, and realistic solar electrical system for your home: sign up for our newsletter to be notified when they are ready.
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About the Author:
Glenn R. Grundberg, BSEE, RCDD/lan, IBEW JW is an Electrical Contractor, Master Electrician, and Low-Voltage and Communications Expert Certified by BICSI and several Major Hardware Manufacturers. Glenn is a renewable energy expert and writes extensively on the benefits of Solar, Wind, and Geo-Thermal Power technologies with a focus on cost-effectiveness.
Mr. Grundberg consults on Major Construction Projects Worldwide and sits on several Codes and Standards Commitees Including the NFPA 72 for Fire Alarms. Mr. Grundberg is also an Active Internet Marketer specializing in Affiliate Products and Programs.
Making your own solar and wind power for less than $200
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