For the love of Home Ownership

Easy to say and yes I am happy, actually I am ecstatic that I finally entered the home owner elite. Well it seems that way at the moment even though I know we are no more elite than anyone else. In actual fact nothing has really changed. I have to pay money to someone else every month for the privileged of staying in a house. I do not like where I am going with this. I love my new house, all mine now I need to make it my own. The mortgage and insurance are taken care of and I have my new carpets arriving next week so all is well.

Sunday, June 28, 2009

Advantages of Solar Energy: Accessible for Everybody

By Jim Martin

Learn what the advantages of solar energy are and how can you build solar power system at your home.

Solar energy is derived from the rays of the sun, as is evident from its name itself. Solar energy has numerous benefits for users. However, until recent years, this source of energy could be used only during the day. Presently though, the current technology enables individuals to effectively store and use solar power, even during the night. We would be discussing some of the major benefits of solar energy in this article.

While it has always been customary to depend on the sun for heat and warmth, generation of electricity even during the night provides an added advantage of solar energy. It is pollution-free and eco-friendly in nature, and as such, is one of the most recommended sources of energy. In case the solar energy package has a battery backup or is grid-tied, it can also store the electricity, which then can be used at night. The benefits of solar energy, however, go beyond these factors.

If some amounts of electricity generated in this process remain unutilized, it can be made saleable by moving them to the utility or the grid. No upfront payment is required for this transfer of surplus electric power, and some money can be made out of it. Running costs are extremely low on solar energy, helping the consumers drastically cut down on their expenses on electricity. With no movable parts, the solar panel itself does not have any other additional costs too. Thus, there are three major benefits of using solar energy for generating electricity: a) reducing the electric bills of consumers by large amounts, b) helping users earn some cash by selling surplus amounts of electricity, and c) the extremely eco-friendly nature of solar energy.

Earlier, most of the electricity generation systems used traditional fossil fuel sources. These sources often polluted the air, by releasing gases like sulphur dioxide (SO2), carbon dioxide (CO2), mercury and nitrous oxide (NO) in the atmosphere. These gases, apart from polluting the air, acted as some of the main greenhouse gases, that contributed to the significant amounts of global warming. Solar energy does not make use of these gases, and hence is environment-friendly in its nature. Usage of solar energy also helps to avoid harmful acid rains or smog-formation, unlike other energy sources.

Solar power is advantageous, since the supply of raw material (i.e. sunlight) is abundant and renewable, and the solar energy stations can be set up independently as well. Other accessories of the system are also freely available. Solar power stations function noiselessly too - much to the convenience of users. These facilities, hence, make solar energy extremely popular for various purposes. The solar energy systems can be installed at all parts of the world as well. Solar power packages often come complete with battery banks, converters and control panels. Controllers are used to convert modules of power from solar panels to usage of battery. These systems, with their tough trailers, are often used by geologists, when they move in lands, hitherto unexplored, in search of oil and minerals.

In the present day world, the internal combustion engines, and in turn, vehicles that use those engines are facing a crisis. This is chiefly due to the amount of fossil fuel going down, and the rapid hike in oil prices. In this scenario, it is indeed advantageous to make use of solar power. Experiments with solar power based vehicles are on, and the markets have already seen the presence of hybrid cars. According to experts, fossil fuel driven cars would be effectively replaced by entirely replaced by solar power driven vehicles, that too within the foreseeable future. The latter would also prevent the release of the polluting carbon monoxide gas. That would definitely ensure a cleaner, healthier atmosphere.

The usage of solar power systems is gaining wider coverage, and newer forms of solar energy are also coming into existence. The costs of photovoltaic cells are also decreasing, accentuating the advantages of the solar power systems. As a mainstream power source, solar energy is gaining rapidly in popularity, and that too, for widespread fields of usage that were nit using this source before. Experts feel that internal combustion machines are on their way out, taking away with them the poisonous toxins from the air. Thus, the environment becomes cleaner and pollution free.

In view of the manifold benefits of the solar energy packages, they should be adopted by all families. However, certain prior information regarding the ideal way to install a solar energy system needs to be obtained, preferably from a manual. The manual should also have details regarding the availability of the separate parts for the system, free procurement of the batteries, as well as relevant safety measures that should always be followed. Plus, you will need to know the best place for installing the system, as well as the wiring methods in advance. With this information, you can easily use solar energy at your home.

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