Solar Energy Use At Home: Making Use Of Solar Power
Recent breakthroughs in the research and development of solar technologies have resulted in the creation of new technologies that consume significantly lower amounts of conventional power. For example, household solar heating systems are able to reduce energy expenditure on heating by as much as 25%, allowing the setup cost of the system to be more than recouped through savings on energy.
There have also been breakthroughs in production technologies, making the manufacture of photovoltaic cells less expensive. The production cost of solar energy today is roughly $4.00 per watt, down 50 percent from what it was 17 years ago. This is still relatively expensive as compared to conventional power, however.
One of the advantages of using Photovoltaic Cells (PVCs), however, is that once they have been placed in a location where the sun shines most of the day, no more maintenance is required. The system will then begin to convert sunlight to electrical energy, and excess energy is then stored for later use when the sun is no longer shining. Electricity generated in this way is cleaner, more environmentally-friendly, less dangerous than high-voltage power, and less expensive than conventional energy.
Modern PVCs are able to generate electricity even when the sky is cloudy or overcast, albeit at lower efficiency. Solar cells manufactured by Uni-Solar Corporation have been shown by studies to be particularly effective at generating energy from available sunlight even on less sunny days.
Even some commercial corporations such Google and Wal-Mart have decided to invest in solar power, thanks to the large savings that can be realized through the use of such systems. A 1.6MW solar power generator has been installed on the rooftop of the Google building while Wal-Mart has plans to install a 100MW solar power plant in one of its facilities.
National governments are also playing their part in promoting solar energy, and in an effort to support solar energy technologies, the federal government of the United States grants tax breaks to households that have installed solar systems. The governments in Japan, Switzerland, and Germany also offer tax cuts or incentives to anyone who utilizes solar power for generating electricity, controlling temperatures, heating, and other legitimate purposes.
Although the solar technologies available today may seem rather primitive and expensive, it holds great promise and breakthroughs are bound to occur that will greatly advance the technology. Eventually, a point will be reached where solar power will replace conventional power as the less expensive form of energy, freeing consumers and homeowners from the clutches of pollutive fossil fuels and allowing them to switch to solar energy use at home. The best thing is that all of this may happen in the not-too-distant future.