Old Solar Panels: Advantages of Solar Energy For a Home

advantages of solar engery

One of the major advantages of solar energy for a home is the reduced cost of electricity. If you use solar energy for your home’s electricity needs, you can expect to save a significant amount of money each month. This, of course, assumes that you have a high electric bill. If you don’t live in an expensive state, solar energy may not be as attractive. But if you do, the benefits can be enormous.

Saving money

Today, more than 1.5 million U.S. households are saving money with solar energy. The solar industry employs 250,000 people and produces enough electricity to offset 70 million metric tons of CO2 each year. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, the solar industry has grown at an average rate of 60% per year. With so many benefits to the environment and your pocketbook, solar energy is a great way to reduce your power bills. There are two types of solar panels: on-grid and off-grid systems. Each is designed to offset the power you use every day.

The initial investment of a solar panel will lower your electric bill. The more solar panels you have installed, the more you’ll save. Eventually, you’ll even be able to sell back some of the excess solar electricity to your power company. Depending on your location, solar panels can drastically cut your electricity bill. And since electricity prices fluctuate across the country, it’s a good idea to check the latest electricity prices per state on the EIA website.

Protecting the environment

Going solar has numerous environmental advantages, not the least of which is protecting the environment. In contrast to fossil fuels, which create more greenhouse gasses than any other type of energy, solar energy produces zero or very little carbon emissions. In fact, a single home with solar panels has measurable impact on the environment. In Connecticut, for example, a solar home uses 8,288 kWh of electricity per year, and switching from fossil fuels to solar has the equivalent emissions reduction effect of planting 150 trees per year.

By reducing greenhouse gas emissions, solar power drastically cuts down on the amount of pollution our planet creates. Solar energy also doesn’t require oil, coal, or other resources, reducing emissions by around 95 percent. Solar panels can even be used to charge electric cars, eliminating the need for fuel emissions and protecting the environment against spikes in gas prices. Using solar energy has a range of other environmental benefits, so it’s a good idea to research the many different options before making a decision on your next energy source.

Reliability

The solar industry has faced some quality and reliability issues from its early days. The industry has also borrowed early reliability standards from the aerospace industry, which had just conquered the moon. The Department of Energy fielded the program in several applications across the country and selected manufacturers like GE and Bechtel to take on the module design, prototype production, and quality testing. The program’s early observations remain valuable today. Among them:

In fact, solar panels typically carry a 25-year warranty for their power output. The failure of a solar panel is extremely unlikely if it is properly installed. Manufacturers typically replace damaged panels free of charge. Additionally, solar panels have the added benefit of reducing monthly energy bills. These factors make solar energy an excellent long-term investment. It is also worth considering net metering, which requires utilities to compensate solar exporters on a cents-per-kilowatt-hour basis.

Cost

You might be wondering how much the cost of solar energy is. If you live in Hawaii, the average cost of solar electricity is less than half the cost of the average going electric rate. However, this figure is still high because the average electric bill there already includes electricity generated by dirty coal-burning power plants. Solar energy can save you money by preventing future electricity price increases by locking in future energy costs. The average solar energy system can pay for itself in eight to 12 years, depending on location.

Solar system costs are decreasing steadily. In the past, a solar system could cost $76 per kilowatt hour of installed solar capacity. However, the cost per watt has remained the same or decreased, and the average cost of residential solar panels is currently at $271 per kilowatt hour. This price decrease can be attributed to the fact that solar companies continue to improve their products and production processes. By installing a solar energy system, you are not only saving money, but also helping the environment.