With the price of fossil fuels sky-rocketing, many home owners are exploring the use of solar power instead of the traditional power source. If your home is connected to a utility grid, you have two options when it comes to residential solar power. You can install solar power as your primary source and use the power grid as a back-up. Or you can have solar power installed as a secondary source and use the power grid as your primary source.
Solar power panels for producing residential solar power are usually wall mounted or roof mounted. However, solar panels can also be installed on free-standing platforms or even on a tower that can rotate to follow the sun’s path. Lined with a semiconductor material that generates electricity when the sun’s rays pass through them, solar panels will work as long as they get enough sun.
Solar panels are not restricted to the large square boxy panels we are most accustomed to. Solar cells can now be purchased that are incorporated directly into roofing materials that provide not only residential solar power but offer the same level of home protection as the traditional asphalt shingle. This provides an almost undetectable installation with no affect on your curb appeal.
Depending on your installation type, how the electricity gets into your home will differ. Your residential solar power system can be considered a stand alone system if it is not connected to the typical power company grid. The solar panel is the main source of energy in a stand-alone solar power system. The electricity generated in the solar panel is sent to a regulator or controller; from there it flows into an inverter, which converts the electricity from direct current (DC) into alternating current (AC). AC is the standard house current used in America to power most of the devices in our homes.
With some types of residential solar power installation, power from solar panels is routed to a power inverter, and then to a storage system, or else directly into your house’s electrical system, with any leftover power being sent to the power company. The electricity that is channeled to a storage system, usually one or several batteries can be accessed when needed. The current is routed through your home’s circuit breaker to provide the energy for your lighting fixtures and electrical appliances.
Many states now offer net metering. Net metering is when your electric meter runs backwards when you feed your extra residential solar power into the power company’s grid. If you generate more power into the grid than when you pull from the grid, the power company could end up paying you.
There are many incentives for installing residential solar power. This can include municipal, state, and even federal financial incentives. These incentives range from tax credits on your tax bill to low to zero percent financing for most or all of the solar power system installation. And there will always be the lower to no electric bill every month.
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