This site is all about Solar education. My goal is to help others take a complex subject and put it in a "It's not rocket science" approach!
There are five principal renewable sources of energy: the sun, the wind,flowing water, biomass and heat from within the earth
When it comes to Alternative Energy, it can be a little mind-boggling. There are lots of questions and too few answers.
Questions, like "I have a 2800 sqft. Home, how much will
a system cost"? "What type of solar equipment should
I use?
Because of the looming Globle Warming Issue, people all over the world are finally taking a long hard look at Renewable Energy. Photovoltaics, Wind, and Hydro offer a great source of energy. But, what will work for one, may not work for another.
Some people live where the sun shines 90 percent of the year, whereas others , the sun does not shine much due to weather or shade. For some, the wind BLOWS all the time. Some people have a year around creek or river flowing through there property, so a system must be configured to match YOUR location.
How much will a system cost?
That all depends on you. You could live in a 2800 sqft. home,
but only have one 75 watt light bulb, or, you could have
every new electronic gadget on the market and your
house lit up like a Christmas tree..
It all boils down to How Much You Use!
What type of system is right for
me?
Should I go "off the Grid" or should I go "Utility
Backup" or "Grid intertie"?
Each offers a different level of protection and a different
level of expence.
If you want to do away with the power company and be in total control of your own power, then by all means go "Off The Grid".
What does this mean?
The term "Off
Grid" refers to a system that does not need or use
any power from an outside provider. It can consist of any
combination of sources like, PV, Wind generator, Hydro, or
even Bio fuels. Some people have told us " I live in
the suburbs, not a small cabin in the mountains". To
be "off Grid" can be ANYWHERE! You can still have
the utility company's power line hooked up to you, but, you
just don't need to use it .
If you want protection from rolling blackouts, storms or the occasional power pole jumping out in front of a car, then you can go with a "Utility Backup System". This type of system does not need to be big to keep lights on and the microwave going, or a computer or even, even a TV going.
Of course the size of this system will depend on what you want to keep running in case of a blackout. This is something YOU have to consider. What are your priorities. The more items you think you need to have running during a blackout, the more expensive your system will be.
If you want to just supplement your high energy cost, you
can "Grid intertie"
The term "Grid Intertie" means to have a system
that just feeds power back to the power company, either supplementing
your power cost or better yet, getting paid from the power
company. **Note** Not all power companies will let you sell
back to them. Remember, a "Grid Intertie " system
offers NO backup power!
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