Solar Energy Facts
Here I would like to provide some interesting and maybe some not so well known solar energy facts. Some of the facts are simply staggering. Every single hour the sun sheds more than enough energy onto planet Earth to satisfy the global energy needs for an entire year! Unfortunately, the technology to harness this energy produces less than one tenth of one percent of our global energy needs. The cool thing about solar energy is that it can be collected and stored in batteries, reflected and magnified to produce heat, absorbed, transmitted or simply used on the spot to power equipment. Although the United States accounts for roughly 5% of the world's population, Americans consume about 26% of the world's energy. There are nearly 2 billion people in the world right now who are without electricity. Shell Oil predicts that as much as 50% of the world's energy will come from renewable sources by the year 2040. By having a battery back up in place, a solar energy system can provide electricity twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. The battery backup will fill in when it is cloudy or during the night time.
Home solar systems are usually composed of solar panels, a charge controller, an inverter, a battery, some wiring and the support structure. Solar energy is measured in kilowatt-hours. That means, 1 kilowatt = 1000 watts. 1 kilowatt-hour (kWh) = the amount of electricity that is required to power a 100 watt light bulb for 10 hours. In 1999, the US Department of Energy said that the average American household used approximately 866-kilwatt hours per month which cost the household $70.68. The earth receives approximately 1,366 watts of direct solar radiation per square meter. That is a staggering amount of energy! It has actually been estimated that the total surface area needed to power the world with only solar energy would only be something like 366,375 square kilometers. That might seem like a lot, but in reality it is only a small fraction of the earth's surface. A whopping 43% of the electricity that the US consumes comes from coal. Many people simply aren't aware of this. Coal powered electricity is cheap only without taking into account the hidden costs of coal mining, distribution, and the actual burning for the energy.
This could very well change in the near future though. U.S. electricity rates are increasing at a rate of about 6% each year, but possible policies that could be implemented in the near future such as renewable energy credits, or carbon tax credits could very well change the way we derive our energy. Solar energy has achieved what is known as grid parity. In other words, it's as cheap in some areas as coal based electricity, and it is expected to expand quite rapidly by 2012. Even passive solar technologies are being utilized more and more. By placing large windows on the sunny sides of buildings, it allows sunlight to shine on heat-absorbent materials on the floor and/or walls. At night, these surfaces will then release the heat they have collected throughout the day to keep the building warm. In addition, absorbent plates that are placed on the roof, can heat tubes of liquid to supply a house with hot water. A 1-kilowatt solar system for your home typically takes about 1 - 2 days to install and can cost around US $10,000. This however can vary greatly with smaller systems naturally costing less. It also doesn't take into account any incentives that are offered by the government. This same 1-kilowatt home solar system is usually comprised of around 10 - 12 solar panels and will require an area of about 100 square feet of area. You can expect a 1-kilowatt home solar system to generate approximately 1,600 kilowatt hours per year if you are in a sunny climate (receiving 5.5 hours of sunshine each day) . It will generate about 750 kilowatt hours per year in cloudier climates (those that receive 2.5 hours of sunshine every day). Here's something that's really cool. If you decide on outfitting your home with a 1-kilowatt solar system, you will prevent approximately 170 lbs. of coal from being burned, 105 gallons of water from being consumed, and 300 lbs. of CO2 from being released into the atmosphere every month! Even if you have a much smaller set-up, you will still be helping in a major way. This is the not so good news though. Homes in the Unites States that actually utilize solar energy are sitting at somewhere around 1% but most likely lower of the total. It's an incredibly small portion of the market when compared to something like air conditioning that is installed in somewhere between 50 - 60% of homes. Obviously there are some barriers that exist which effect residential solar installation rates, but the solar energy industry is expected to grow by as much as 20 - 40% each and every year for the next 10 years! The return on investment (ROI) for home solar systems is over 100%. This should be a good enough reason to start thinking about adopting a solar system for your home. Keep in mind that there are certain climates that are much better suited for utilizing solar energy though. Obviously someplace that is mostly cloudy or doesn't have much sunlight for part of the year isn't going to be as great of a choice as it will be for someone that gets more consistent sunlight. But the cool thing is that you can always use it to supplement other forms of electric generation. Something to consider is that solar panels are one of the only home improvements that pay for themselves, and depending on local factors like state rebates and electricity rates, the return on your investment can happen quicker than you might think. Each state has unique policies when it comes to incentives, subsidies, and rebates that are available to homeowners who are interested in solar power. In some areas, you can offset the cost of a home solar array by as much as 90% through rebates and solar energy credits! Thanks for checking out this article. I hope you have enjoyed it, you can find the full article here: Solar Energy Facts Plus you can find out much more about building your own solar panels here: Build Solar Energy Panels
