Solar power has existed since the 1950’s. It was pioneered for the space program to power early satellites. The idea of solar power has existed for much longer, Einstein’s Photoelectric Effect predicts that energy from the sun could excite certain materials and produce useable electrical energy. It wasn’t until the mass production of silicon based electronic devices that solar power became an attainable source of renewable energy. Panels manufactured from silicon were initially very expensive and only economic for very specific applications like powering space based satellites or remote communications sites, but in the past few decades it has become dramatically cheaper. Silicon prices began plummeting with the explosion of electronic devices and mass manufacturing of solar power panels have driven the price of solar power to levels where it makes good economic sense for homeowners and businesses to make the investment.
How do solar panels power a home or business?
It hasn’t even been 100 years that nearly every home in the United States was serviced by electric power. During the early part of the 20th century the government spurred the development of large centralized power plants. Projects like the TVA lit up the rural southeast, and the Hoover Dam turned the lights on in Vegas and helped power LA. This centralized power distribution system is what still powers the United States today. This power model is similar to the way America’s telephone system was first set-up. Large telephone buildings were constructed and miles and miles of individual wires stretch across the country allowing people to talk to one another in an instant. How many people actually have a “land line” today? Most people have a cell phone to make their phone calls and do much more. In the 1980’s the big telephone companies saw cellphones as a luxury product, but lower prices means nearly every single American now owns a cell phone. Cell phones challenged the tradition of big centralized telephone, letting American’s untether from these big networks and become free from the “traditional network”. Solar power and other forms of renewable energy are now offering people this same opportunity with their electric power. It is now possible to own a part of your own power portfolio.
When you purchase and install a solar power system you are building your own personal power plant. The power you produce comes from your power plant and helps to power your home. You are paying a fraction of the price for your own energy then you would be paying to the power company. This is not to say that the power company no longer serves an important role in your energy portfolio. A lot of people ask if they can produce enough energy to power their entire home or business, this is not the case today. Reality is that solar power panels only produce energy when the sun is shining and energy storage technology is still too expensive (i.e. batteries). What solar power allows someone to do is pay less money to the power company. It’s possible to save 40% or more on your energy bills. Solar power systems can now pay for themselves. This payback period is specific to each individuals situation; but once the system pays for itself, all the energy it produces in the future will be essentially “$ free energy”.
In short, solar power systems take the energy from the sun and help a home or business owner save money on their utility bills. You will still need the power company to power you at night, help run your large appliances, and provide power when it’s cloudy. The solar power system connects into your breaker panel and produces a higher voltage than what the power company provides. That energy flows to all of your electrical devices and as long as their is enough power it can provide most of your energy needs. Installing a solar power system not only saves you money from the moment it turns on, but begins the process of becoming energy independent. In the near future battery technology will make it possible and economical to store excess solar power for use at night or when you need it. Installing a solar power system today means you start saving money the moment you turn it on.
