The future of energy looks incredibly promising for renewable energy sources. Thanks to technology, innovators can now design and build entire systems from the ground up with the touch of a button. This is mainly thanks to the fact that renewable energy is now cheaper than traditional fuel sources. This is good news for everyone, but especially those living in developing countries whose energy needs are growing, yet the traditional energy sources are becoming more and more expensive.
Renewable energy is not entirely without its complexities, though. For starters, you need to consider where you will put the system. The sun is magnificent, but not everybody will be able to enjoy the benefits of its energy. The same way you need to consider where you will put the solar panel so it does not break down, you need to consider where you will put the storage so it does not degrade. This is where much of the complexity arises, and it is a problem that hopefully more and more people will be able to solve. As energy experts predict, the future of energy is solar.
The Rise In Popularity
The popularity of solar power plants is on the rise, and it is a technology that truly deserves to be popular. Why? Well, for one thing, the energy produced by a solar power plant is clean and green. It does not come with the same negative effects as traditional energy sources. Another thing that makes solar power plants so attractive is how easy they are to set up. All you need are the tools to cut the wire, connect the wires, and mount the panels. Most importantly, though, is that they are easy and cheap to maintain. This is mainly because all you need is sunlight and water to keep generating energy. These are both very simplistic requirements, which makes it much easier for everyone, not just those with a technical know-how.
Get Inspired
Nowadays, just about anybody can be an inventor. Thanks to technology, it is much easier to design and build novel things. There are numerous sources of inspiration out there, the internet being one of the biggest sources of creative ideas. You can actually find anybody and anything you need to build a perfect solar power plant. This is mainly because designers can use any object, real or imaginary, as a template. If you want a small and humble system, you can use a pumpkin as a template. If you want something more sophisticated, you can use a fancy car as a template or a hot air balloon. The sky is the limit.
Lay The Groundwork
As with any other new technology, proper education is of paramount importance. Even people who live in rural areas and do not have access to electricity often do not know how electricity works. This makes it hard for them to identify with the benefits that electricity brings. While they might understand the concept of electricity, they might not know how it works in practice. This is why it is important to educate people on the subject and let them understand the advantages of renewable energy. In this case, though, proper education could mean the difference between having electricity or not. If you do not have a conventional power supply, it can be hard to explain to your community that your electricity needs will be met by a solar power plant, so it is important to be upfront about this. Additionally, if your power plant is going to be connected to the grid, it is important to find out what the local regulations are so you do not get in trouble for running a grid-connected system without authorization. This is all part of being progressive and thinking outside of the box.
Start Small
If you are new to this, start small. There is no need to reinvent the wheel as soon as you get the chance. If you live in a rural area, you can use a simple solar panel and mount it on a tree so it gets maximum exposure to sunlight. This will provide you with enough solar power for your needs, even if it is just for lighting and small appliances. After you have gained experience, you can move onto bigger and better things. However, keep in mind that bigger does not always mean better. For instance, bigger solar panels do not always mean more efficient ones.
Know Your Limits
It is always best to maximize the amount of power you generate while minimizing the cost and the space that it takes up. This is why it is important to know your limits. For instance, you can use this simple solar power calculator to determine how much energy you will produce on a sunny day. It is also important to know the capacity of your battery so you do not overload it and cause it to degrade faster. Batteries are not indestructible and can still incur significant damage from overuse. In this case, it is better to be safe than sorry, so it is always best to overestimate rather than underestimate the amount of energy you will produce.
Make It Portable
If you decide to use a car or truck as your storage medium, you need to take this into consideration. These are very fixed objects that many people in the world depend on for their daily commute. This is why making it portable will greatly increase its appeal. Fortunately, designers know how frustrating it can be when your car breaks down, so they built portable solar chargers to increase the usefulness of this energy storage medium. These are small and light enough that you can easily carry them wherever you go and plug them into any available socket. Alternatively, you can string them up along the side of your house and use a small solar garden to charge up whenever you need to. This is the perfect solution if you live in a country where frequent blackouts are common and it is difficult to find an available power outlet.
Make It Eco-friendly
The environment is a major point of consideration whenever any new technology emerges. As with any other new product, it is important to think about how eco-friendly it is before getting into too much detail. Fortunately, solar power plants are often associated with green energy, so many eco-friendly consumers will be able to relate to the fact that you are contributing to a more eco-friendly world. Additionally, as previously stated, solar energy is often more efficient than traditional energy sources, so it is better for the environment in general.
Use Technology
Saving the environment is always a major point of consideration whenever anybody launches a new product or idea. In this case, technology is going to be key, as designers will be able to use many different techniques and tools to build, model, and test their ideas. Technology will undoubtedly play a major role in making solar power more accessible to everyone. Additionally, many people now have access to technology, which makes it much easier to educate yourself and gain knowledge on the subject. Through proper education and technology, the future of energy looks extremely promising for renewable energy sources. If you have a good idea for a renewable energy system, you can probably build it yourself with little to no experience in the field.