With the cost of oil soaring and the search for alternative sources of energy intensifying, many are looking to solar power as a possible solution. Once considered a luxury, solar power technologies can now be found in nearly every country around the world, and many are looking to these products to help reduce their carbon footprint and become more independent from fossil fuels.
While there is no question that solar power is a great option with many unique advantages, however, not all homeowners will be able to reap the benefits of solar energy exactly as they would like. That’s because homeowners and businesses have different needs, and different limitations when it comes to generating their own power with solar equipment.
Understanding these differences and the ways you can take advantage of solar power to suit your needs will go a long way to ensuring you get the most out of this amazing source of renewable energy. Let’s explore.
Home Or Business Use
One of the first considerations you will need to make is whether you want to generate power for your home or for your business. Generally speaking, you will want to get as much out of it as you can, which means installing solar panels at your house to produce as much energy as you can. This will typically involve purchasing hardware such as solar trackers and inverters, as well as a sufficient number of solar panels to meet your needs. As long as you remember to buy quality items and service the equipment properly, you should have no problems getting the most out of your solar power setup.
On the other hand, if you are looking to generate power for a business, you will need to take a bit more planning and strategy into consideration. Since a business will usually only see peak demand in the morning, you will want to generate as much as you can during off-peak hours to save money. This will usually mean installing a small solar power system at the office that can quickly and efficiently produce electricity as needed to keep the office running smoothly.
Size Matters
While you want to maximize the amount of energy you get from the sun, you also need to consider how much space you have for these panels. As with any other home appliance, your first port of call should be Google. Type in your location and solar power and you will get several options of systems to choose from. These measurements will vary depending on where you are located, but in general a small system (4kW) will be more than sufficient for the average home. Remember, you are going for quality and not quantity. Bigger is not always better when it comes to renewable energy because bigger systems are typically more expensive and require more maintenance. Keep the size of your system small so you can easily service it when needed and avoid any unnecessary costs.
Ample Lighting Options
Most people think about using the sun’s energy for cooking and heating water, but this is only part of what the sun is actually capable of. For example, you can use its energy to light up your house or office at night, and during the day, you can use it to charge up devices such as cell phones and tablets. This is one of the major reasons why so many people are turning to solar power – because it is now possible to integrate various technologies and devices that were previously unusable during nighttime hours.
This is also why most people choose to get solar power for their homes or businesses – so they can continue using these devices whenever the sun shines. However, if the lighting in your home is already sufficient, you might not need additional lighting options from the sun. Instead, you can look into underfloor lighting, which are installed directly below lamps and overhead lighting. These devices use less energy than traditional lamps and overhead lighting and provide consistent light quality so you can easily see what you are doing during any time of day without the assistance of additional lighting devices.
Cost-Effective
Last but not least, we have the cost-effectiveness of solar power. This is almost certainly the biggest deciding factor for many people when it comes to whether or not they choose to go the solar power route. If you want to save money while still being able to produce your own energy, then solar power is the clear choice. Depending on where you live and how much electricity you use, a small system might end up costing less in the long run than paying for energy on the regular.
However, this varies from person to person. For some, it simply doesn’t make financial sense to spend more than a couple hundred on electricity when they could be paying thousands for energy bills. So, while solar power is great for the environment and your wallet, it may not be the best choice for everyone.
Hopefully, going through this article you now have an idea of what are the main things you will need to consider before choosing a system to generate your own power with solar energy. If you want to get the most out of this amazing source of renewable energy, then read on for more information on how to achieve this.