| Solar Power and Green Energy in Your Home |
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| Environment - Environment |
| Written by Chris Ulrich |
| Wednesday, 19 August 2009 13:19 |
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Solar energy is one of the hot topics in today's marketplace. With government incentives at record levels-and some utilities paying you to switch to solar-now is the time to research more and find out how you can save money with solar energy.
Solar energy is one of the hot topics in today's marketplace. With government incentives at record levels-and some utilities paying you to switch to solar-now is the time to learn more and find out how you can save money with solar energy. But what is solar energy? How does it work? Can it really generate electricity? Solar energy harnesses the power of the sun. When sunlight hits photovoltaic cells (they look like giant computer chips made of silicon) the photons in the sunlight cause all electrons to be released from the silicon. If you can catch those electrons, you get electricity. Think of it like this: you are playing billiards (shooting pool) and you shoot the cue ball into another ball. What happens? The white ball ricochets insets that other ball into motion as well. When sunlight hits the solar cell, it bounces off and pushes the electron in motion. Electricity is made of electrons. The more electrons you can push in motion-and rein-in-the more electricity you can generate. For an interesting article on solar energy and other green energy, visit this page at NASA http://www.nasa.gov/centers/ames/greenspace/clean-energy.html How does this help you in your house? The government is pushing hard for solar energy. $20 billion dollars has been set aside to help promote solar energy throughout our country. The federal government as well as other state governments and utilities, will literally pay you to start using solar energy. Why do they do this? First, we want to eliminate our dependency on foreign oil. Second, burning fossil fuel is terrible for the environment. Solar energy, on the other hand, is absolutely clean. There are no byproducts. There aren't carbon emissions. It is a extremely clean and pure method of producing electricity. Third, the government hopes to develop the solar industry in this country which may create more and more jobs and opportunities. Solar energy is not cheap, however. Solar energy for a home may cost $25,000. Do not stop reading this article! There is great news. The government and utilities can rebate you up to 70% of the cost of the system. In this example, you would get tax credits and rebates for about $14,000. The end price to you is $6000. If you were to finance this, you may pay about $50-$75 per month. You may say this much or more in your electric bill! Even if you don't, you not only done something tremendously for the environment, but have also increased the value of your home by about $20,000! If you're going to resell your home, this not only adds value of nature home more desirable than other houses on the market. There are also laws preventing local government from increasing your taxes when you add solar energy to your house. We cannot give you specific tax advice-you must speak with your accountant or attorney. About the Author: SaveWithSolar.org offers great information about solar energy and ways to save with solar power. Get free information, including quotes on the solar power rebates available in your state! |