Supplementing you homes energy system with a Photovoltaic or PV system can be a great way to offset the rising cost of energy and decrease your dependency on less environmentally friendly forms of energy. Many California residents are looking into installing solar panels in their homes because of the rebates, tax credits, and incentives that are currently being offered.
Home solar panels Photovoltaic power systems consist of several solar cells made from silicone and glass that are linked together to form solar panels. These solar panels are wired together to produce a solar energy system. The energy created by these systems is in the form of DC or direct current. Direct current is same type of energy used in an automobile, while AC or alternating current is used for household appliance. In order to convert from alternating current to direct current, a power inverter must be used.
In 2006, governor Arnold Schwarzenegger set a goal to put solar panels on the roofs of 1 million homes in an effort to increase the use of clean energy. In order to encourage this effort, there are several rebates, tax credits and incentives currently being offered. Incentives such as these help offset the cost of installing a Photovoltaic system.
Although installing solar panels in your home are costly, the benefits of owning such a system can be reaped for years to come. As a general rule of thumb, the more power that you want to produce, the more you should plan on spending.
First, you should determine your overall power usage. In order to determine your power usage, contact your local energy provider for an itemized listing of your power usage over the past six month. Once you have determined your usage, decide how much your would like to offset your power bill by. Some people choose a system that provides approximately 50% or less of their annual power while others install a more elaborate (and more expensive) system that produces all of their annual electric.
Another factor that you will want to consider is cost. The more elaborate systems that produce the most energy will of course cost the most while smaller systems are less expensive and cost less. Consider the use of “net metering” where your energy system actually feeds unused power back into the power grid for use at a later time or a credit. This can also result in substantial savings over the long term. Additional savings come in the form of state and federal rebates, incentives, and tax credits.
Photovoltaic systems can be purchased and installed by the homeowner or installed by a qualified expert. Since a system can cost upwards to $20,000 plus, you will probably have to come up with some type of financing to cover the cost. There are several ways to finance your system including a home mortgage, second mortgage such as the HUD title 1 loan, or a home equity loan.
If you are trying to decide whether or not a photovoltaic system is right for you, check out these decision making tools that can help calculate the benefit of owning a home photovoltaic system:
Go Solar California
California Solar Initiative
United States Department of Energy
National Renewable Energy Laboratory
For more information on this topic, visit www.gosolarcalifornia.org
Author: Mike Smitt
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