Ideas For How Businesses Can Take Advantage Of Solar Energy

Over the last few years, businesses have experienced drastic climbs in their energy costs, a trend that will only continue. If utility costs make up a good deal of your overhead, skyrocketing energy rates can have a devastating effect on your business. Solar energy is completely free, a gift from the sun every sunny day. Use this gift to save money and make profit. Here's a look at how businesses can take advantages of solar energy.

Cut Utility Costs
As utility rates continue to escalate, your company will not be as affected as much when you are already harvesting your own solar power. Every sunny day, you can watch the electric meter tick backwards, so you owe the electric company less every month. You won't be as affected by steep rate increases when a good portion of your energy is getting a suntan on the roof.

Emissions Trading
President Barack Obama has indicated that the US will enter a cap and trade program to control global warming. In the near future, greater governmental pressure will make for very valuable pollution cuts. You can use solar energy as a renewable resource to slash your company's emissions rates, selling resulting credits to more polluting companies. Make money from the sun with emissions trading and the advantages of solar energy.

Tax Credits and Rebates
Obama has also made it clear that he wants to invest in America's renewable energy resources. Many tax credits and rebates, both federal and local, now exist that make solar energy more affordable than ever. This is money on the table that's there for the taking. Solar energy always ends up paying for itself, but it pays the bill even quicker with the tax credits and rebates currently available.

Free Resource
Sunshine is always free. Invest in the infrastructure, and then the sunshine pays you back. Solar panels are almost completely maintenance free, so there are very little costs involved once you've got them up and running. They continue to pay for themselves several times over. Once you've invested in the structure, solar power becomes as free for your business as it is for the flowers. Visit the best San Diego solar installation company at SunPath solar to find out how you can go green with solar energy.

About the Author
Ryan Frank is an avid writer and blogger living in San Diego, CA.

How Much You Can Receive Off The Price Of A Solar System

Solar power relating to houses becomes more popular each year. Because the cost of manufacturing decreases it is quickly turning into an affordable and practical option for a lot of home-owners. The government is assisting individuals with tax concessions they offer to people that elect to go green.

Why Use Solar Power?

Solar power for homes is good for the environment as it does not contribute to green house gas emissions. Just the use of solar power to heat our water drastically reduces carbon dioxide from being released into the atmosphere.

How does the Government help?

Solar Credits is the term assigned for the Australian government's latest solar subsidy for homeowners, businesses and neighbourhood communities. On 20 August, the program was authorised in government law, subsidising the expense of supply and install of a new solar renewable energy system (no means testing necessary). This program is in contrast to it's predecessor which was means tested for a home income of $100,000. It's the most recent in a variety of schemes, which unfortunately appear to change more often than most of us can keep up with.

The questions people most commonly seek the answer to are:

1. How much will I be able to receive off the price of a solar system?
2. How much will a solar system cost us currently?

Typically, if you would like a new 1kW system, you will get approximately $3,500 off the cost. If you'd like 1.5kW or more you'll then be able to reduce the cost by around $5,600.

So how much does this mean you could spend on a system?
Here are some ballpark figures with regard to costs. They'll differ by a thousand or so either way depending on the brand of panels and inverters suppliers use, as well as their particular overheads.

• Typical price of a 1kW solar system is approximately $8,500
• Government's Solar Credits Rebate is $3,500
• Cost to you personally to get 1KW of solar power is is around $5,000
• General cost of a 1.5kW solar system is $11,500
• Government Rebate is $5,500
• Cost for you to get 1.5KW of solar power is around $6,000

As you can see, the way in which the Solar Credits scheme works, the 1.5kW system is actually much better value. You get 50% more electricity for only about a 20% greater cost.

The solar credits scheme maxes out at 1.5kW. If you want a system bigger than that your solar credits will reach it's limit at about $5,600. The good news though is that you will be able claim around $560 per additional kW in Certificates Renewable Energy Certificates (RECS).

About the Author
eco-kinetics are quality providers of affordable Solar Power Systems and Solar Panels Brisbane. To find out more about how they help you with the Govt solar credit rebates check out their website today!

20 Facts And Figures About Solar Energy

Here are 20 exciting solar energy facts that could be of interest to those considering converting their homes into renewable solar energy (partly or entirely). These fun facts about solar energy could also be of interest to any aspiring solar energy enthusiasts.

20 Solar Energy Facts and Figures

1. Solar panel technology emerged in the 1800's.
2. The first "true" solar panels were created in the 1950s.
3. Solar cell's efficiency may be as little as 4% (organic cells) or as much as 40% (experimental multiple-junction solar cells). The higher the efficiency of the material, the more expensive it will be to manufacture it.
4. One 100W light bulb that's constantly on, costs around $100 per year.
5. One photovoltaic roof shingle can produce as much as 15W of electricity. Several solar roof shingles could run one 100W light bulb that's constantly on.
6. A solar cell with 10 percent efficiency output and a 100 sq centimeters (15.5 sq inch) surface can produce about 1W of power.
7. An average household uses about 9,000kWh of energy annually.
8. A 350 Sq foot panel that produces 15W of power per Sq foot would produce a total of about 9,000kWh of energy yearly, which could power an average household with all the energy that it needs.
9. An average homeowner that uses electricity from their utility grid could spend $50,000 in the next 25 years on their electric bills.
10. Tax incentives for buying solar can be as high as 30% of the purchased solar powered system's cost.
11. In the US, tax incentives can result in shortening the time for the panels to pay back for themselves down to as little as 6-8 years.
12. You can get solar panels for free from homeowners or businesses upgrading their systems.
13. Solar panels typically have a 20-25 year warranty and 40 year lifetime expectancy.
14. In order to achieve the most out of solar panels, they have to be facing south and be installed at 20-50 degree angles.
15. You can wire solar cells to increase the Voltage of the system (series wiring), to increase the Current of the system (parallel wiring), or to increase both, Voltage and Current (series/parallel wiring).
16. Solar powered systems with a battery can provide a homeowner with electricity even during the time of local power outages.
17. You do not have to connect a home in the woods to a power grid, if you provide it with a powerful enough solar power generator.
18. Solar energy is very safe for the environment, since it produces negligibly small amounts of elements, and only during the process of manufacturing the solar materials.
19. In the future, we may see cars and houses painted with a translucent solar paint to generate energy.
20. Solar energy won't run out until the sun ceases to shine, which is estimated to happen in about 5 billion years from now.

As you can see, there are numerous good solar energy facts. It's also a fact that the whole world is anticipating further drops in the price of solar material, so that everyone will be able to enjoy all of the solar power benefits at a reasonable cost.

About the Author
Jakob Jelling is the founder of http://www.solarpanelmanual.com which focuses on solar energy. Please visit his web site to learn more about solar panel installation.

Wind Energy Or Solar Energy - Which Is Best For Your Location?

When choosing the best option for reducing your power bill, it is important to understand the benefits and drawbacks of two of the most popular energy sources: Wind Energy and Solar Energy.

Solar Energy

The earth does not produce energy on its own. Solar Energy creates two other sources of energy often utilized by homes and businesses: water and wind. Solar Energy is collected using various types of Solar Panels, which is then channeled into a home via "Grid-Tie" or "Off Grid" systems.

The Grid-tie systems collect solar energy and feed it directly into your electrical system through a grid-tie inverter. In this arrangement, the electric company is essentially the storer of any excess electricity collected throughout any given day. The advantage of this method is the cost savings in needing to purchase a battery bank to store the energy. If you happen to produce more electricity than you use, many electric companies will pay their customers for each extra Kilowatt Hour (KWH) of electricity fed back into their system. However, the amount electric companies pay their customers for the electricity is not typically as high as the amount they would charge you for the same amount.

Off-Grid systems are the same as Grid-tie, except they store the extra solar energy collected by solar panels into batteries. The off-grid inverters cost less, but there will be a substantial battery cost. The amount of batteries needed will depend on the number of solar panels you have. The more solar panels you purchase, the more batteries will be needed to store the energy.

Some areas of the country are more suitable for solar energy than others. Solar Panels need the direct rays of the sun in order to operate at peak efficiency. Cloudy areas such as Seattle, Washington are not going to produce as much solar energy as places like Phoenix, Arizona. While Seattle is one of the worst areas, if you were to make a line that went from Minnesota to Ohio to Maine, that area of the country fares only little better in its worst month. See a Solar Radiation map for more specific information in your area.

Wind Energy

Wind energy has the distinct advantage of being available both night and day. When the storm clouds roll in, blocking the afternoon sun, wind energy is there to pick up the slack. Interestingly, wind energy is actually produced by solar energy, albeit indirectly. As the sun's rays come in contact with the earth, some areas absorb more heat than other areas, and some areas receive more direct rays (e.g. the equator) than others (e.g. the North Pole). The warm atmosphere gases then naturally move to colder areas, creating wind.

Some areas of the country are more suited for wind energy than others. If you live in the southeastern section of the United States, wind energy is not a good option unless you live in a high elevation or near a coastline. A wind resource map can be located on the web site listed in this article.

Another important factor in determining whether or not wind energy is a good possibility for your home is whether or not you are able to place a wind turbine at a high enough elevation to produce a cost-effective amount of energy. Most guides recommend wind turbine installation at an elevation of 30 feet higher than the surrounding area. The higher your wind turbine, the more energy it is going to produce. Of course, this also means that initial installation costs will be higher as well. Overall, wind energy is a great way to reduce your carbon footprint. Just make sure your location is well suited for it.

Conclusion

It can be a very satisfying experience knowing that you are saving money and reducing your carbon footprint every time you see the wind blowing or the sun shining. With the federal government basically picking up 30% of the tab through tax credits, now is a great time to invest.

Thomas J. Martincic is the author and developer of the web site http://www.WindSolarEnergy.org. The web site contains a wealth of free information on wind and solar energy, provided in layman's terms.

Thomas J. Martincic

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Thomas_Martincic

Interesting Facts About Solar Energy You Should Be Aware Of Before Buying Solar Power Panels

With the cost of electricity going up, the importance of talking about a renewable energy source is also gaining popularity among people, all over the world. With that said, here are some interesting facts about solar energy.

Solar Power Fact # 1:
The most thought provoking idea about solar energy is how little of the energy creation on the planet, comes from the sun. Only 0.1 percent of power comes from energy through the sun and is converted into electrical current. If there were more people who would install solar cells in their homes and cars, solar energy could cover more than the Earth's power. Everything would be covered, even needs for transportation and housing.

Solar Power Fact # 2:
Another interesting fact about solar energy is how much it's worth and how much money can be saved using it as a source of energy. If your roof is 1000 square feet and you install solar panels, you could potentially save as much as 6,460 dollars a year, over the cost of oil heating. The downside though, is that the initial investment will cost you between $20,000 and $50,000 to install; however there are tax incentives which offset the cost.

Solar Power Fact # 3:
One more of these interesting facts about solar energy, is that China is working with the United States to build entire communities which are created and powered by renewable energy resources. Homes are being constructed out of straw bales and are powered with solar and geothermal heating. Giving the size of China's population, the pollution problem has increased the development of renewable fields. Its hope is for the Chinese people and its country, to become more efficient and less costly.

With these interesting facts about solar energy, we see why it is becoming more and more important.

About the Author:
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