Outdoor Solar Lights

Solar panels for your home are a wise investment that can pay for themselves. Solar systems are relatively maintenance-free, and may qualify you for federal and state level tax breaks. Solar panels for your home blend in nicely and can be installed on a variety of roofs.

A solar system for your home can be an expensive investment, but a high quality system will last you for more than 25 years. In that time, it will more than pay for itself. A moderate sized solar system saves the average household more than $500 a year in energy costs. The federal tax credit for solar systems will refund a portion of the purchase cost, and many states offer tax credits, which add to the overall rebate available.

Laws in many states require utilities to purchase excess power from utility users. If the solar panels for your home are tied into the local power grid, your electric company may deduct the excess power your solar system creates from your monthly bill. If you produce enough power, your utility may end up paying you.

Determining the size of a solar system for your home depends on several factors. The average kilowatt hour usage of your home must be taken into account, as well as the amount of sunlight your area receives daily. More sunlight and less kilowatt hour usage will produce higher savings for your home.

Buying solar panels for your home can be a costly up-front investment. A single solar panel kit capable of producing 100 watts of energy can cost up to $250. The solar system consists of several solar panels tied together to form a grid that will feed energy to your home. Wiring the individual panels into a single solar system prevents energy loss that occurs if each panel is wired to the home’s electrical system separately.

If you purchase your solar panels individually, make certain the panels you are buying are grid tie compatible. Check that each piece of your planned solar system comes with mounting hardware. If it doesn’t, the mounting hardware will be an additional cost at installation. Be aware of what you are buying to avoid costly mistakes.

Professionally installation can be another costly component of a solar system for your home. Investigate local prices before buying your solar system. You can install the solar system yourself. Either way, a solar system is best installed during the roof replacement process to prevent leaks. Information on installing a solar system yourself can be found online or at your local retailer. It is recommended that you understand every part of the installation process before you begin, as electrical work is included in the process of installing solar panels for your home.

Technorati Tags: solar energy programs, solar panel for your home, Solar Panels For Your Home, what is photo voltaic?

The level of interest in solar energy and other forms of renewable energy is at an all time high and because of this, there are a lot of people looking for solar energy facts in order to help make a decision about this environmentally friendly energy technology. There are both advantages and disadvantages of solar energy; if you know anything at all about solar power, you’re probably at least somewhat familiar with the advantages of harnessing the sun’s energy to power homes and businesses. However, you may not be as aware of the disadvantages of using solar power. If so, keep reading for some further information to help you make the right decision about renewable energy.

It May Not Provide The Results You Expect

Depending on how much energy that you’d like to produce, where you’re located and other factors, a solar power system may or may not generate as much power as you need or want. It may be that your home or business just doesn’t get enough direct sunlight to produce enough electricity to completely wean you off of the power grid – it’s important to do your research ahead of time and to have realistic expectations. Even if your system can’t completely replace your local utility company, it can help reduce your energy bills.

You May Need More Solar Panels Than You Think

One of the lesser known solar energy facts (and one of the disadvantages of solar energy) is that it takes a number of solar panels to generate enough electricity to power a home or business. In order to produce as much power as you’d like, you may need to dedicate a large portion of your roof (or even all of it) to solar panels. While even a single solar panel can make a noticeable difference, you may find that you need to expand your system to make it meet your goals.

What About Nighttime?

Naturally, you’re not going to be receiving any sunlight at night (reflected sunlight from the moon isn’t nearly strong enough to produce power), so you’ll either need to rely on the power grid at night or invest in a battery storage system to store excess power that your solar panels produce during the day in order to use when the sun isn’t shining.

Solar power is a completely renewable energy source which produces no pollution and of course, is free once your system is up and running. While there are disadvantages of solar energy, as with any other type of energy, the benefits of this clean, free energy source definitely outweigh the disadvantages, all of which can be overcome relatively easily.

Attested by studies conducted by various energy specialists, there are numerous advantages of solar energy. In recent years, the issues of global warming, as well as greenhouse gas emissions has become quite prevalent. As a result, the attention of individuals is being diverted from the standard energy creation method that involves the use of fossil fuels and directed to natural energy sources. While it is true that the advantages of solar energy include the ability to save money, this is only one benefit available to those that elect to harness the power of the sun in order to generate power. The following highlights many of the other advantages of solar energy:

1. Solar power is considered to be clean and generally unobtrusive. While fossil fuel generation plants emit a large amount of noise and pollution and are considered to be visually unattractive, the plants that produce solar energy do not have these characteristics.

2. Fossil fuel energy requires careful consideration when it comes to the actual production process. For example, this type of energy must be created in certain regions and require certain substances, such as water. However, solar energy may be created in any geographical location and only requires the power of the sun in order to create large amounts of usable power.

3. One of the most appealing advantages of solar power is that it is a clean form of energy that is considered to be renewable. Due to these characteristics, future generations will have the ability to harness power as they see fit, without the health and environmental dangers that are often related to fossil fuel created power.

4. When evaluating the advantages of solar power, it is important to consider the fact that the power source may be generated on-site. This eliminates the need to install and utilize transmissions that are dependent on high-voltage, such as power lines. In addition to this, the power creation process does not require an infrastructure system that is complex in nature.

5. The basic photovoltaic systems that are used to assist in the creation of solar power typically do not include components or parts that move, which means that they require less maintenance, have a high level of durability and have a longer life expectancy than the parts involved in creating power with fossil fuels.

In addition to the advantages of solar power highlighted above, there are many other distinct benefits associated with this type of power. Many consumers appreciate the fact that the pricing associated with creating and utilizing solar power is much more predictable than the pricing associated with traditional power. Furthermore, solar power permits countries to gain national independence in energy production because of the fact that this type of power is typically utilized where it is created. By harnessing the power of the sun today, you may experience the advantages of solar energy tomorrow.

Technorati Tags: the advantages of solar energy, the advantages of solar lights, the advantages of solar power

Hello, I want to have some light on my shed.
I was thinking on solar lighting. I have a 8xAA rechargeable battery from a toy car and I’m going to buy a solar panel, what kind do I need?
Do I need something else? What is a "solar panel controller"?
How I connect everything? What kind of bulbs are better?
Lots of questions! Thanks for your help!

Stephanie.
Hello, I want to have some light on my shed.
I was thinking on solar lighting. I have a 8xAA rechargeable battery from a toy car and I’m going to buy a solar panel, what kind do I need?
Do I need something else? What is a "solar panel controller"?
How I connect everything? What kind of bulbs are better?
Lots of questions! Thanks for your help!

Stephanie.

PS. I WANT to build it, I know there are very cheap ones out there, but the objective is to learn a bit of electricity (positives and negatives and all that).

You need a panel, 5W is maybe fine, possibly 10W. 12V nominal.

You need a charge controller to prevent the batteries from overcharging.

You should use LED lighting.

I would prefer a Sealed Lead Acid cell.

It won’t be very cheap.

I just got them…they sit out in the sun all day long, but at night some shine brightly while some barely shine at all and some do not shine at all. Any ideas?

If they are of the same make, model and having similar exposure as you described, they are either faulty or dirt is covering the cell plate. Try cleaning the cell plate that absorbs the Solar energy from the sun and if this does not work, return them for full refund. Solar lights these days come very bright, beautiful and headache free otherwise, replace them. The technology if up to date should be trouble free and bright.

I just got them…they sit out in the sun all day long, but at night some shine brightly while some barely shine at all and some do not shine at all. Any ideas?

If they are of the same make, model and having similar exposure as you described, they are either faulty or dirt is covering the cell plate. Try cleaning the cell plate that absorbs the Solar energy from the sun and if this does not work, return them for full refund. Solar lights these days come very bright, beautiful and headache free otherwise, replace them. The technology if up to date should be trouble free and bright.

I just bough new solar lights and they don’t work. Do I have to do something special to get them started? It has been very overcast since I bought them so, would that be a reason?
Thanks so much. It was a piece of plastic inside that I had to remove. I hope they work tonight.

they might have a piece of plastic covering the contacts on the battery.you have to remove that before they can recharge.also they need a good day of sunlight to fully recharge.

I just bough new solar lights and they don’t work. Do I have to do something special to get them started? It has been very overcast since I bought them so, would that be a reason?
Thanks so much. It was a piece of plastic inside that I had to remove. I hope they work tonight.

they might have a piece of plastic covering the contacts on the battery.you have to remove that before they can recharge.also they need a good day of sunlight to fully recharge.

the solar outdoor lights i had stored in my garage for two years are not working now that i’ve put them in my backyard. they have batteries and the light will come on when they’re held to the light, but have yet to react when the sun goes down. is this normal after not being use for so long?

Hello,

First thing you can do is to remove the batteries from one of them, then if you have a battery charger at home try to recharge them for let say 12 hours if it’s a regular charger.

when they’re fully charged place them back and give it a try.

If this don’t work, you definitely need to replace the batteries.

I vould like to order …but I’m not sure how I vould turn it on. Help Please.

You can get diff types of solar lights, I have some needs need to be in the ON position to actually light up when it’s dark and they have been charged…They need to be put together and then place in direct sunlight for at least 4 hours..and then they will light when it is dark out. They are amazing and look great in garden, patios, deck and walk ways…I got a bunch of them at wal-mart for like 14.98! THere are tons also at QVC and Target, Home Depot and Lowe’s…check walmart out first, usually cheaper!
p.s. They do come with directions!
GOOD LUCK