Solar Power For Your Life

Want to harness Mother Nature to energize your home with solar power and other green technologies? It's never been a better time to try environmentally friendly sources for powering up your house and your life. There are lots of ways to use sunrays to provide energy and there are other sources right outside your front door, too. How about wind power or a few other eco-savvy techniques? Here are some of the possibilities you might want to consider:

Solar Energy: Photovoltaics are cells powered by the sun to provide electricity. This system is outfitted for your roof or on your adjoining property to energize your home. The startup installation will cost money but using the sunrays is a free service. There are different ways to do this including panels or shingles. The photovoltaic devices are nicknamed PVs. The devices that look like shingles and blend in with architecture are chosen by some as a way to have attractive curb appeal. The standard panels, which are noticeable, are more efficient for harnessing power, however. These panels come in varying formats including:

Tracks: Track devices move according to the sun's position and are highly efficient.

Poles: Poles are helpful in positioning receptacle in areas where they can catch the sun. This is ideal for tree lined streets or forest neighborhoods.

Flat mounted: Flat devices are more effective on pitched roofs rather than flat roofs. This allows for versatility regarding the structure of the house.

Racks: Racks can be angled according to the position of the sun to capture the most energy.

Integrated into the building: These are subtle in appearance.

Hot water heaters: Many hot water heaters are powered by electricity, natural gas or propane. All of these cost money to operate and deplete fossil fuels. There are appliances that are heated by the sunrays, though, that are economical, efficient and eco-friendly. Solar hot water heaters can be costly to install initially, sometimes two or three thousand dollars, but they make up the initial cash outlay over time. Not only that, there are tax credits available for homeowners who install these green systems. Each tank can heat around 100 gallons of H20 in twenty-four hours.

Wind power: Another method of harvesting Mother Nature is by using wind to create electricity and run appliances such as pumps. Windmills have been around for ages but modern versions of them as well as wind turbines and wind pumps are being designed and used effectively. Wind has been used to power ships and sailboats for eons. In some regions of the country where there is substantial breeziness, wind farms have been created to harness this power for the residents in the area.

Windows and location of home: The direction that a home's windows face will have a huge impact on the amount of sunlight and energy that is derived. For cold regions, it's helpful to have ample sunlight coming through the windows during the hottest times of the day in order to have a greenhouse effect. In hot regions, having the windows allow only morning or evening sun in would be more economical for cooling.

There are lots of ways to harness the sun and wind to energize a home and more. Solar power, wind and positioning of a building will all have an impact.