The
Cost Of Solar Panels
If you were to go out and purchase solar panels
to completely supply the energy needs of your home, you
would find that the cost of solar panels is still high. In
fact, unless you either get federal and or state incentives,
or you make your own solar panels, it is just too
expensive.
Government incentives
There is a bright side to this situation
though, a very bright side. As of this writing, there are
great federal and state (varies from state to state)
incentives that truly help offset the cost. Another good
development is that the cost of solar panels is going down
all the time.
These tax rebates and such are constantly
changing, but the trend now is to push for more alternative
energy supplies, such as solar and wind. A check at your
county extension agency would be a good place to start your
investigation into incentives.
New technology
As more and more individuals and businesses
make use of solar energy, the cost of solar panels is
projected to decrease every year, in the immediate future.
New technology is being developed, new materials are being
used, and even nano-technology is entering into the research
and development area.
Nano-technology has to do with things that are very small,
such as the solar cells that are being manufactured right into
the building materials of some advanced structures. Now that
would be amazing, to say the least! Imagine the house you live
in as one giant solar collector!
Make your own solar panels
A good friend of mine made his own solar
panels, solar heated sauna, and solar hot water system. At
the time I didn't really appreciate what an accomplishment
that was. I just took it for granted because we both were
always dabbling in things like that. He was a carpenter as
well as a plumber, plus he lived in a perfect spot for solar
collection.
One problem with trying to build your own solar
panels is that very few people really have the ability to do
something like that. How many people are like my friend. To
hire the job out makes no sense, so that leaves two
alternatives.
One answer is to get quotes from commercial
solar panel companies, factor in the incentives, and put up
the cash for the remainder. This will give you a high
quality, engineered system, but at a price, even with the
rebates. Over time, the system will pay for itself and you
will be a happy homeowner for many years to come.
Then again, not everyone is in a position to do
such a thing because they just don't have the cash. That
leaves the second option of making the panels yourself.
Until recently, that was not advisable, but now there are
several excellent sources of plans to do it yourself.
These plans are made for the average person
with no special skills, just some determination and
persistence. The kits are not expensive, and the required
materials are readily available from a good hardware
store.
Over the course of a weekend or two you can
actually make a solar panel and a  generator. The kits give you complete
instructions to make a simple, small, but very useful
portable solar panel and generator. You certainly will not
be able to produce enough electricity for your entire
house with one small solar panel, but you will gain the
knowledge to make more and truly supplement your energy
needs very inexpensively.
This way to cost of solar panels suddenly comes
into line with the ability for the average homeowner to
begin using solar energy to supplement their needs.
|