Compare Solar Power To Traditional Energy

When we consider the many advantages of Solar Energy compared to traditional energy sources, the flexibility of setting up a photovoltaic system wherever the sun shines seems to be the biggest benefit. Freed from dependency upon a power grid, the installation will make solar power available to consumers in any location.

The Need For Renewable Energy Sources

With awareness of renewable resources on the increase, both domestic and industrial users have begun to take a fresh look at solar power. Once the initial costs have been met, and the users provided with a system, they can also benefit from government grants for grid-connected solar systems. Setup costs have also fallen over the past few years.

Energy In The Industrial World

In industrialised countries the majority of energy comes from coal, gas and nuclear energy, while solar power still accounts for less than 1% of total production. The costs of gas and coal extraction and their eventual contribution to pollution are of increasing concern, whereas solar energy remains clean, free and unlimited.

Solar Energy Set Up

The technical requirements for setting up a photovoltaic system are firstly a survey to see if your property is suitable for conversion, with a roof orientated towards the sun and strong support for the weight of the panels. Domestic solar systems produce between 2 and 5 kilowatts of energy which will be supplemented by the home’s grid supply if this is not sufficient. On a sunny day the output can exceed the consumption of the home and this excess wattage will be channeled back into the grid. The expense of setting up the system will soon be absorbed by its productive lifespan (typically 25-30 years).

Why You Should Consider Installing Solar Energy?

Owners will receive a Micro Generation Certificate Scheme to permit you to apply for rebates from the government, essentially to pay you back for any extra energy your system feeds back into the system. The disadvantages of solar power include its high initial setup costs, the lack of reliable generation in less sunny climates such as the UK, and the fact that it won’t generate at night. Traditional energy sources may keep the lights burning until the wee small hours, but solar power is the only source that pays its users to consume it.

Increased innovation and development have led to reduced installation costs for the consumer, and this technology also extends to solar water heating (which is also subject to the same limitations on daylight exposure as solar panels). Interested users should approach a reputable solar energy supplier for a survey. The Department of Energy & Climate Change can provide information on the financial incentives for users of solar energy. With solar power now providing a realistic alternative to traditional sources for consumers all over the world there are now greater options for access to solar energy – backed up by governments worldwide.

Solar professionals Solar Contact provide advice on the benefits of turning to green energy, and its advantages and disadvantages compared with more traditional sources

Compare Solar Water Heating And Solar Air Heating

Solar air heating and solar water heating are perhaps the best improvements you can make to your home, in terms of energy and heat. At a virtually negligible cost, these technologies could save you thousands of dollars, while also doing a great deal of good for the environment, so it’s quite a win-win situation. So let’s look at some of the similarities and differences between them, in order to better understand what each brings to the table.

First of all, both of them require sunlight. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, sunlight must not be confused with heat! You can have a lot of sun on a really cold day, or it could be really hot but cloudy. Both of them rely on a collector which itself relies on sun rays to heat the air or the water, so the bigger the surface and the more solar power, the more heat.

In the red corner, we have solar air heating; the air is heated through an airbox and then reinserted into your home, either actively (through a fan) or passively (by convection). Typically, if done right and in proper areas, it can provide up to 50% of all heating in a certain room or house during the cold season, but all year round, that figure goes closer to 25% rather than 50. It should be very cheap, as it is made from simple, non expensive parts, and realy easy to do yourself, with a minimum investment and it should be fairly sturdy, as non of the parts require particular caring and maintenance.

In the blue corner, solar water heating can account for up to 85% of all water heating, which is much better than solar air heating. Furthermore, in some cases, it is also used to heat the home, though that requires some special technology and is suited only for really cold and sunny areas. What it does is it heats a certain fluid, which can either be the water itself or, even better, a mixture of anti-freeze and anticorrosive, which then in turn heats the water through a heat exchanger. It works complementary with traditional water heating, but it does the job all by itself in most cases, failing only during the night and the cold season.

Now, heating water is expensive, so it can save you a whole bunch of money, but the thing is, it is a little more costly and also requires some maintenance, regarding the fluid, the pipes, and not only. You have to be sure at all times that nothing comes through the water, so it requires much more care.

So, who’s the winner you could ask? Well… both! Both are really great improvements to your house, both will save you a lot of money, and both are really green. Of course, one is more high maintenance but has more potential at the moment (solar water heating). If you plan on going for both of them, you’re definitely doing the right choice, but if you only have to choose one, for different reasons, such as a really harsh lack of money or not enough room for two absorbers, then it’s hard to say which one is better.

Do you use a lot of water? Does heating air cost more than heating water? Do I want to spend more time and money for a better return of my investment? This kind of question will answer your problem; if you’re having a hard time, just keep track of these expenses for a whole month, and decide afterwards.