In this day and age the benefits of having a solar electric system are proven and evident, and most people with solar power installed are happy with the way the system works. If you’re thinking of going in for a similar setup, there are some things you should take into consideration in order to make your purchase a success.
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First of all, in spite of all the theoretical advantages of solar electric systems, you should determine whether your location makes it possible for you to make use of them practically. After all, it’s highly unlikely that a solar system will serve its purpose the way you expect it to if you live in a foggy area, or if your house is shaded by trees or larger buildings for most of the day.
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The size of your solar electric system will depend on the amount of electricity you normally use. Actually, no readymade formula will really serve to enable you to assess the size of the system, and most suppliers will offer you their own suggestions based upon the amount of electricity you use in the course of the year.
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Most people choose to have their solar electric system tied into the national grid. There are advantages to this, of course – for one thing, you should always have a backup in place in case your solar power generators function under par for a day or two.
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But more than that, sometimes a utility company will actually pay you for excess energy that you send into the grid. Of course, this is usually in the form of credits, but it still represents a considerable saving, and one well worth availing of.
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Of course, not all utility companies will maintain such a solar panel system – for example, in Amsterdam, where a lot of people have alternative power setups, so much energy was bleeding back into the grid that the utility company began to run at a loss, and had to discontinue this system. However, in the states this system prevails in many places, and is well worth taking advantage of.
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Alternatively, you can choose to be completely independent of the grid. This is a bit of a risk, though not as much as it seems – at the most you might be without power for a few hours.
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It’s best to have a fuel-based backup system in place to keep things comfortable. Of course, just how much power your installation produces depends on the region in which you live and the size of your installation. If your installation produces sufficient levels of power, you might consider storing that power in batteries for later use.
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Then there are federal tax incentives, which you can avail of for any solar power construction composed of three or more solar panel system. The cost of a full scale solar electric system can vary from anything between twenty five to forty thousand dollars.
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Remember though that that’s a long term investment, and that one solar electric system will serve you for up to twenty years or even more, thus making it economically viable.
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Best regards,
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The Build Solar Tea,
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P.S On a related note, you may want to peruse our Residential Solar Energy post.
