Solar Montreal

Its no secret that solar energy has seen a resurgence in popularity in recent times.With increasing power costs and decreasing incomes in these unstable economic times people are looking for ways to save some of their hard earned and increasingly hard to come by dollars by slashing their power bills.One of the long standing problems with employing solar energy for out energy consumption needs is the large initial expense we must out lay to have a solar energy system installed (this cost is often in the high thousands of dollars).It was with this in mind I set out on a journey to try to discover a way to build cheap solar panels.I fired up Google and entered “cheap solar panels” in the search field and proceeded to be amazed by the number of search results, there were literally hundreds of companies selling guides to build your own homemade cheap solar panels.The First link I clicked through lead to a page that proclaimed to have a simple step by step guide to building your own cheap solar panels for under $200!. After a bit of humming and haring I figured I would give it a try. I downloaded the guide, printed it out and headed off to the hardware store. Some 20 minutes later I walked out of the store armed with materials that came to the total of a tad over $200 (the price you pay for living in a small town).Over the course of the next week, in my spare time, I put together my very own solar panels. The process was relatively painless for a DIY project and I recruited my youngest son, which made the process a breeze and a lot of fun. The guide was very informative, set out in a manual type of format, that included a lot of clearly drawn diagrams and photos as well as videos from the vendors site.I must say I was pleasantly surprised at the whole experience, I’ve bought things online before only to find they fail to deliver what they promise, but in this case it was an easy and painless process that fulfilled its promises, I now run several appliances off solar energy, including the laptop I’m typing this up on, and intend to add a lot more, the sense of freedom you get from knowing that your energy usage is unmetered and free is very satisfying. Perhaps one of the best things that result from building my own cheap solar panels was the awareness it raised in my son, he now drives us crazy with telling us off for leaving the lights on when we have left the room!.If your reading this article you more than likely are looking into ways to build cheap solar panels, my advice to you would be not to hesitate, it really is s fun and educational experience you can share with the whole family, not to mention the fact you are doing your bit to help the environment. The following link will take you to a site with reviews of DIY solar power kits as well as a plethora of information on solar energy. DIY Solar Power

Solar panels are devices that convert light into electricity. Solar panels are dropping in price, but they still are not cheap, so if you’re switching to solar it’s a great time to also carefully evaluate your electricity use. Call your utility company and get an “energy audit” and follow the recommendations. Most homeowners can cut their use of electricity or gas by anywhere from 5% to 30%. By cutting your power usage to an absolute minimum you can purchase only the expensive solar panel capacity that is required for your home. PV (photovoltaic) solar panels are made from solar cells which are a semiconductor material.

Electricity

The process for creating electricity from sun light is rather complex, but all you need to know is that photons collide with electrons in the semiconductor material and essentially free them up to flow when hooked up to a battery. This flow of electrons is what makes an electrical current.

The average household uses 30kwh of electricity per day. Electrical utility companies are required by law to accommodate “net metering”. This means that you can sell your excess power back to the power company. Thus, if you are out at work on a sunny day, or go on a two-week skiing vacation and aren’t using any electricity, the power being created by the solar panels is going back into the grid to the utility company. In other words every kilowatt-hour of electricity produced by a solar energy system ends up being used to the advantage of the homeowner, either as power to run appliances when the homeowner is there or as a dollar-for-dollar credit provided by the utility company for power that is not being used.

Cost

The most important component of the PV solar panel system will probably be the amount of subsidy you are eligible for. Since some utility companies need to meet goals for the amount of renewable energy they furnish, there are some very attractive rebates offered at times. These can be large rebates indeed, up to 50% of the cost of a system or even higher. This can make a system that would support the average 30 kwh per day home cost roughly $20,000 rather than $40,000! In addition, there is a $2,000 tax credit offered by the federal government. However, this is not always the case. In our local area of Colorado there are several utility companies that service the region. One offers a 50% rebate as described above. Another offers a 66% rebate, and a third offers no rebate at all. So you need to check with your utility company to see what rebates, if any, apply to your location. You should also contact a solar panel contractor who can give you lots of information about system costs, and of course they will probably know the rebates offered in your local area. Typical PV solar panels cost about $4 per watt before installation. Installation is a major expense, however, and in the example cited above with a 50% rebate, final system costs will amount to about $6.50- $7.00 per watt installed.

Batteries

Batteries are required in stand-alone systems to provide energy during night hours. These can be very expensive, but if you have an isolated cabin, an RV, or some other need for power and don’t have access to the public power grid, a solar system with batteries is certainly a solution.

Conclusion

When you consider the costs of a full blown PV solar system which will cut your electric bill down to zero or close to it, you get one other benefit. The value of your property increases with such a system, and your property taxes will not increase because of this added value. In addition to the satisfaction of cutting down your carbon footprint significantly, your system will eventually pay for itself, and your property will be worth more as well. Keep these factors in mind when you calculate your pay-back period.

Solar panels are devices that convert light into electricity. Solar panels are dropping in price, but they still are not cheap, so if you’re switching to solar it’s a great time to also carefully evaluate your electricity use. Call your utility company and get an “energy audit” and follow the recommendations. Most homeowners can cut their use of electricity or gas by anywhere from 5% to 30%. By cutting your power usage to an absolute minimum you can purchase only the expensive solar panel capacity that is required for your home. PV (photovoltaic) solar panels are made from solar cells which are a semiconductor material.

Electricity

The process for creating electricity from sun light is rather complex, but all you need to know is that photons collide with electrons in the semiconductor material and essentially free them up to flow when hooked up to a battery. This flow of electrons is what makes an electrical current.

The average household uses 30kwh of electricity per day. Electrical utility companies are required by law to accommodate “net metering”. This means that you can sell your excess power back to the power company. Thus, if you are out at work on a sunny day, or go on a two-week skiing vacation and aren’t using any electricity, the power being created by the solar panels is going back into the grid to the utility company. In other words every kilowatt-hour of electricity produced by a solar energy system ends up being used to the advantage of the homeowner, either as power to run appliances when the homeowner is there or as a dollar-for-dollar credit provided by the utility company for power that is not being used.

Cost

The most important component of the PV solar panel system will probably be the amount of subsidy you are eligible for. Since some utility companies need to meet goals for the amount of renewable energy they furnish, there are some very attractive rebates offered at times. These can be large rebates indeed, up to 50% of the cost of a system or even higher. This can make a system that would support the average 30 kwh per day home cost roughly $20,000 rather than $40,000! In addition, there is a $2,000 tax credit offered by the federal government. However, this is not always the case. In our local area of Colorado there are several utility companies that service the region. One offers a 50% rebate as described above. Another offers a 66% rebate, and a third offers no rebate at all. So you need to check with your utility company to see what rebates, if any, apply to your location. You should also contact a solar panel contractor who can give you lots of information about system costs, and of course they will probably know the rebates offered in your local area. Typical PV solar panels cost about $4 per watt before installation. Installation is a major expense, however, and in the example cited above with a 50% rebate, final system costs will amount to about $6.50- $7.00 per watt installed.

Batteries

Batteries are required in stand-alone systems to provide energy during night hours. These can be very expensive, but if you have an isolated cabin, an RV, or some other need for power and don’t have access to the public power grid, a solar system with batteries is certainly a solution.

Conclusion

When you consider the costs of a full blown PV solar system which will cut your electric bill down to zero or close to it, you get one other benefit. The value of your property increases with such a system, and your property taxes will not increase because of this added value. In addition to the satisfaction of cutting down your carbon footprint significantly, your system will eventually pay for itself, and your property will be worth more as well. Keep these factors in mind when you calculate your pay-back period.

Solar panels are devices that convert light into electricity. Solar panels are dropping in price, but they still are not cheap, so if you’re switching to solar it’s a great time to also carefully evaluate your electricity use. Call your utility company and get an “energy audit” and follow the recommendations. Most homeowners can cut their use of electricity or gas by anywhere from 5% to 30%. By cutting your power usage to an absolute minimum you can purchase only the expensive solar panel capacity that is required for your home. PV (photovoltaic) solar panels are made from solar cells which are a semiconductor material.

Electricity

The process for creating electricity from sun light is rather complex, but all you need to know is that photons collide with electrons in the semiconductor material and essentially free them up to flow when hooked up to a battery. This flow of electrons is what makes an electrical current.

The average household uses 30kwh of electricity per day. Electrical utility companies are required by law to accommodate “net metering”. This means that you can sell your excess power back to the power company. Thus, if you are out at work on a sunny day, or go on a two-week skiing vacation and aren’t using any electricity, the power being created by the solar panels is going back into the grid to the utility company. In other words every kilowatt-hour of electricity produced by a solar energy system ends up being used to the advantage of the homeowner, either as power to run appliances when the homeowner is there or as a dollar-for-dollar credit provided by the utility company for power that is not being used.

Cost

The most important component of the PV solar panel system will probably be the amount of subsidy you are eligible for. Since some utility companies need to meet goals for the amount of renewable energy they furnish, there are some very attractive rebates offered at times. These can be large rebates indeed, up to 50% of the cost of a system or even higher. This can make a system that would support the average 30 kwh per day home cost roughly $20,000 rather than $40,000! In addition, there is a $2,000 tax credit offered by the federal government. However, this is not always the case. In our local area of Colorado there are several utility companies that service the region. One offers a 50% rebate as described above. Another offers a 66% rebate, and a third offers no rebate at all. So you need to check with your utility company to see what rebates, if any, apply to your location. You should also contact a solar panel contractor who can give you lots of information about system costs, and of course they will probably know the rebates offered in your local area. Typical PV solar panels cost about $4 per watt before installation. Installation is a major expense, however, and in the example cited above with a 50% rebate, final system costs will amount to about $6.50- $7.00 per watt installed.

Batteries

Batteries are required in stand-alone systems to provide energy during night hours. These can be very expensive, but if you have an isolated cabin, an RV, or some other need for power and don’t have access to the public power grid, a solar system with batteries is certainly a solution.

Conclusion

When you consider the costs of a full blown PV solar system which will cut your electric bill down to zero or close to it, you get one other benefit. The value of your property increases with such a system, and your property taxes will not increase because of this added value. In addition to the satisfaction of cutting down your carbon footprint significantly, your system will eventually pay for itself, and your property will be worth more as well. Keep these factors in mind when you calculate your pay-back period.

Watch in HD Watch The First Part of This Project First At: www.youtube.com Visit Solar Tech Town for the full video: www.solartechtown.com I, Robert Smith, show you every step I take to building a custom made solar panel from scratch. I explain in detail about each item I use and why to use it, so the video is fairly long. I will be hosting the majority of the video on my own server so you can view it all in one take. It will take time to edit the video, but the more of you that subscribe to the video, the faster I’ll try to get it out to you guys as it just shows that people are interested and appreciate what I’m doing, as I’m providing this video for free unlike some videos you see on youtube. The method I described in this video is just one way to go about it, however, there are many ways you can build a custom solar panel. Some use aluminum or plastic frames, but I found for a beginner, working with wood would probably be easier and cheaper. Overall, building a solar panel can be fun, but there are many factors that play into building a solar panel, and I as well still have an extreme amount to still learn about it. So I hope that for those wanting to learn more about solar energy and wanting to take the adventure of building their own solar panel will find this video very useful. To watch to full video just video, just visit www.solartechtown.com Again the video is fairly large, so to prevent from having to put 6 or 7 parts on youtube in 10 minute sections, I’m just …

Watch in HD Watch The First Part of This Project First At: www.youtube.com Visit Solar Tech Town for the full video: www.solartechtown.com I, Robert Smith, show you every step I take to building a custom made solar panel from scratch. I explain in detail about each item I use and why to use it, so the video is fairly long. I will be hosting the majority of the video on my own server so you can view it all in one take. It will take time to edit the video, but the more of you that subscribe to the video, the faster I’ll try to get it out to you guys as it just shows that people are interested and appreciate what I’m doing, as I’m providing this video for free unlike some videos you see on youtube. The method I described in this video is just one way to go about it, however, there are many ways you can build a custom solar panel. Some use aluminum or plastic frames, but I found for a beginner, working with wood would probably be easier and cheaper. Overall, building a solar panel can be fun, but there are many factors that play into building a solar panel, and I as well still have an extreme amount to still learn about it. So I hope that for those wanting to learn more about solar energy and wanting to take the adventure of building their own solar panel will find this video very useful. To watch to full video just video, just visit www.solartechtown.com Again the video is fairly large, so to prevent from having to put 6 or 7 parts on youtube in 10 minute sections, I’m just …

Watch in HD www.solartechtown.com I, Robert Smith, show you every step I take to building a custom made solar panel from scratch. I explain in detail about each item I use and why to use it, so the video is fairly long. I will be hosting the majority of the video on my own server so you can view it all in one take. It will take time to edit the video, but the more of you that subscribe to the video, the faster I’ll try to get it out to you guys as it just shows that people are interested and appreciate what I’m doing, as I’m providing this video for free unlike some videos you see on youtube. The method I described in this video is just one way to go about it, however, there are many ways you can build a custom solar panel. Some use aluminum or plastic frames, but I found for a beginner, working with wood would probably be easier and cheaper. Overall, building a solar panel can be fun, but there are many factors that play into building a solar panel, and I as well still have an extreme amount to still learn about it. So I hope that for those wanting to learn more about solar energy and wanting to take the adventure of building their own solar panel will find this video very useful. To watch to full video just video, just visit www.solartechtown.com Again the video is fairly large, so to prevent from having to put 6 or 7 parts on youtube in 10 minute sections, I’m just going to host in on my server. If you all have ANY questions, feel free to leave a comment under the …