Ideally, you will need a flat area measuring about a hundred square feet. This is good to install between 10 to 12 solar panels that can produce about a kilowatt of power. 

If you think 1 kilowatt is small, think again because this is equivalent to 1,600 kilowatts of hours per year. That translates to 5.5 hours of electricity per day if you are using it to the max. Otherwise, excess power can be stored in batteries which will help bring electricity to the house during a blackout or at night, or pushed back to the grid for energy credit on your electricity bill. Learn more about net metering.

Aside from the solar panels, you will also need the inverter, battery, charge controller, wires and support structure. Each of these parts is important since the system will not work without them, so whoever you choose as a contractor should have everything ready prior to installation.

Once everything is set up, you can enjoy your solar powered home and possibly save $100's on your monthly electricity bill. Since a solar panel system requires minimal maintenance, it can last up to 20 years before you have to replace anything. 

If you have a larger area to work with, why not invest in a solar thermal roof? The difference between this and the first one mentioned is that you convert the entire roof into a giant collector. It is quite expensive and takes a couple of days to complete but worth every penny. Look into Teslar's Tiles product for more.

The only reason why not that many people invest in such a system is because roofs are not oriented towards the south (while in the northern hemisphere with the steep pitch needed to maximize solar energy especially during the winter. You may have to do some more construction work to make this happen. 

Solar energy is just one way for you to stop relying on power coming from the grid. When the sun isn't shining, you'll get your electricity from the local grid as normal, or use power stored in batteries connected to the system. If solar is completely out of the option for you, you may look into wind energy as another "green" way of producing electricity at home. But a decent wind power system requires a bit more structural work that can be expensive and impractical in a tight location.

How does wind power work? Here, you use fans to collect the wind's kinetic energy similar to windmills that you see in the farm. The only difference is that the blades are connected to a drive shaft that turns an electric generator to produce electricity. 

You just have to do some research to find out if solar energy is feasible for your home based on where your home or business is located. You should know how much power you consume on a monthly basis in order to have an idea of the size of the system you will need to meet all your energy requirements. Should your study show it is possible to live on solar energy, you should look into investing in a system. There are many ways you can finance a new system, some don't even require any upfront costs. You just pay for the system over time. The installation costs are now at the lowest they've ever been. You will quickly and surely get a return on your investment later on in the form of tax credit (in most US states) and a utility bill that may not even exceed $10 per month.

So what are you waiting for? If you don't want to rely on power from the electric company, go ahead and invest in solar energy. We're here to help you get started. Reach out to us below.

By Wyster Desir