Efficient Solar Power for Homes

They say that the sun is always shining right above the clouds. If there is something that we can be sure of --in this planet--, is the regularity of the day/night cycle and the dependability of our sun to rise up every morning.

The sun gives all living creatures the light, warmth, energy, inspiration, food and everything needed to survive on Earth. Without the sun and its light, everything would be in darkness, plants would not grow, animals would not find anything to eat and all life chain would end: Everything would freeze.

Without the sun’s gravity, our planet would lose its stability and direction in the universe. Such is the life-giving power of our dear sun. No wonder that some cultures thought the sun was God, for it certainly must be His physical manifestation.

Mankind has discovered the way to harness the energy of the sun by collecting its rays with either parabolic antennas or PV solar panels. The sun rays are focused towards heating water inside water pipes, which will move a thermal turbine and generate electricity.

What used to be a very expensive installation and maintenance a few years back, it has now become much more affordable and accessible for most people. The governments are giving incentives to the installation of solar power systems for homes by subsidizing it and encouraging the residential homes to turn in their excess solar energy into the electric power grid. Solar power for the home is a solution to lower your electric bill and to contribute to improve the environment.

In some countries where the sun is always shining, the production of solar energy is high enough to power all the electric appliances of everyday use in a home, and even exceed the demand. The solar installation automatically uploads --to the city’s power grid-- the excess of solar energy stored in the pannels on your roof. During those sunny days, the home solar power will also benefit the electric companies by supplying them with clean energy and slowing down their need for burning fossil fuels.

In colder countries --where the climate is usually cloudy or rainy--, only limited solar power is available for residential use. In these situations --if there is not enough solar power for your home’s electric needs--, your solar installation automatically connects to the electric grid and satisfies the demand. You are still somehow benefiting of the free energy of the sun even in cloudy days or night time, because there are days when you get all the power you need from the sun which will lower your electric bill.