Thursday, January 7, 2010

Solar Power

Solar electric power, known as photovoltaic technology, makes use of the abundant energy from the sun. Solar power works well on a range of things such as on small appliances all the way to power huge commercial buildings. You pay upfront for the installation, but after that you have virtually free power from the sun for the life of the installation, at least 20 years. The cost of solar energy depends on where you are in the world, how much sun you get per day, how much energy you use and how much rebates and tax incentives you may get. The downside with solar power is if there is no sun there is no power. But even if you start with a few solar panels and only power 15% of your home then that is still a great start to going green and it will save you money and be great for our environment.
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14 comments:

  1. Tori RipleyJanuary 8, 2010 at 5:37 AM

    I love the idea of solar but the no sun = no power thing really bites. How long can a solar panel last without the sun? Can it power your house for a couple hours or a couple days?

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  2. NtinaJanuary 8, 2010 at 5:40 AM

    Solar power is one of the greatest ideas, we just need more people to convert! We have a giant fiery abundance of sun, why not use it more? In time though hopefully everyone can switch to more efficient energy, and use solar panels.

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  3. KariJanuary 8, 2010 at 5:40 AM

    Wow it can power 15 percent of your home. Hopefully after a while it will power a lot more of the house.

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  4. Joseph Donald SibleyJanuary 8, 2010 at 5:41 AM

    Lindsey, solar energy is a great way to collect energy. Even if you don't have sun for a day, or even a couple days, you can store the energy. The Barkers in Boothbay have solar energy and they have said that they store there energy when there is no sun you can still use the energy from days ago. But my question is how long does it take for you to get back your initial cost? If it takes 20 years and the installation only last 20 years is it really worth it? I'm sure that it doesn't take 20 years to compensate for the initial cost though, just a thought!

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  5. AnonymousJanuary 8, 2010 at 5:46 AM

    Good post Mard. I think solar power should be installed on every building, as a way to reduce energy use. But isn't installation expensive. It seems like people who have the funds can save on energy, but people who need to save money don't have the funds for solar panels.

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  6. chelseaJanuary 8, 2010 at 5:50 AM

    On my house we have solar panels but it is for heating our water. Even just this saves my family a lot of money. I think its a great idea for people to invest in solar energy, even if its only a small step.

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  7. ravenJanuary 8, 2010 at 5:52 AM

    That would be cool if someday everyone can switch to solar energy. It sucks that it costs so much but I feel that in the long run it will add up. Also its pretty neat how they will store the energy for the days that the sun just wont shine. And as you said it powers 15% of your house which may not seem like much really but every little bit helps and maybe in the future it will be a higher percentage?

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  8. BrittanyJanuary 8, 2010 at 5:53 AM

    We use solar energy too, in a much smaller way. We have solar lights that go up our driveway. I think even small steps, like outdoor solar lights, are a great, inexpensive way, for people to take a step toward a greener tomorrow. You know what else? A lot of people already use solar power-calculators!

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  9. edenJanuary 8, 2010 at 5:54 AM

    I think that there should be solar plants that produce power for towns. It's hard for individuals to make the investments but those who have tons of money like bill gates and oprah nd other business investors should look into something like making a big plant with lots of solar panels somewhere they would be most effective.

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  10. GabrielleJanuary 8, 2010 at 6:01 AM

    I agree with Eden, solar plants would make people a lot more likely to switch. In places such as Florida, solar plants would be very profitable.

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  11. JamieJanuary 8, 2010 at 6:02 AM

    This is a great idea! More people should be aware of how much energy AND money you can save with solar powered energy!

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  12. Katrina WheelerJanuary 8, 2010 at 6:22 AM

    Solar panels are such a great idea, the only issue is that they are so expensive. Even if they do pay for themselves, paying that initial cost is hard. There should be some government rebate for those who have solar panels.

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  13. NikkiJanuary 8, 2010 at 12:45 PM

    Solar is one of the best alternative sources I think. However, I think up here in Maine it will be hard to use it to power our whole houses. We have plenty of sun in the summer, but, in the winter we loose a lot of daylight and it's not very sunny during the day either.

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  14. AnonymousJuly 15, 2018 at 9:10 AM

    Great blog, thank you for sharing information
    How Much To Install Solar Panels
    Installing Solar Panels On Home

    ReplyDelete

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