Running an entire house on solar energy requires quite a few panels. Learn about solar energy system sizes from a professional in this free energy conservation video. Expert: Roger Bacon Bio: Roger Bacon is the owner of RGB Home Repair and Renovation in Santa Barbara California. He has experience in all phases of home repair and renovations such as plumbing, heating and solar power. Filmmaker: Diana Bacon

This is a never-ending debate that will ultimately depend on your point of view. There are certain factors involved in answering the question such as:

* Where do you live
* What is your current electric supply
* How much does the solar power equipment cost
* Do you define “worth” in monetary terms or in terms of its impact on the environment

Before you can consider these factors, I’d like to point out certain long-held misconceptions about solar power that are untrue:

: It’s too expensive
: It won’t provide enough power for large appliances
: It won’t work during the winter
: It will only provide power when it’s sunny
: It is very difficult to install and will only last 5 years
: It’s unreliable and useless at night
: It’s inefficient and not worth it.

A Look at the Facts

The amount of sun’s energy reaching the earth depends on where you live. If you’re in a sunnier place, the solar power equipment will pay for itself faster. Less sunny places can still make use of solar power, however.

Installing solar power equipment may cost you, but the upkeep costs are negligible, compared to the cost of being connected to the grid and paying a monthly electric bill. The kind of equipment you need depends on how much electricity you need. If you need a lot of electricity, your initial cost of installation will be high, but of course, this will be offset by the high cost you’re already paying for electricity off the grid.

Your solar power can be connected to the grid to pass on the extra electricity you are generating. This is known as net metering and adds to your credit. Connecting to the grid will cost you, depending on how far the grid lines are from your home.

Solar power becomes much more attractive when it combines with other solar technologies. A building with passive solar heating and water heating will require less electricity from your solar power source. Modern buildings, made with energy efficient materials will put less pressure on your solar power equipment. This in no way means that older buildings with poorer energy efficient materials can’t use solar power. Solar power, once installed, will pay for itself within a reasonable time.

After considering the above, it all comes down to the ‘worth’ of installing solar power. Is it only the monetary cost one should consider, or the total cost to the environment? It all comes down to how much you value the environment.

www.ashdenawards.org Grameen Shakti won an Ashden Award for Sustainable Energy in 2006. To find out more visit the link above and check out the Ashden Awards Blog ashdenawards.blogspot.com Grameen Shakti has sold and installed over 65000 solar home-systems (SHS) in rural Bangladesh, and brought major benefits to its users. Nearly 70% of households in Bangladesh are not connected to the electricity grid and depend on kerosene for lighting. This includes most rural areas and extends as far as …

EnergyForEarth.net – Home Solar Panels Installation -Solar panel installation for residential solar power. Find solar energy contractors in your area. … Home Solar Panel Installation Services .Solar Panels from Wholesale Solar Renewable Energy · Alternative Energy Solar panels, solar and wind home power systems, pre-wired power panels. … 1990s Germany and Japan initiated long-term solar panel-installation incentive . Solar Panels Reviewed – Home Solar Energy – Alternative Energy Home …

There has never been a better time than now to take advantage of the numerous benefits of solar power. Many states have made solar power affordable, cost effective, providing a 10% return on investment and in many cases solar power will pay for itself almost instantly.

The utilization of solar power has never offered more benefits than now. Not only can the installation of solar power pay for itself almost instantly, but given the current world political climate and the threat of terrorist actions to disrupt cheap oil supplies make it very prudent.

Many states offer a 10% return on investments to encourage its use. The simple fact is that installing a solar electric system in your home is now cost effective for the first time. And you’ll sleep better at night knowing that you have now become part of the energy solution as world oil supplies continue to dwindle.

In the state of California the cost of solar power in 1978 was well over $300 per watt. Today, with incentives offered by the state, that price has now dropped to less than $6 per watt- a staggering 98% reduction in cost of solar energy.

In addition to the reduction in cost of installing a solar power system, your home’s value increases $20 for every $1 reduction in annual utility bills- this according to the National Appraisal Institute.
Therefore, installing a solar power system in your home costing $16,000 would increase you home’s value by $17,520. That’s a net gain of $1520 the day you install the system.

On April 25, 1950 Bell Laboratories introduced the first silicon solar cell. Bell called its invention “The first successful device (solar cell) to convert useful amounts of the sun’s energy directly into electricity.” The NY Times heralded it as “The beginning of a New Era, leading eventually to the realization of one of mankind’s most cherished dreams-The harnessing of the almost limitless energy of the sun for uses of civilization.”

99% of the world’s energy comes from sunlight or solar energy. Everyday enough free sunlight energy falls on the Earth to supply our energy needs for 4-5 years at our present rate of consumption. At the equator, the Sun provides 1000 Watts per square meter on the Earth’s surface.

The amount of solar energy we take today in no way diminishes the amount we can take tomorrow or any time in the future.